Triple team pursuit gold medalist hopes to close out career in Tokyo
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Ed Clancy and Owain Doull(Image credit: Matt Alexander)
Ed Clancy celebrates gold in London(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Britain's Edward Clancy (R) and Britain's Bradley Wiggins celebrate after winning gold in the men's Team Pursuit finals
Edward Clancy (Great Britain) is a medal contender in the omnium.(Image credit: Daniel Simms)
JLT-Condor and Ed Clancy at the sign on(Image credit: ASO)
Ed Clancy has confirmed that he will concentrate on road racing over the next two years but that he will return to the track for his final Olympic Games at the Tokyo Games in 2020.
The three-time Olympic Gold medallist, who rides for the JLT Condor team on the road, is aiming to be the 'best Criterium rider I can be' before closing out his career at the next Games.
"The plan is to have one last hurrah in Tokyo and then that will be it, my career will be done," he told Cyclingnews and the Telegraph.
"For the next two years, I don't want to necessarily not ride the track, but I'd like to have a bit more focus on the road and spend more time with my road team, then take that fitness and endurance to Tokyo."
Clancy, 31, is out of contract at the end of the season but is expected to re-sign with JLT, a Continental team that have supported his track ambitions since before the London Olympics in 2012.
"Nothing is signed yet but I'd like to stay there. I've always had good relationships with JLT and John Herety has always been a big mentor. It's not that I wouldn't enjoy riding for other teams, but I just want to repay their loyalty. This year, for example, they've asked nothing of me. There have been a few media appearances but he's let me do all the races I want to do. I can't ask for more."
Despite on recently wining his third Olympic Gold medal, Clancy has already returned to training and endured a six-hour road ride with fellow Great Britain track teammate Philip Hindes. He is clear that unlike his post-Games periods after Beijing and London, he will take a full-break from the regime of track racing.
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"After Beijing and London I regretted just ploughing straight into Championships and World Cups. More than anything I just want to come back and get one, or two hopefully, solid medals in Tokyo. I think that the best way to do is that take myself away from that environment and then come back."
Although the Tokyo Games are a full Olympic-cycle away, Clancy has already considered his options. He will likely be the most experienced member of the British team in the men's team pursuit squad, while a run at the Omnium – an event he won bronze in during 2012 – is also a possibility.
"I would definitely consider it. The first thing in the next couple of years is the road over track and that includes the team pursuit and the Omnium. With two years to go, assuming that the format hasn't changed again for the Omnium, I'd like to. Why not? It will be my last Games, why not give it a crack."
His ambition for the next two seasons is clear: "Being the best crit rider that I can be. I'm never going to go and win the Tour de France or the Tour of Britain. If I can be the best crit rider possible… I enjoy them and I'd enjoy them more if I was just that bit more competitive."
Daniel Benson was the Editor in Chief at Cyclingnews.com between 2008 and 2022. Based in the UK, he joined the Cyclingnews team in 2008 as the site's first UK-based Managing Editor. In that time, he reported on over a dozen editions of the Tour de France, several World Championships, the Tour Down Under, Spring Classics, and the London 2012 Olympic Games. With the help of the excellent editorial team, he ran the coverage on Cyclingnews and has interviewed leading figures in the sport including UCI Presidents and Tour de France winners.
