"This series is that this is a framework to exist as a professional track cyclist" - Katie Archibald praises the new UCI Track Champions League

Two-time Olympic gold medallist Katie Archibald has said the upcoming season of the UCI Track Champions League is super important in her preparation for next year’s Paris Olympics. Next August, Archibald is expected to lead British hopes on the track and could compete in all three of the Team pursuit, Madison and Omnium.

"The opening season was a bit of a dream for me, coming as it was off the back of the Olympic Games and World Championships," the Brit said in a press conference on Wednesday. "I just sort of carried that momentum through. I'm certainly in that dip before we hopefully head towards Paris, so it’s more of a challenge for me this year."

Asked how important the Track Champions League is in her preparation for Paris, she said: "Super important. What’s vital to me about this series is that this is a framework to exist as a professional track cyclist. And if you exist as a professional track cyclist, then you can chase your Olympic dream."

"The World Championships came with a lot of pressure that I didn’t necessarily enjoy, and I didn't necessarily thrive under," she said in Wednesday’s press conference. "I struggle a bit with nerves. We all do, because I think it’s important to us, these races, and I can’t always shake that for something like the Track Champions League."