Ciara Horne has slotted seamlessly into the Great Britain Cycling Team women's team pursuit squad, winning gold in her first outing at the European track championships in October.

So we decided to find out more about the 25-year-old who has managed to quietly break into one of the world's top female sport line-ups.

1. Ciara was born in Warwickshire but rode for Wales in the 2014 Commonwealth Games, thanks to her father being born in Glamorgan.

2. European team pursuit champ Ciara is as impressive on the road as she is on the track, notching up Queen of the Mountains points at this year’s inaugural Friends Life Women’s Tour and riding for Pearl Izumi Sports Tours International on the domestic scene.

3. Ciara only switched full time to cycling in 2009 but has been a serious athlete since she was seven; formerly a competitive swimmer and triathlete.

4. Off the bike, Ciara has a first-class honours degree in physiotherapy from the University of Birmingham.

5. Ciara’s dream goal is to earn a place on the team pursuit squad at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio.

To find out more about Ciara, watch our exclusive pre-world-cup interview here.