Great Britain’s track cycling stars go head-to-head from 25-27 September in a bid to be crowned national champion at the final British Cycling National Track Championships before the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.
A world-class field will take to the boards at the National Cycling Centre in Manchester and we’ve picked out 10 to watch.
Jody Cundy (Para-T)
Age: 36
The multi-time world champion retained his C4 kilometre world title earlier this year at the UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships in Apeldoorn. With less than a year to go to the Paralympic Games in Rio, Cundy will be looking to lay down a marker in Manchester to his national and international rivals.
Neil Fachie and Peter Mitchell (Black Line)
Ages: 31 and 25
The double world champions team up again at the British Cycling National Track Championships. The pair celebrated victory in the sprint and kilo events at the UCI Para-Cycling Track World Championships in Aguascalientes in Mexico in 2014, breaking world records in both events, before retaining the titles in Apeldoorn this year.
Matt Gibson (100% ME)
Age: 19
2015 has already been a huge year for the Lymm cyclist who only turned 19 earlier this month. He made his UCI Track Cycling World Championships debut for the Great Britain Cycling Team in Paris in February, finishing sixth in the scratch race as the youngest rider on the squad.
He then became a double under-23 European champion in Athens in the team pursuit and scratch race. A three-time junior British track champion, can Gibson claim his first senior title in 2015?
Jason Kenny (Unattached)
Age: 27
The Bolton rider will be looking to build on a solid start to the season. The three-time Olympic champion won the keirin at the opening meeting of the Revolution Cycling Series in Derby last month, alongside a third placed finish in the individual sprint. Kenny will now be looking to claim his first individual British title since 2013.
Katy Marchant (Unattached)
Age: 22
It’s been an incredible start to the season for the 22-year-old from Leeds. Marchant followed up wins at the Revolution Cycling Series opener in Derby with a strong performance at the Dudenhofen Grand Prix and a sprint and keirin double at the Torfeu CAR Anadia Portugal meeting. The under-23 European champion made her debut world championship appearance earlier this year in Paris and is now aiming to win her first national title.
Callum Skinner (The Racers)
Age: 23
Callum Skinner returns to the British Cycling National Track Championships with a huge target on his back. The 23-year-old won a clean sweep of four national sprint titles in 2014 in addition to becoming European kilo champion. Victory in the sprint at the Dudenhofen Grand Prix last month makes Skinner the man to beat once more in 2015.
Dame Sarah Storey (Pearl Izumi Sports Tours International)
Age: 37
The 11-time Paralympic champion is one of Britain’s most decorated athletes of all time. With six Paralympic cycling golds and 15 world titles, the Manchester rider will be looking to become national champion for the fourth time in her career. In 2014, Storey won the points race but had to settle for silver in the team pursuit. Can she go one better this year?
Andrew Tennant - Team Wiggins
Age: 28
Back to defend his 2014 British Cycling National Track Championship win in the individual pursuit, the reigning double European champion will face stiff opposition on the boards at the National Cycling Centre. It's a big 12 months for Tennant as he looks to put the disappointment of not riding at London 2012 firmly behind him by booking his spot at the Rio Olympics.
Laura Trott – Matrix Fitness
Age: 23
Since bursting onto the senior track scene in 2010, Laura Trott has dominated both nationally and internationally. At just 23 years old, she’s already a five-time world champion, seven-time European champion and six-time British champion, not forgetting her double gold success at the 2012 Olympic Games. Trott had to settle for two silver medals at this year’s world championships and she’ll be hoping national success in Manchester can set her up to regain world gold in London next year.
Jessica Varnish – Team V-Sprint Racing
Age: 24
Jessica Varnish loves the British Cycling National Track Championships and is looking to pull off an incredible achievement at this year’s event. Varnish has the chance to become a back-to-back-to-back quadruple British champion! She claimed a sprint clean sweep in 2013 and successfully defended all four titles last year. Can she make it three years of dominance in a row in 2015?
