Clancy backing team player Swift

Clancy, 27, is one of the finest team pursuiters on the planet and proved that once again earlier this month when alongside Pete Kennaugh, Geraint Thomas and Steven Burke he won the world title in a world record time.

Swift has twice missed out on being a part of that successful team, having stated at the start of Olympic year that he was prioritising the team pursuit squad as his best chance of a medal this summer.

After missing out in Melbourne, Swift responded in a fashion that will further endear him to the British selectors, by winning his first world title in the 15km scratch race and then adding silvers in the points race and the madison alongside Thomas.

All three are endurance events, and more pertinently, non-Olympic disciplines.

Swift could still force his way into the team pursuit squad or he could be used as a support rider trying to land a gold medal for Bradley Wiggins in the men’s Olympic road race.

But Barnsley-born Clancy wants his fellow White Rose rider to stick with the team pursuit a little longer.

“I’m not sure what Ben Swift is going to do really,” admitted Clancy about his 24-year-old colleague.

“He was having second thoughts about the track because he didn’t make the team pursuit squad.

“But then he rode so well in the bunch races.

“If he tweaks a couple of things in training he might be able to force his way into the squad.

“Everyone loves Swifty – he’s a real team player.

“I just hope he hangs around the team pursuit squad for another couple of months.

“We’d all love for Swifty to be involved.

“He’s obviously in good form. He’s got the sprinting ability, he showed that in the points race last week.

“And he must be able to put that on the ground in the 4km event.

“You need to get off the line in the team pursuit, get off to a flying start and Swifty struggles with that.

“He needs to work on his starts and he’ll be there or thereabouts.”

Clancy has empathy for the dilemma Swift faces.

He himself has wrestled with the conundrum of whether or not to add the omnium to his London programme and given that the first race in the multi-displine event comes the morning after the Olympic team pursuit final, it is not an ideal scenario for a man who was world champion in the event in 2010.

But, after managing the schedule at the world championships last week, he intends to give it his best shot, with any success gained in the omnium merely the icing on the cake of which he hopes to be a second team pursuit Olympic gold.

Cameron Meyer, the Australian six-time world champion, announced in the wake of another sterling world championships that he was quitting the Olympic track squad to concentrate on the road season.

Clancy said: “Cameron’s decision was pretty much expected. He’s in the same boat as Swifty. It’s make or break for a lot of the guys.”