KATIE Archibald, the newly-crowned Olympic champion, will be the star attraction at the Glasgow leg of the UCI Track Cycling World Cup, which begins at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome today.
The 22 year-old has enjoyed the briefest of lay-offs in the aftermath of her Olympic triumph as part of the GB women’s team pursuit squad. As many of her compatriots bask in their Olympic success, Archibald was almost straight back into the competitive arena and has added two gold medals and a silver from the European Championships, as well as a victory in the omnium at the prestigious six-day London event since returning from Rio.
The Milngavie rider is part of the GB women’s endurance squad in Glasgow this weekend and she will be looking to continue her good form in front of her home crowd.
Archibald is not the only home attraction though, with Mark Stewart from Dundee looking to build on the impressive World Cup gold medal that he claimed last year. The 21-year-old was part of the men’s team pursuit squad that took bronze at the recent European Championships and he is in a strong position to take that form forward into this weekend.
Also worth looking out for is Jack Carlin, the 19-year-old from Paisley who burst on the international scene during September’s European Championships when he took silver as part of the team sprint. Carlin has recently moved to the British Cycling base in Manchester and will be keen to prove himself on the world stage while big guns like Jason Kenny take time away from the competitive arena.
Also on show this weekend is Andy Tennant, the world individual pursuit bronze medallist who returns to the GB squad after impressive performances for Team Wiggins in the Revolution Series, as well as European team pursuit bronze medallists Emily Kay, Danni Khan, Manon Lloyd and Emily Nelson.
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