Clancy suggests he can adopt dual Games role

Two weeks ago in these pages, Brailsford described Clancy as ‘the best team pursuiter in the world on his day’.

In addition to such lofty praise from the mastermind of Britain’s recent dominance, Clancy is arguably the best omnium rider on the planet as well.

However, given the close proximity of the end of the Olympic team pursuit and the start of the omnium next summer – just one night – Brailsford remained unsure whether he would let his prolific title winner race for two gold medals in London.

So he will have been relieved to have seen proof that such a feat is within Clancy’s capacity following the 26-year-old’s performance at the European Championships in Apeldoorn, Holland, at the weekend.

For last Friday, the Barnsley-born, Huddersfield-raised track specialist won continental gold alongside Peter Kennaugh, Steven Burke and Andy Tennant in the team pursuit.

Then on Saturday through to late Sunday evening, Clancy rose to the top step of the podium by the narrowest of margins in the omnium.

It was by no means convincing, and there remains work to be done if he is to race for two Olympic titles in the London Velodrome next year on August 2 and 3 in the team pursuit and August 4 and 5 for the omnium, but it was nevertheless an emphatic statement of intent.

He began the omnium by winning the opening flying lap time trial on Saturday morning before riding strongly in the elimination later that day.

However, the 2010 omnium world champion inadvertently challenged himself by being off the pace in both the pursuit and the scratch race on Sunday.

But after three days of intense action, Clancy found a second wind and clinched the title in the evening by winning the kilometre time trial. His time of 1:02.304 meant he finished deadlocked on points with France’s Bryan Coquard, but after some frantic sums the Yorkshireman was declared champion.

Great Britain won seven out of 10 golds in the Olympic disciplines in Holland. Clancy’s next team pursuit will be at the World Cup meet in London in February.