British track sprint stars will line up at Revolution 28 (February 27) against a host of international talent in preparation for the UCI Track World Championships in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Star of the show, Sir Chris Hoy, will head up the British contingent racing for Sky+ HD in the Revolution sprint events and team Flyers in the Revolution Championship. It will be the first appearance in the UK for Hoy since the Manchester World Cup so his performance will play a crucial part of his Worlds preparation. "It could go either way; I could gain psychological points by winning but could lose those points if I get beaten," he conceded.
"I tend not to worry too much about the competition and just focus on my own performance," he added. However, Hoy, Ross Edgar and Jason Kenny will have to keep an eye on strong opponents from Germany, especially World Kilo Champion Stefan Nimke, who could cause an upset.
Great Britain Head Sprint Coach Iain Dyer is well aware of the threat that the Germans pose at the Revolution and World Championships. "They've shown that they can do it at the highest level and we know they've got a great team sprint squad," he praised. "They've got two exceptional Team Sprint start riders which gives them a good chance at the World Championships. It'll be a very hard event for us to do well in, they're a quality and respected sprint nation."
There'll be a notable absence at Revolution 28 of another leading track nation, the French. While the Germans appear keen to race against the British ahead of the World Championships, Dyer played down suggestions that the French want to avoid confrontation before the big event in Copenhagen. "The French guys have had the Grenoble six day and have kept busy leading up to the event. Some of them also did the Beijing World Cup, so I don't think any team's doing any more or less than another, it's just their timing and their choice of preparation," explained Dyer.
With only four weeks separating Revolution 28 and the World Championships, Dyer also insisted that there's no risk of showing Great Britain's hand too early. "Whatever condition we hit the Revolution in we are confident there's a bit more to come. The team will be coming off the back of an important training camp in Australia; their taper will be starting so you'll see a bit of that form come through at Revolution."
In the women's racing, Victoria Pendleton will lead the Brits against tough opposition from the Germans and also the Dutch, with Willy Kanis likely to be strong competition. Pendleton will be looking to fine-tune her sprint performances in the competitive Revolution sprint environment, before tapering towards the World Championships.
Tickets for Revolution 28 are sold out, but there will be an opportunity to watch Hoy and Pendleton in action in the sprint qualification as part of an extra afternoon session which also features the National Madison Championships. Racing runs from 12.00 to 15.30 and tickets are priced £6 for adults, £3 for concessions and £15 for families of four.
Please visit the website www.cyclingrevolution.com for further details, or contact Manchester Velodrome on 0161 223 2244.
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