The powerful Great Britain track cycling team will be a full-strength lineup for the world championships in Melbourne after all.
Sprint aces Sir Chris Hoy and Vicky Pendleton will lead the team for the April 4-8 championships, a key pre-Olympic event.
Last year, British cycling boss Dave Brailsford said it was “questionable” whether they should send a full team to the Melbourne worlds only four months from the London Games.
It would have been a disaster for the meet had the British decided to send a skeleton team.
The British showed their Olympic preparations were on course when they won five gold medals earlier this month in the World Cup round at the London Olympic velodrome.
The event was effectively an Olympics dress rehearsal and the world championships will be the next stepping stone in the buildup to the Games.
Other key riders coming to Melbourne include Pendleton’s team sprint sidekick Jess Varnish, team pursuiters Steven Burke, Ed Clancy and Geraint Thomas and women’s team pursuit stars Wendy Houvenaghel and Laura Trott.
But one surprise selection is 19-year-old Philip Hindes, who has taken Ross Edgar’s spot in the men’s team sprint.
“In London, Ross Edgar was in the early stages of recovering from an injury and we think the best option for him now is to focus his training in the gym and on the road over the next few months,” Brailsford said in a statement.
“But this doesn’t mean we have ruled him out of selection for the Olympic Games.
“The sprint coaches also feel that Philip Hindes has shown great potential in training and therefore it would be good for his development to shadow the world championships team this year.”
Australia, who won two gold medals at the London World Cup, will announce their world championships team next month.
The Great Britain team:
Men’s sprint: Matt Crampton, Philip Hindes, Sir Chris Hoy, Jason Kenny
Women’s sprint: Victoria Pendleton, Jess Varnish
Men’s endurance: Steven Burke, Ed Clancy, Pete Kennaugh, Ben Swift, Geraint Thomas
Women’s endurance: Wendy Houvenaghel, Dani King, Joanna Rowsell, Laura Trott
