GB team pursuit clock second fastest time in history in Manchester

By Steven Chicken, Sportsbeat, in Manchester

ED Clancy has joined British Cycling performance director Dave Brailsford in declaring the road to London 2012 has now begun after the GB team pursuit quartet clocked the second fastest time in history.

 LIGHTNING: GB team pursuit quartet overtake Spain on the way to crushing victory

Clancy teamed up with Geraint Thomas, Steven Burke and Andy Tennant to clock 3.54.395 minutes to romp to World Cup gold in Manchester, overtaking the Spanish quartet in the final with more than six laps to go.

That time was the quickest in history apart from the world record set by Clancy, Burke, Paul Manning and Bradley Wiggins en route to Beijing Olympic gold last summer.

Tennant came in as a late replacement for Ben Swift for the final and despite losing the services of Manning and Wiggins, Clancy believes Great Britain's strength in depth is plain for all to see.

"Bradley is going to be out on the road for a while but we've shown what we can do even without him here," he said.

"Dave Brailsford has been saying that this World Cup is where the work for London 2012 really begins and judging from this performance we're on track. It's happy days."

Thomas has also been in superb form of late and clocked the second fastest individual pursuit time in history earlier this weekend.

"It was alright wasn't it?" he said. "We were just floating out there. It was a great team effort and it's just great to be in this team, going fast."