Ed Clancy sets sights on more golden moments

Ed Clancy led the Great Britain team pursuit squad to a gold medal at the Tissot Track World Cup on home boards in Manchester, but is demanding more from himself and the squad ahead of the annual global event in Apeldoorn, Holland, in March.

“I was better in the semi-finals, I was making up the numbers in the final,” reflected the 32-year-old, who was making his first appearance on the track since winning a third Olympic title in the discipline in Rio, having concentrated on the road.

“We’re in a good place, but the model of the team pursuit is that we’re going to have to do a performance three or four seconds better than that if we’re to have a chance of a world title.

“I remember eight years ago we did a (three-minute) 56.4 at the world championships here with Brad (Wiggins), Geraint Thomas and Paul Manning and set a world record. We were beating our chests and high-fiving the crowd.

“In this latest final, we went a second faster and were thinking, ‘Yeah, that’s a good ride, but we can go faster’.”

Clancy was joined in winning team pursuit gold by Wakefield’s Ollie Wood, 22, who laid down a marker of his own.