Glasgow 2014
Track: Thursday July 24 to Sunday July 27
Individual time trial: Thursday July 31
Road: Sunday August 3
Just two years on from the London Olympic Games, the second-most prestigious international multi-sport event in the world will come to Britain.
Glasgow 2014 promises to be a spectacular occasion, and the cycling events are set to play a huge part.
Great Britain has reigned supreme on the track in recent years, and with the colours of their home nations on their backs, the same riders will be keen to out-do the likes of Australia on the boards once again.
Laura Trott, Jason Kenny, Ed Clancy, Dani King and Jo Rowsell headline the English line-up, while Wales can call on world champions, Becky James and Elinor Barker among others, while Northern Ireland have a world champion of their own in Martyn Irvine, and Scotland boast proven competitors and future stars in Ross Edgar and Katie Archibald.
The track competition could also pit Trott, King, Rowsell and Barker against their Wiggle-Honda manager Rochelle Gilmore, who told RCUK she is keen to compete in Glasgow.
Events on the road, too, are likely to be just as intriguing with Mark Cavendish, who won the national championships in Glasgow last year, keen to repeat the triumph for the Isle of Man, with Team Sky’s Pete Kennaugh among his team-mates.
Competition for the gold medal will come in the form of Wales’ Geraint Thomas, who can count on the support of Team Sky’s Luke Rowe and NFTO’s Jon Mould among others, while British women’s champion Lizzie Armitstead is among the favourites for the women’s race.
It’s 12 years since Manchester hosted the Commonwealth Games, an event which arguably sowed the seeds for the British success that has followed.
Among the medallists on that occasion were Stuart O’Grady, Sir Chris Hoy, Sir Bradley Wiggins, Cadel Evans and Nicole Cooke.
A similarly star-studded line-up could well be celebrating following in their footsteps come the summer.
