Pursuit fans should have a race to relish at Manchester Velodrome on Friday 23 February, when multiple Olympic medallist and reigning Olympic pursuit champion Bradley Wiggins lines up alongside former Commonwealth and World champion and current Olympic team pursuit champion Brad McGee of Australia for the qualifying heats of the men’s individual pursuit at the UCI Track Cycling World Cup. If the form book is any guide, the two can expect to meet in the final later on Friday evening, on the eve of McGee’s 31st birthday. Wiggins will be keen to show he is on track for the Tour de France prologue in July, and has been training on Manchester and Newport velodromes in preparation for the event after sitting it out in the commentator’s seat last year.

The men’s kilometre time trial will be held on the same evening, and will see Olympic champion Chris Hoy in action for the Great Britain squad. Tickets are still available through the dedicated ticket hotline on 0871 2302621 or via the website www.worldtrackcycling.com, which has a link to the Ticketmaster event page.