Great Britain have selected a youthful team for the track world championships in Paris, with London Olympics gold medallists such as Philip Hindes, Jason Kenny and Laura Trott joined by three newcomers: the academy rider Matt Gibson, the former heptathlete Katy Marchant and the team pursuit rider Ciara Horne.
One surprise for the championships from 18-22 February is the inclusion of the London team pursuit gold medallist Steven Burke, who broke his collarbone on 11 January when he rode over a concrete block during training in Mallorca. Burke took only five days off before beginning to ride again on a home trainer and returned to the track this week.
The British Cycling technical director, Shane Sutton, said Burke’s injury was one of a number of hiccups in the run-up to the championships, where Great Britain need to bounce back after a poor showing last year in Colombia, with the drive to score ranking points for Olympic qualification under way.
“This is a worlds where we need to perform, we’ve had a few setbacks – Burkey, Becky James yet to come back, and Callum Skinner has been ill – but it’s like England playing Wales in Cardiff,” Sutton said. “They are down a few players but still expect to perform. We need to step up to the plate and we need to do that at these worlds.”
The sprinter Marchant is a relative newcomer to cycling, having represented Great Britain at the junior world heptathlon championships in 2012 before making the switch to two wheels in April 2013 at the instigation of Jessica Ennis’s coach, Toni Minichello, after her form on a Wattbike home trainer caught his eye.
The 22-year-old from Cardiff gained multiple medals at the British track championships in 2013 and 2014, and took bronze medals at last year’s European under-23 championships. It is unclear which events she will ride, with Jess Varnish and Victoria Williamson in pole position for the team sprint, but Sutton said: “She has the ability to deliver a fast second lap but she needs time in the chair at this level. I have a good feeling about her for the future.”
Another newcomer is the academy rider Gibson, a first-year senior who is a possible for the scratch race and perhaps a round of the team pursuit together with established names such as Burke, Ed Clancy and Andy Tennant. Gibson was one of a four-man academy team which took the bronze medal at the World Cup in Colombia two weeks ago, posting a 4min 3sec ride. Gibson also raised eyebrows last year as a junior when he performed well in the British Tour Series criteriums against established senior professionals, winning one round and taking third in another.
The women’s endurance squad includes Trott and her fellow London gold medallist Jo Rowsell, along with the rising stars Katie Archibald and Elinor Barker. The new face at world championship level is Horne, 25 years old and from Warwickshire, who has also raced for Ireland and Wales – notably at last year’s Commonwealth Games. She joined the Great Britain squad this autumn, when they won the European Championships. In Paris, the women’s team pursuit quartet will be going for their fifth successive world title after taking gold in both the World Cup rounds they started this winter.
Great Britain team for track world championships (18-22 February)
Men’s sprint Kian Emadi, Philip Hindes, Jason Kenny, Callum Skinner.
Women’s sprint Katy Marchant, Jess Varnish, Victoria Williamson.
Men’s endurance Steven Burke, Mark Christian, Ed Clancy, Jon Dibben, Owain Doull, Matt Gibson, Andy Tennant.
Women’s endurance Katie Archibald, Elinor Barker, Ciara Horne, Joanna Rowsell, Laura Trott.
