Wiggins, Romero and Sir Chris all miss World Championships

Great Britain's squad for the track World Championships in Poland will be named by the end of the week ? but Cycling Weekly can confirm they will be without three reigning champions.

Bradley Wiggins and Rebecca Romero, who each won the team and individual pursuit titles in Manchester 12 months ago, and Sir Chris Hoy will not be making the trip to Pruszkow.

Triple Olympic champion Sir Chris is nursing a hip injury after crashing in the final of the Keirin at the Copenhagen World Cup last month.

It will be the first time he has missed the track Worlds since 1995 and brings to an end a remarkable streak in which he has won a medal at every Worlds since 1999.

Romero has not raced on the track since winning gold in the pursuit at the Olympics in Beijing last summer. She will skip the Worlds as she continues to take time out from cycling. But, as her coach Dan Hunt told Cycling Weekly recently it is not the last we've seen of Romero on a bike.

Wiggins, who won two golds in Beijing, has put track racing on the back burner as he concentrates on his road objectives with the Garmin-Slipstream team. Last month American teenager Taylor Phinney pushed Wiggins's personal best in the individual pursuit (4-15.031) close in Copenhagen (4-15.22), but there will be no showdown just yet.

Great Britain have qualified a full complement of places for the Worlds in Poland and the squad is expected to feature a blend of youth and experience.

BRITAIN'S REIGNING TRACK CHAMPIONS

Titles won in Manchester, March 2008

Men's individual pursuit Bradley Wiggins

Men's team pursuit Ed Clancy, Wiggins, Paul Manning, Geraint Thomas

Madison Wiggins & Mark Cavendish

Men's sprint Chris Hoy

Men's Keirin Hoy

Women's individual pursuit Rebecca Romero

Women's team pursuit Wendy Houvenaghel, Romero, Jo Rowsell

Women's sprint Victoria Pendleton

Women's team sprint Pendleton & Shanaze Reade

RELATED LINK

2009 Track Cycling World Championships preview

International track results 2008-2009