Manchester on track for Championships

Queally hopes for double glory in Manchester

Over 200 million world-wide are expected to tune in for the 100th World Track Championships, starting at Manchester Velodrome on Wednesday 25 October.

More than 200 riders from 30 countries will be competing in one of cycling's biggest events including men's and women's sprinting, pursuits and the Olympic Sprint event in which the British 3-man team won silver in Berlin last year.

All eyes will be on the Britain's cycling stars after their success at Sydney 2000.

The Great Britain team has risen from 12th to 7th in the overall World ranking since 1996.

British hopes

Olympic gold medallist Jason Queally is looking to increase his medal tally on his home track, competing in the kilometre time trial on Wednesday.

The 30-year-old, who won Britain's first gold of the Games in an Olympic record time of 1:01.609 sec, is the hot favourite, especially as some of the foreign Olympic stars, such as silver medallist Stefan Nimke, have decided to take well-earned breaks after Sydney.

Queally also joins Craig MacLean and Chris Hoy in the British Olympic Sprint team as the current European champions hope to improve on their second place in the 1999 World Championships on Saturday.

Cycling great Indurain will be there

Rob Hayles will be aiming to erase memories of his crash in the Madison at Sydney and joins the Team Pursuit on Thursday as the Olympic bronze medallists challenge for gold.

Also 1998 junior champion Bradley Wiggins and women's bronze medallist Yvonne McGregor will be names to watch out for in the individual pursuit.

Record-breakers

Manchester Velodrome will also bear witness to a record-breaking finale to Chris Boardman's career.

The 1992 Olympic champion, winner of three world titles and three Tour de France prologue time trials plans to go out in style as he prepares to break Eddy Merckx's 28-year old World Hour Record on Friday.

Boardman has already broken the record twice, and his 1996 distance of 56.375km still stands as the absolute best, but new international regulations have outlawed the high-tech materials and equipment used by record-breakers over the last twenty years, leaving Merckx's mark of 49.431km set in 1972 as the best on a 'traditional' bicycle.

Belgium's legendary rider, Eddy Merckx, will be at the Velodrome, along with 30 other former World Track Champions and record-holders including Miguel Indurain, to join in the Centenary Championship festivities.

It is an exciting event for the velodrome at Manchester which is partly credited with Britain's recent success, but has underlined the precarious state of facilities elsewhere in the country.

The authorities will be hoping that the championships can continue to raise the profile and popularity of cycling in the UK and help other velodromes which are reported to be suffering from a general lack of funding and maintenance.

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Programme of competitions

Wednesday 25 October:

• Americaine (Madison) - men
• Km time trial - men

Thursday 26 October:

• Team Pursuit - men
• Points race - women

Friday 27 October:

• Sprint - men
• 500m time trial - women

Saturday 28 October:

• Olympic sprint - men
• Individual pursuit - women

Sunday 29 October:

• Individual pursuit - men
• Keirin - men
• Points race - men
• Sprint - women