Track Cycling World Championships 2010: Sir Chris Hoy spearheads British plea

By Brendan Gallagher 643PM GMT twenty-three March 2010

Back on lane Britain"s Sir Chris Hoy in precision brazen of the World Track Cycling Championships at the Ballerup Super Arena in Copenhagen Photo PA

He starts on Wednesday with the group sprint, moves on to the keirin Thursday night and will afterwards target the men"s particular scurry over the weekend.

The medium Hoy is never one to speak himself up and has been taking advantage of a low-key proceed here. Thirty-four on Tuesday, he knows that each vital award will right away have to be ferociously tough earned. Not that any of his titles has ever depressed in to his lap; the Scot has worked similar to a dog for his 4 Olympic and 9 universe bullion medals.

Track Cycling World Championships 2010 ones to watch Track Cycling World Championships 2010 report Houvenaghel eyes particular bullion Welcome to the 349 bar Mark Cavendish wins Milan-San Remo Chris Hoy earnings to pile-up site

There is no some-more responsible tutor in universe sport, in truth you infrequently whim he enjoys the precision some-more than even competing. But time waits for no man and what with the post-Beijing stupidity and afterwards a career-threatening injury, it is dual years given Hoy has contested a World Championship and twenty months given he returned from China brimful with gold. This week is a massively critical entertainment post en track to London 2012, the begin of the new campaign.

Although mostly absent from the world"s velodromes given Beijing, Hoy"s commanding figure has still been winning the thoughts of his scurry rivals, particularly France"s Kevin Sireau, a extraordinary talent, who has yet found himself thwarted by Hoy.

How to get even? How to fight that implausible horsepower at his ordering when Hoy hits the turbo? How to simply get opposite the line first?

Hoy lines up on Wednesday night in glorious figure after an comfortable winter"s training, together with a prolonged warm-weather army in Australia, blank out on the delights of a Manchester winter.

He looked the Hoy of old at the World Cup assembly in Manchester in Nov and has posted dual morale-boosting sub-10 second 200-metre time-trials in new months, the litmus exam of loyal world-class speed. The "gas" is still positively there but how are the antithesis you do as they try to find an additional gear? We will know by the finish of this week.

"I would happily scapegoat each pretension in between right away and 2012 as prolonged as I broach big medals in London," says Hoy. "That doesn"t meant to contend I won"t be racing prosaic out I don"t know any alternative approach and it is regularly an honour to paint Great Britain but emotionally I have to keep something behind for London.

"I have regularly been transparent in my mind about that. There is still one some-more towering to stand that will be most higher than any World Championships.

"I feel flattering loose essentially and seeking brazen to a bustling week opposite old friends and opponents. I"m not fortifying any titles so others will be there to be shot at and take the heat, that is a great change, and only being behind in the GB patrol is really invigorating. There is a great hum around."

Meanwhile, Vicky Pendleton will be replicating Hoy"s report in the women"s events, this time in the believe that she will be means to target for that same three-way in London after the in advance changes in the Olympic programme with women right away carrying the same series of medals to competition as the men.

Everything she does right away will have an additional corner and aptitude and to that finish she has forsaken out of Wednesday night"s 500m time hearing presumably her prime eventuality but not in Olympic standing to combine her energies.

Chris Newton will float in the men"s group scurry Britain and France are favourites, Germany are dangerous and a fast-improving Australia need examination as well as Wednesday night"s men"s points, that is an additional eventuality axed from the Olympic programme. World and Olympic china medallist Wendy Houvenaghel is being authorised one last shot at the women"s 3km particular pursuit, that has additionally been scrapped by the International Olympic Committee.

In the women"s 500m time trial, Jess Varnish will get a possibility to comfortable up for Thursday"s group sprint, whilst Welsh schoolgirl Becky James, a stand in universe youth hold up last year, creates her comparison championship entrance at the age of 17.

It has been formidable for James sophistry precision with A-levels but GB have her earmarked as a intensity Olympic star and she really bad needs to get a integrate of World Championships underneath her belt.