Yorkshire trio going for world track glory

Charlie Tanfield (L) and Ed Clancy (R) of Great Britain celebrate winning Gold in the Men's Team Pursuit final at the 2018 Track World Championships. (Picture: SWPix.com)

Barnsley-born Clancy, 33, has been named in Great Britain’s 22-strong squad for the UCI Track World Championships in Pruskow along with Wakefield’s Ollie Wood, 23, and Great Ayton’s Charlie Tanfield, 22. Clancy is seeking a sixth world title in the team pursuit, having won a fifth in the Netherlands last year, when Tanfield was one of his team-mates. Now, Wood is in the mix, strengthening the Yorkshire bond in the British team pursuit squad.

“I’ve known Ollie a long time,” said Clancy, the three-time Olympic team pursuit champion.

“He’s a top bloke and has come a long way over the last 12 months, He’s got a lot of strings to his bow, he can potentially in Tokyo ride three events with the madison, the omnium and team pursuit.

Ollie Wood of Great Britain wins Silver in the Men's Scratch race final at the World Cup in Canada (Picture: SWPix.com)

“He’s not a natural build for a team pursuiter, he’s a little bit smaller, he’s almost a bit more of a road rider, but he’s got an incredible turn of speed on him.

“I’m not sure he’s got the horse-power yet for the team pursuit, but he’s still young and when I think back to when I was his age, I was much better when I was 27/28 than I was when I was 23. So he’s still got time on his side.”

Tanfield took a different route to the British Cycling proggramme, winning World Cup medals as part of an unfunded Team KGF squad last winter before earning selection for the world championships and helping the national team win gold.

He is now fully funded by the British Cycling Olympic programme.

UCI 2018 Track Cycling World Championships. Apeldoorn The Netherlands - Charlie Tanfield, Ed Clancy, Kian Emadi and Ethan Hayter of Great Britain in the team pursuit rainbow jersey (Picture: Simon Wilkinson/SWpix.com)

“For somebody so whacky he’s unusually intelligent,” said Clancy. “He’ll say something really daft that leaves you asking: ‘did he really say that?’ and then 10 minutes later he’s on his computer designing a new aero helmet.

“It was pretty clear from day one that Charlie just had it in terms of horse-power.”

John Archibald will make his debut for Great Britain at the age of 28 after setting the second fastest time ever in the individual pursuit and a record at sea level in last month’s national championships in Manchester.

Also part of the squad are Kian Emadi, Ethan Hayter and Emily Nelson as well as Olympic champions Elinor Barker, Phil Hindes, Jason Kenny and Laura Kenny, Rio bronze medallist Katy Marchant from Leeds.