Australia hold a tight (Image credit: Tour of Japan)
Entries for the UCI Track World Championships will close on Sunday, and the start list is shaping up as countries begin to announce their squads. The event takes place March 25-29 in in Pruskow, Poland, and already teams are arriving at the velodrome to become attuned to the track.
The men's individual and team pursuits are shaping up to be a big battle between the English speaking countries. American Taylor Phinney clocked the fastest time of this year's World Cup series in Copenhagen in the men's 4km pursuit. He went 2.5 seconds faster than the next best time held by the young Kiwi Jesse Sergent, while Britain's Ed Clancey and Australia's Jack Bobridge were next fastest.
Sergent is hoping to come home with two medals. "I think it's achievable," he told the Dominion Post. "I think after doing the individual pursuit at the World Cup and getting another one down here at nationals, and with my times, I'd definitely like to aim for a medal."
Australia will line up with Jack Bobridge as the only Olympian among its team pursuit squad, but the addition of strong young riders Leigh Howard, Glenn O'Shea and Rohan Dennis saw the team to gold in the World Cup round in Beijing this year.
The Dutch team will line up with two-round World Cup team sprint winners Willy Kanis and Yvonne Hijgenaar and Ellen Van Dijk, winner of the pursuit in Copenhagen round along with a solid contingent of male sprinters and pursuiters.
Australia (Toshiba) for Track Worlds: Ashlee Ankudinoff, Jack Bobridge, Rohan Dennis, Dan Ellis, Belinda Goss, Leigh Howard, Sarah Kent, Anna Meares, Kaarle McCulloch, Cameron Meyer, Travis Meyer, Jason Niblett, Glenn O'Shea, Shane Perkins, Scott Sunderland, Joséphine Tomic.
Netherlands for Track Worlds: Willy Kanis (team sprint, 500m and keirin), Yvonne Hijgenaar (team sprint, 500m, keirin, sprint and omnium), Amy Pieters, Vera Koedooder (team pursuit) and Ellen van Dijk (team pursuit, pursuit, points and scratch races).
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
Teun Mulder (sprint, kilometre, keirin, team sprint), Tim Veldt (kilometre, omnium, team sprint) and Yondi Schmidt (keirin, kilometre, sprint and team sprint). Peter Schep (points race, Madison), Pim Ligthart (team pursuit, scratch, Madison) Sipke Zijlstra (team pursuit), Arno van der Zwet (team pursuit, individual pursuit), Geert Jan Jonkman (team pursuit), Levi Heimans (team pursuit, individual pursuit) and Roy Pieters (team pursuit). (courtesy Wielermagazine)
