Jess Varnish might have won four titles at the 2013 British National Track Championships but she insists she is taking nothing for granted this time around.
Varnish set the track alight in Manchester 12 months ago as she claimed a British title in every race she entered, winning all four sprint events – the sprint, 500m time trial, keirin and the team sprint as part of the West Midlands regional team with fellow Great Britain Cycling Team rider and double junior world champion Dannielle Khan.
Her quartet of crowns was made all the more impressive considering she spent much of 2013 suffering from a back injury.
But now back fully fit the 23-year-old admits she feels in much better shape as she bids to do it all over again, with the competition getting underway on Wednesday.
“Definitely last year was great for me, because I was injured and I hadn’t been able to do much training really,” said Varnish, who endured a tough Olympic debut in London as she and Victoria Pendleton were relegated from the team sprint competition due to an infringement of the rules.
“It felt great to come into the nationals and perform. It’s always an experience to ride in front of a home crowd that you know are going to be behind you and cheering you on and it’s really great that it is here in Manchester.
“This year is very different to my run in last year because I have had a lot more racing this time around and I have trained a lot.
“Neither me nor Dannielle have had a chance to practice the ride together so fingers crossed it will be alright on the night. It is a really strong field here this year though.”
© Sportsbeat 2014