This winter, everything Britain's track riders have touched has turned to gold.
Or failing that, silver, or bronze.
In fact, Britain have won medals in 81.5 per cent of the World Cup track events they've contested this season, which is a truly remarkable strike rate.
Britain may only have fielded small teams at recent rounds of the track World Cup, but their level of success is staggering.
At the weekend, only five British riders travelled to the Laoshan velodrome in the Chinese capital, scene of all that success last summer.
They entered three events, all men?s endurance races, and came away with a gold and two silver medals.
Chris Newton won the points race and was second in the scratch, while the blend of youth and experience paid off as Peter Kennaugh and Rob Hayles were runners-up to Team Toshiba in the Madison.
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It means that this season, British riders have won medals in a staggering 22 of the 27 World Cup events they have entered. That?s an outstanding ratio of success.
The full tally is 18 gold medals, five silvers and four bronzes from the 27 races entered.
After dominating the opening round of the World Cup on home turf in Manchester at the start of the winter, British Cycling have sent only skeleton teams to Melbourne, Cali and Beijing.
But they are set to return to full-strength in Copenhagen next month (February 13-15) as the squad completes its preparations for the World Championships, which will be held in Poland in March.
Success in Manchester was no surprise, even if some of the big hitters were rested. After a near-perfect Olympic Games, the opening World Cup was a victorious homecoming. Many of the other major nations fielded weakened teams, the Australians stayed away. Since then, British Cycling has taken the opportunity to rest the Olympic stars, blooding younger riders as they have concentrated on trying to qualify for World Championship places in the endurance events.
In Melbourne the rapidly-emerging women?s endurance riders won three gold medals, with Jo Rowsell taking the individual pursuit, Lizzie Armistead the scratch race and the Rowsell, Armitstead and Katie Colclough trio the team pursuit.
Just two riders went to Cali, Colombia, for third World Cup shortly before Christmas and Peter Kennaugh came away with silver in the points race.
And in Beijing at the weekend, the British team medalled in all three races they contested.
HOW BRITAIN?S RIDERS HAVE DOMINATED WHENEVER THEY?VE RACED
MANCHESTER
October 31-November 2, 2008
Events entered by British riders: 17/17
Events medalled in: 15/17
Total medal haul: 14 gold, 2 silver, 4 bronze
MELBOURNE
November 20-22, 2008
Events entered by British riders: 4/17
Events medalled in: 3/4
Total medal haul: 3 gold
CALI
December 11-13, 2008
Events entered by British riders: 3/17
Events medalled in: 1/3
Total medal haul: 1 silver
BEIJING
January 16-18, 2008
Events entered by British riders: 3/17
Events medalled in: 3/3
Total medal haul: 1 gold, 2 silvers
Swipe to scroll horizontally
LATEST WORLD CUP RANKINGS
January 19: after Manchester, Melbourne, Cali and Beijing rounds. Final World Cup is in Copenhagen, February 13-15.
MEN
Individual pursuit
1 Vitaly Shchedov (Ukraine) 28pts
2 Valery Kaykov (Lok) 24pts
3 Eloy Teruel Rovira (Spain) 14pts
7 Ed Clancy (Great Britain) 12pts 22 Mark Christian (Team 100% ME) 4pts
Team pursuit
1 Spain 24pts
2 Germany 18pts
3 New Zealand 17pts
10 Great Britain 12pts
Points race
1 Chris Newton (Great Britain) 25pts
2 Glenn O?Shea (Team Toshiba) 18pts
3 Eloy Teruel Rovira (Spain) 18pts
8 Peter Kennaugh (Great Britain) 10pts
Scratch race
1 Tim Mertens (Belgium) 20pts
2 Zachary Bell (Canada) 16pts
3 Rafal Ratajczyk (Poland) 15pts
7 Chris Newton (Great Britain) 10pts 15 Luke Rowe (Team 100% ME) 7pts 27 Bradley Wiggins (Great Britain) 4pts
Madison
1 Germany 28pts
2 Spain 27pts
3 Team Toshiba 25pts
5 Great Britain 20pts 18 Team 100% ME 3pts
Sprint
1 Shane Perkins (Australia) 30pts
2 Michael D?Almeida (USC) 24pts
3 Kevin Sireau (Cofidis) 15pts
5 Jason Kenny (Sky+HD) 12pts 11 Matt Crampton (Great Britain) 8pts 15 David Daniell (Great Britain) 6pts
Keirin
1 Azizulhasni Awang (Malaysia) 24pts
2 François Pervis (Cofidis) 20pts
3 Teun Mulder (Netherlands) 16pts
11 Jason Kenny (Sky+HD) 10pts 22 Matt Crampton (Great Britain) 4pts
Sports journalist Lionel Birnie has written professionally for Sunday Times, Procycling and of course Cycling Weekly. He is also an author, publisher, and co-founder of The Cycling Podcast. His first experience covering the Tour de France came in 1999, and he has presented The Cycling Podcast with Richard Moore and Daniel Friebe since 2013. He founded Peloton Publishing in 2010 and has ghostwritten and published the autobiography of Sean Kelly, as well as a number of other sports icons.
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