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Cycling ‘modfather’ Wiggins confirms Manchester Revolution appearance

Sir Bradley Wiggins has been confirmed to take part in the Revolution Series event to be held in Manchester on October 24.

The Olympic champion will lead Team Wiggins just a few days after competing in the European Track Cycling Championships in Switzerland.

The 35-year-old Tour de France winner based in Eccleston is back to fitness after sitting out the National Cycling Championships at Velopark at the end of September.

And with the Olympics in Rio less than a year away, form is of prime importance at a time when places on the time are being filled.

“I’m looking forward to representing Team Wiggins in the Revolution Championship,” he said.

“The next event comes in the middle of a busy period between the Euro Track Championships and Cali World Cup so hopefully I’ll have some good form going into the Revolution event and we can get some points on the board.”

The European Championships take place from October 14-18 and Team GB know they need to compete well and put down a marker for the Olympics if they are again to be taken as seriously as London 2012.

At the Lea Valley velodrome they famously won seven gold medals and nine in all on the track, with an additional three on the road including gold (Wiggins) and bronze (Chris Froome) in the time trial and newly crowned world champion Lizzie Armitstead, who bagged silver in the women’s road race.

Great Britain Cycling Team technical director Shane Sutton said: “We’ve selected a strong squad for this year’s European Championships.

“With the Olympic Games in Rio now less than a year away it’s a great opportunity to secure some vital qualifying points.

“We saw some really promising performances at the British Cycling National Track Championships and the Europeans provide a good chance to put the talent out there and pit themselves against the best in the world.”

One such performance was that of Katy Marchant and her haul of four gold medals at the Nationals means she is now becoming an indispensable member of the squad.

The Manchester-based former heptathlete stole the show at Velopark and fully justifies her place in the team for the trip to Switzerland.

Marchant told MM: “Hopefully I have proved that I am good for my spot on the team and then obviously the world championships in London and eventually Rio is the main aim but I cannot let myself get complacent.”

Wiggins return to the fold is a timely bonus for everyone concerned with Team GB and Sutton hopes the experience that he can bring will only be positive.

“Having Bradley Wiggins there for the whole squad is a plus,” he said.

“If you want to go into big battles, you need big leaders and Brad is a big leader. He’s won the Tour, he’s won everything in cycling so it’s good for the squad he is going.”

Wiggins, a seven-time Olympic medalist across track and road events, hopes to add to his haul at the Games in Brazil as part of the GB team pursuit line-up.

Image courtesy of Mucoffltd via YouTube, with thanks.

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