By Sacha Clayton
After being named in the Team England cycling squad bound for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, double Olympic champion Laura Trott is determined to write the wrongs of Delhi four years previously.
Trott, then 18 and new to the international stage, performed well in India as she finished seventh in the pursuit and ninth in both the points and scratch races – but now she wants further silverware to add to her now bulging collection.
Recent suggestions the English cyclist won’t be taking her Glasgow challenge seriously have been dismissed out of hand by Trott, who still remembers fondly competing and winning team pursuit and Omnium gold in front of a vocal and passionate London 2012 crowd.
And with the opportunities to compete in front of a vociferous home support at a major Championship few and far between – Glasgow is high on Trott’s list of objectives for 2014.
“Winning gold at the Commonwealths wouldn’t compare to the Olympics as that is the pinnacle of our sport, but it would probably come second to it,” said Trott. “The Commonwealth Games come around every four years, which makes it more important than a World Championships as they come around every year.
“I always love a home crowd and I always compete better in front of one and I have been to that Velodrome before and it is really good for spectators and I am really looking forward to it.
“I don’t know what I will be competing in yet. It might be the road but I am not 100 per cent sure.
“I would love to play a supporting role to Lizzie Armistead but I don’t know if this’ll be the case and I haven’t heard much about it yet.
“There are not that many English riders who could do that role so maybe they will ask Lizzie who she wants to support her.”
Trott’s love for a home crowd is evident in another event that is high on her agenda this summer – the second-running of the Prudential RideLondon, an event she sprinted to victory in ahead of Hannah Barnes in the inaugural Women’s Grand Prix in 2013.
Trott, 21, finished a bike length in front of her rival in the 15-lap criterium event, held over a 1.3-mile street circuit in the capital.
“It was amazing to win the Grand Prix, I felt like we had put so much work into that event that I had to go and win it,” she added.
“Trying to get it all to come together on the day is quite hard and to cross the line first it was more a feeling of relief than anything and the crowd were just nuts.
“I definitely got a similar buzz to the Olympics – obviously I never got to finish on the roads during London 2012 as I was on the track but to get the same kind of atmosphere was really great.
“This year’s race is a week after the Commonwealth Games and I will be riding it but I am just not sure yet whether or not I will be race leader.
“All last year I was race leader so the team did absolutely everything they could for me to win and that might not be the case this year.
“If I am not the best rider on the day for the race, obviously I will have just come off the track, and then we will focus on somebody else winning it.”
Prudential are proud to sponsor Prudential RideLondon, the UK’s biggest cycling festival on the 9 & 10 August. Visit www.ridewithprudential.co.uk
Photo courtesy of , with thanks.
