ON THE WRITE TRACK
Wowing at Worlds would go down as the latest entry in Katie Archibald’s prep for another medal rush on the French boards.
But the 27-year-old admits penning a fresh Olympic chapter will be 10 years in the making by the time Paris 2024 comes around.
Archibald will be the big name in an inexperienced squad when the Track Cycling World Championships kick off on Wednesday in Roubaix.
The Scot is fresh from landing her 17th European crown in Switzerland last weekend, making her the most successful rider in the event’s history.
Despite leaving Tokyo with madison gold and team pursuit silver, she has put pen to paper in pushing herself to edge out pal Laura Kenny for a triple tilt next time at the Olympics.
She said: “I have this funny diary called Q& A a day, this little notebook that asks you a question on a date and you answer it.
“Then you can use it five years in a row and you fill in the same question.
“I don’t use it that often but in 2014 it goes, ‘ What’s something you’re aspiring to?’. And I’ve written the
Olympic omnium spot. Then I come back to the diary in 2017... ‘ What’s something you’re aspiring to?’ Still the Olympic omnium spot.
“And I filled it in for 2021... ‘ What’s something you’re aspiring to?’ The Olympic omnium spot.
“I didn’t manage it this time round. I would probably have been ready by the time we got to 2021 but I wasn’t ready through 2018 and 2019 when you have to be qualifying.
“So that’s what we have to be preparing for – to be emotionally and mentally robust enough to deal with the pressure of that event.
“And so that feels like a massive challenge for me. Have I got my head screwed on enough? Madison and all the work that went behind that, I was so motivated by that.
“If I can try to use that skill set and transfer into the individual event, that’s my next big hurdle.”
Archibald already has three world titles but – despite Kenny’s absence – there will be a revenge mission in mind in Roubaix after the Germans swiped away the Brits’ crown in Japan.
The Glaswegian, who will be joined at the Worlds by fellow Olympic medallist Neah Evans, added: “We took a step down in team pursuit.
“And so where can we push that with the challenges we’ve had? We’ve not been world champions since 2014, so there’s a lot of motivation.”
But Archibald already has one eye on the 2023 event in Scotland and a return to the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome she left with a first Commonwealth medal – bronze – seven years ago .
She said: “With events like 2023 Worlds on the calendar – and we’ve got Commonwealths just next year – switching off isn’t in the forefront of my mind.
“These are going to be a really big three years straight through into Paris and none of it is really just trying to repeat what’s gone before. It all feels like new challenges, to do things better than you’ve done before, to do more and, in 2023, to do them at home in a one- of f
event.”
Katie intent on ticking off her Olympic entry