The 2018 HSBC UK National Track Championships will take place between January 26 and 28, and will feature seven Olympic and nine Paralympic gold medallists, including Britain’s joint most-successful Olympian, Jason Kenny.
Kenny returned to competition at Revolution Series after long break following a remarkably successful Rio 2016 Olympic Games, and will now compete in the team sprint event at the British Nationals with fellow Olympic champion, Phil Hindes.
Callum Skinner, who won Olympic gold alongside Kenny and Hindes in the team sprint, will take part in the kilo event.
Two-time gold medal winner in the team pursuit, Steven Burke will also compete at the championships in Manchester.
Olympic and world champion Katie Archibald will defend all three titles which she won at last year’s championships, while she has also entered the keirin, in which she took a silver medal last year, and the sprint.
Fellow world champion and Olympic gold medallist Elinor Barker will also line-up in the points and the scratch race with Archibald.
Dani Rowe, who has been absent from the track to focus on road in recent years, is registered to compete, while world and European silver medallist Emily Nelson; European Madison champion Ellie Dickinson; world cup gold medallists Emily Kay, Manon Lloyd and Neah Evans; and double former European champion, Ciara Horne will also appear.
“I know everybody says it, but that’s because it’s true - there really is so much strength in depth and it’s really tough racing," said Barker on the competitive levels at the National Championships.
“I’ve actually won more world titles than I have national titles in my career, which I think just shows how tough the competition at national level is.”
Olympic bronze medallist Katy Marchant, who missed out on the chance to defend her four national sprint titles last year due to injury, is set to compete this year, and she will be joined by Great Britain team-mate and two-time national champion, Sophie Capewell.
Reigning champions Jess Crampton and Lauren Bate will also take to the track. Last year’s three-time champion Dan Bigham returns to defend his titles in the individual pursuit, kilo and – alongside his Team KGF team-mates – the team pursuit.
Lewis Oliva and Ryan Owens will look to retain their titles in the keirin and individual sprint respectively, while the likes of former world champion Andy Tennant, world cup gold medallists Jack Carlin, Joe Truman and Mark Stewart; 2017 national scratch race champion Ethan Hayter; and defending points race champion Joe Nally will all compete.
A number of para-cycling titles are also up for grabs, and many of Great Britain’s Paralympians will be in competition. Four-time Paralympic and 12-time world champion Jody Cundy heads the line-up, while Rio 2016 gold medallists Sophie Thornhill, Lora Fachie, Louis Rolfe and Jon-Allan Butterworth will also be in the hunt for national champion’s jerseys.
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