Great Britain will be sending a small but strong squad to the forthcoming round of the track World Cup in Beijing.
Lining up for Great Britain will be Rob Hayles, Peter Kennaugh and Chris Newton.
Representing the 100% ME team will be new Olympic Academy recruits Luke Rowe and Mark Christian.
Between them, they will ride the scratch race, the points race and the Madison as they bid to earn qualification points for the endurance events at the World Championships in Poland in March.
Hayles formed part of the all-conquering team pursuit squad at the Manchester World Cup, whilst Newton dominated the points race. Kennaugh was an impressive second in the points at the last round of the World Cup in Columbia and will line up with experienced compatriot Hayles in the Madison.
For Rowe and Christian, who have recently been riding the Six Day circuit on the continent, riding their first World Cup event will be a significant step-up but also a milestone in their development on the Academy.
According to British Cycling, Great Britain has accrued enough points across the World Cup events to qualify its athletes for the World Championships. World and European champions in individual events gain automatic entry to the Worlds; the men's Madison is the only cause for concern, hence Rowe and Christian will also ride the event.
The Beijing round of the World Cup will also be the penultimate major track event for Britain's cyclists before heading to Poland for the World Championships in March. The next round of the World Cup will take the riders to Copenhagen, which will be the final selection point for the Worlds and where British Cycling will field a team almost as large as that seen in Manchester.
Beijing World Cup: January 16-18
Copenhagen World Cup: February 13-15
World Championships, Poland: March 25-29
RELATED LINKS
International track results 2008-2009
Silver for Kennaugh in Columbia
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