The European Track Championships in Switzerland is the latest stepping stone for the Great Britain team ahead of the Rio Olympics in 2016, and with Bradley Wiggins fit and ready the team are in great shape, according to technical director Shane Sutton.
Wiggins returns to Great Britain duty for the first time in several seasons and will be a central part in the squad's team pursuit ambitions and, although Ed Clancy is out through injury, Sutton expects the squad to step up.
“You’re testing yourself against yourself to see whether the progression is where it needs to be. There are a few big blows with Clancy being out but these things happen. We have to accept that not everyone is going to be fit for the Games, so that means going out there with the best team possible,” Sutton told Cyclingnews.
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Great Britain topped the medal table at the last European Championships in Guadeloupe with six gold medals and eight in total, including the men's and women's individual and team pursuit titles. However, Sutton has not put any medal target in place for his team, suggesting that the main ambition is to display improvement ahead of the Olympics. With a number of spots still open ahead of the Games, and with the Cali Track World Cup around the corner, medals will of course be crucial in Switzerland.
“We’ve not put any medal hauls in place, so it’s just about making sure that we’re as good as we can be. Hopefully we’ll get some rewards from that because they’ve all been working incredibly hard and progressing well.”
“It’s the European Championships and that’s not something to be sniffed at. You’ve got to be able to perform on the big stages and this is one of them. There are a lot of good squads in Europe and even if you don’t have the Kiwis, Australians and a few others, everyone else is there. It’s a big stepping stone for everyone involved in the team and you only get so many big championships in a year. We’re treating it with the full respect it deserves and sending the best possible team.”
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