The women’s team pursuit debuts at this years UCI Track Cycling World Championships in Manchester March 26-30th and British Cycling Performance Director David Brailsford is aiming to have a team ready for the final round of the World Cup in Copenhagen in February.

“There are more events to go for in the World Championships than there are in the Olympics,” said Brailsford: “One of the new events is the women’s team pursuit and that’s really exciting. The British team are not only getting strength in depth but also strength in breadth across more disciplines than we have before.”

British world class individual pursuiters Wendy Houvenaghel and Rebecca Romero are favourites for two of the three team pursuit places but who would be in the frame for the final place?

“We are doing some work on that at the moment,” explained Brailsford: “We have got Lizzie Armistead, Rachel Heal and Jo Rowsell and we are doing some testing and training. We will decide the final team closer to the date.

“We are only taking five riders over to the Los Angeles World Cup,” continued Brailsford: “The journey back from L.A. takes the riders 5-10 days to get over and our plan was to look at the women’s team pursuit in Copenhagen in preparation for the World’s in Manchester in March. All being well we will debut in the women’s team pursuit in Copenhagen.”

The Russian team won the first ever World Cup event in Sydney in November with a time of 3.29.072 beating home team Australia into second spot. The Ukraine team, which included former double junior world champion Shulika Lyubov won the second event in Beijing in December. The Dutch team have yet to enter the competition but like Great Britain may be leaving it late with a good contingent of endurance riders to choose from including former world road and cyclo-cross champion Marianne Vos who won the scratch race in Beijing.


Notes to editors:

UK Sport

The 2008 UCI Track Cycling World Championships are part funded by UK Sport’s National Lottery-funded World Class Events Programme, which aims to secure events of strategic importance that deliver a range of lasting benefits. These include economic, social and cultural benefits as well as improving sporting performance by home athletes, encouraging participation and leaving a legacy of facilities and development initiatives. Over 120 sporting events have been staged in the UK through the programme since 1997, with around 100 more targeted before 2012. More at www.uksport.gov.uk

Manchester City Council

Manchester is hosting the UCI Track Cycling World Championships for the third time since 1996, during which time the City has also been a regular host of the successful World Cup Classic series. The event is being staged at the National Cycling Centre, home of British Cycling and is recognised as one of the fastest tracks in the world.

The World Championships form part of a unique series of global sports events in Manchester in 2008. In the single biggest year of world sport since the XVII Commonwealth Games in 2002, Manchester will host:
¬? UCI Track Cycling World Championships, 26 ‚Äì 30 March 2008, National Cycling Centre, Sportcity
¬? 9th FINA World Swimming Championships 2008 (25m), 9 ‚Äì 13 April 2008, MEN Arena
¬? UEFA Cup Final 2008, 14 May 2008, City of Manchester Stadium, Sportcity
¬? BUPA Great Manchester Run, 18 May 2008, Manchester City Centre
¬? Hi-Tec World Squash Championships Manchester 2008, 11 ‚Äì19 October 2008, National Squash Centre, Sportcity
¬? Paralympic World Cup, 5 ‚Äì 11 May 2008, Sportcity and other venues

One year, one city, a whole world of sport – Manchester 2008
For information visit www.manchesterworldsport08.com

Manchester World Sport 08 Media Enquiries:
Martin Hellewell, Manchester City Council Press Office.
Tel 0161 234 3729 Email: m.hellewell@manchester.gov.uk

The Events Group

The Events Group is a widely experienced event management company that operates in Britain, Ireland and many international markets including China, Malaysia and Singapore. The Events Group have been the organisers of many prestigious cycling events including the Kellogg’s City Centre Series & Tour of Britain (12 years), Tour de France in England (1994) & Ireland (1998) and through their subsidiary World Track Cycling Limited, they organised the UCI Track Cycling World Cup in Manchester (2004 - 2007). This is the second time that the company has organised the UCI Track Cycling World Championships in Manchester with the first being held at the Sportcity Velodrome in 2000. More at www.theeventsgroup.net