Wiggins withdraws from British national track championships

Image 1 of 4

Bradley Wiggins has been forced to withdraw from the upcoming British National Track Championships through illness. The British rider has been suffering with a cold since the Tour of Britain and has been advised on medical grounds not to compete in the Championships, which will take place at the Manchester Velodrome at the end of September.

It was due to be the first time in over a decade that Wiggins had raced the event and he was set to ride for his eponymous team in the team pursuit while also going head-to-head with teammate Andy Tennant in the individual. Wiggins, a four-time national champion on the road, has just the one national track title to his name, when he won the madison with Rob Hayles in 1999. 

Since leaving Team Sky this spring, Wiggins has shifted his focus to the track in the hope of going for gold in the team pursuit at the Rio Olympics next year. After setting a new UCI Hour Record in June, he competed at the opening round of the Revolution Series last month, where he was victorious in both the madison and the team pursuit. The nationals would have been a good chance for him to test where he is at compared to the men who will be his teammates - but also rivals for selection - for Rio. 

Wiggins' next taste of competition on the boards is likely to come at the UEC European Track Cycling Championships in Switzerland in mid-October before the road to Rio gets serious with the World Cup events over the winter, starting with the opener in Cali, Colombia in late October. 

Click here to subscribe to the Cyclingnews podcast on iTunes and here for our complete World Championships coverage.