Britain's joint-most decorated Olympian Jason Kenny is relishing a return home this weekend as he tops the bill at the inaugural Phynova Six Day Manchester.
The Bolton-born star, back on the track after a year away, will join wife Laura – Britain’s most successful female Olympian – on the boards this weekend.
Kenny and his team pursuit quartet were knocked out in the first round of sprints at the recent Track World Championships in Poland.
So a first-ever appearance at Six Day, a famously laid-back event, is a tonic for the 30-year-old, and even better to do it at the National Cycling Centre, the track he calls home.
“It is our home, it’s where we train all the time and where I’ve trained all my life,” said Kenny.
“There’s a really good crowd that comes to Manchester, they really transform the place – we train there in the cold, in the winter, and suddenly you get thousands of people in there and it’s something else.
“The Six Day will really help that, it is a relaxed atmosphere and people are able to sit back and enjoy it – being on home turf and ready for a race day is going to be a lot of fun.
“It’s always nice to race in front of a home, knowledgeable crowd – hopefully it can push us on and we can get some good racing out of it.”
Kenny forms part of a scintillating sprint sextet who will do battle over three nights, with three-time Olympic medallist Max Levy and entertainer Robert Forstemann set to take to the start line.
The Kenny couple will be a big draw in Manchester but the women’s field is also packed with talent, newly-crowned world champion Elinor Barker racing alongside sister Megan.
And Rio 2016 gold medallist Katie Archibald will form an all-Scottish Madison partnership with Neah Evans, who won the Series’ last event in Hong Kong.
With the Tokyo 2020 Olympics growing ever closer, Kenny is keen to lap up any opportunity to hone his talent in a variety of disciplines.
“It’s just a bit of exposure, last year I struggled getting some good racing so it’s about going, getting stuck in and doing it without the pressure,” he said.
“I enjoy racing so that’s what I want to do. You’re riding for the same reasons as when you were 14 years old which is the best thing, and you’re working on those skills that will help you down the line.
“There’s always a good standard at Six Day, the German lads are always racing hard so the standard will be good and will allow us to get stuck in.
“It would be nice to come away with some honed skills, you take things for granted and sometimes it’s good to go back to working on what you do best.
“Every race is important and I want to get something out of every race I do, I’m never on the track for the sake of it and I’d love to come away from it having gained something.”