British Cycling has hinted that Sir Bradley Wiggins may not be ready to hang up his cleats just yet after naming the five-time Olympic champion in their Olympic Podium Programme.
Wiggins, who in 2012 became the first British cyclist to win the Tour de France, had been expected to retire from the sport after last month’s Ghent Six Day but after being named in the men’s endurance squad for 2017, it appears we may not yet have seen the last of the 36-year-old.
Elsewhere in the 45-strong squad, Dani King – who won team pursuit Olympic gold at London 2012 – returns to the team despite missing out on Rio 2016, as does fellow road rider Nikki Brammeier who played a pivotal supporting role at this summer’s Games.
In the men’s road squad, Mark Cavendish is joined by Chris Froome, Owain Doull and Geraint Thomas, with Lizzie Deignan headlining the women’s equivalent alongside King and Brammeier.
The men’s track endurance squad sees Ed Clancy, Steven Burke and Chris Latham named alongside Wiggins, while reigning Olympic team pursuit champions Laura Kenny, Katie Archibald, Elinor Barker and Jo Rowsell Shand are retained in the women’s.
This summer’s victorious men’s sprint team of Phil Hindes, Jason Kenny and Callum Skinner are joined by Ryan Owens, one of six riders to graduate from the Senior Academy Programme, with double silver medallist Becky James and Katy Marchant remaining with the women’s team.
Programme director Andy Harrison said: “In a year which has seen some fantastic performances from the Great Britain Cycling Team, the bar for programme membership remains high and we have a very strong Podium Programme squad to lead us into the next Olympic cycle.
“In particular, I’m pleased to see the strength and depth we have within the women’s road squad which has been bolstered by the additions of Dani King, Nikki Brammeier and former mountain biker Alice Barnes which paints a very different picture to where we were with this squad a couple of years ago.
“I’m also very happy with the pathway progression of the six academy riders who have stepped up from Senior Academy level and already we’re seeing great results from the track riders.
“Throughout the pathway system we have some incredibly talented riders and we are confident of continuing our success in the coming years.”
FULL SQUAD
BMX
Kyle Evans Liam Phillips Tre Whyte
Mountain bike
Grant Ferguson
Men’s road
Mark Cavendish Steve Cummings Jon Dibben Owain Doull Alex Dowsett Andrew Fenn Chris Froome Luke Rowe Ian Stannard Ben Swift Simon Yates Adam Yates Peter Kennaugh Geraint Thomas
Women’s road
Lizzie Deignan Alice Barnes Hannah Barnes Nikki Brammeier Dani King
Men’s track endurance
Steve Burke Ed Clancy Kian Emadi Chris Latham Mark Stewart Andy Tennant Sir Bradley Wiggins Oliver Wood
Women’s track endurance
Katie Archibald Elinor Barker Emily Kay Danni Khan Joanna Rowsell Shand Laura Kenny
Men’s track sprint
Phil Hindes Jason Kenny Ryan Owens Callum Skinner
Women’s track sprint
Becky James Katy Marchant Victoria Williamson Shanaze Reade
Sportsbeat 2016