Lora Turnham and Corrine Hall have predicted the pursuit at the 2014 UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships will become a grudge match against New Zealand - the pairing they defeated on the way to becoming 2013 world champions on the road.
When the two teams face off again in Aguascalientes, Turnham and Hall will aim to add to their rainbow jersey collection.
The duo, who won the time-trial title last year on the road, will transfer to the track with their focus on the three-kilometre pursuit in the B/VI (blind or visual impaired) category.
Hall is no stranger to switching disciplines, having competed solo in road, track and cyclo-cross prior to her most recent stint as a tandem pilot and relishes returning to the track and her first ever track world championships.
“I’m a big fan of the track, I’m looking forward to seeing what we can do on the world stage,” Hall enthused, talking before the start of competition.
Such positivity is unlikely to be misplaced as the track the squad travel to is at high altitude and conducive to fast times – something proven at the able-bodied track world cup, where world records were broken.
Stoker Turnham remained reserved however, describing current world record holders New Zealand as "very strong rivals".
“Especially as we beat them in the time-trial on the road they’re going to be wanting to get some payback, so they’re going to be up for it and we’ve just got to go out there and see what we can do.”
“They went to London and absolutely destroyed the previous world record,” Turnham said, when describing their pursuit at the 2012 Paralympic Games.
At the Newport International Paracycling Cup in November 2013, Turnham and Hall were three seconds adrift of the record set by New Zealand and are hoping preparations - including sleeping in altitude tents for five weeks - will be enough to break records.
“Newport gave us confidence, we went there with a target time and we smashed it,” Hall said.
“But now we’ve got to try and smash that time again on the world stage.”
The duo will also compete in the sprint and kilo in Aguascalientes, Mexico. The championships start on Thursday 10 April and conlcude on Sunday 13 April.
