Shane Sutton: Olympic qualification points the target in London

Medals are not important to Shane Sutton this weekend at the London track World Cup – he’s just interested in his riders claiming vital Olympic qualification points.

In an interview with the Guardian’s William Fotheringham, Sutton put Great Britain’s relative failings in February’s World Championships down to an extended hangover from the success of the 2012 Olympics.

And as his riders prepare to return to the Lee Valley Velodrome for this weekend’s meet, British Cycling’s technical director admits he has to manage expectations for the weekend.

“The riders will want success in front of their home crowd but ultimately it’s about Olympic qualification, so it’s about securing points and if wins come on the back of that then fantastic,” Sutton said.

“Everyone is going to be living off what happened in London [in 2012] and the public will expect, but that’s part and parcel of elite sport. We were a force in London, and we want to be a force in Rio, but this is part of the pathway to get there.

“A lot of people are in heavy work still and this isn’t something we can taper for, given we want to go and have a successful Worlds. We can’t be at our optimum. There’s a lot of people doubting us after what happened in Colombia, but we can see a trend and we will be competitive across the board.”

Joanna Rowsell, double gold medalist at the Cali World Championships, is the only change to the British squad for London, having withdrawn from the last round of the World Cup to focus on her training.

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