Rio Olympic champion Katie Archibald is relishing a return to the track after being selected in Great Britain's squad for the UEC European Track Championships.
Four other Olympic champions join Archibald in the 18-man squad, including her gold medal-winning team pursuit teammate Elinor Barker as well as golden team sprint trio Steven Burke, Philip Hindes and Callum Skinner.
The quintet will lead the medal charge for Great Britain at the championships, staged in Berlin, between October 18-22 as the first major competition of the track season gets underway.
And Archibald, who claimed her first individual World Championship title with victory in the omnium in Hong Kong earlier this year, admits she will head into the event buoyed by what has already been a successful year in the velodrome.
“I’m pleased with my results overall from the past year and aim to continue my form into the new season,” said Archibald.
“I won three medals in individual events at the European Championships in Paris last year, and this gave me confidence going into the World Cups having focused all my previous training efforts on the team pursuit.
“I have enjoyed some good results at races around Europe over recent months, including winning four out of the five events I entered at the Dudenhofen GP.
“I’ve now returned to training with the Great Britain Cycling Team and I am looking forward to the track season ahead.”
In the women’s endurance squad, Eleanor Dickinson, Emily Kay and Manon Lloyd complete the line-up, having all claimed top spot on the podium at the UCI Track World Cup round in Glasgow last year.
Having represented Great Britain at the UCI Road World Championships in Bergen last month, Mark Stewart and Ollie Wood turn their attentions to the track, where they will join forces with double Olympic champion Steven Burke.
Kian Emadi, Andy Tennant and world scratch bronze medallist Chris Latham complete the men’s endurance squad.
The men’s sprint events will see current Under-23 European team sprint champions Jack Carlin, Ryan Owens and Joe Truman also compete on the timbers alongside Hindes and Skinner.
Meanwhile, individual sprint Olympic bronze medallist Katy Marchant will be joined by senior academy rider Sophie Capewell, who makes her debut appearance at elite level at the championships.
Speaking in light of the team selection, British Cycling’s head coach Iain Dyer is confident that his riders can perform well in the first major competition of the track season.
“We’ve selected a strong squad for the UEC European Track Championships with the aim of starting the season with some good performances,” he said.
“All the riders have had a good block of training and racing over the summer months, either on the track or on the road, with some promising signs of progression and consistent results.
“I’m looking forward to seeing the level of progression shown in training replicated under major competition conditions across the squad in what marks the beginning of the 2017/18 season for the track team.”
Women’s sprint
Sophie Capewell Katy Marchant
Men’s sprint
Jack Carlin Philip Hindes Ryan Owens Callum Skinner Joe Truman
Women’s endurance
Katie Archibald Elinor Barker Eleanor Dickinson Emily Kay Manon Lloyd
Men’s endurance
Steven Burke Kian Emadi Chris Latham Mark Stewart Andy Tennant Ollie Wood
Sportsbeat 2017