Katie Archibald to miss Track World Championships with knee injury

The knee injury suffered by Katie Archibald in December will keep the Scot out of the UCI Track World Championships in London next month.

Archibald tore her posterior cruciate ligament in a motorbike crash in January, also fracturing her elbow in the process, which forced her to miss the final round of the UCI World Cup in Hong Kong.

British Cycling hoped the triple European champion had recovered sufficiently to ride in London between March 3 and 6, but decided to keep her out of competition to ensure her preparation for the Olympic Games were not hindered.

Shane Sutton, British Cycling's technical director, said: “Katie has been working so hard to get herself back to full fitness for the championships. Rehab has been going really well but we were running out of time so we've taken the decision to focus on Rio.

“I’m disappointed for Katie and disappointed for the team but the squad has a lot of depth so we’re still confident we can show the crowds something special in London next week.

“Katie is a world-class rider and a key member of the Great Britain Cycling Team. We’ll miss her in London but she’ll be back stronger than ever and ready for Rio."

Great Britain squad for the UCI Track World Championships

Men: Steven Burke, Mark Cavendish, Ed Clancy, Matt Crampton, Jon Dibben, Owain Doull, Phillip Hindes, Jason Kenny, Chris Latham, Callum Skinner, Andy Tennant, Sir Bradley Wiggins.

Women: Elinor Barker, Ciara Horne, Becky James, Katy Marchant, Emily Nelson, Joanna Rowsell Shand, Laura Trott, Jess Varnish.