Elinor Barker, all kitted out and hoping to be among the Great British quartet in Rio

After London 2012, at the UCI Track Cycling World Cup in Glasgow, Barker stepped up to the challenge of riding the team pursuit with Olympic champions Trott and Dani King and won gold.

In February 2013, in her debut elite UCI Track Cycling World Championships in Minsk, Barker won the gold medal once again, alongside King and Trott. She was just 18 at the time and still doing her ‘A’ Levels.

At the European Track Championships, Barker, along with Trott, King and Archibald won team pursuit gold and also set the new world record as the event stepped up from three competitors to four and 3km to 4km.

Barker went on to break that record on two more occasions at the World Cup in Manchester in November, posting a time of 4:19.604, alongside King, Rowsell Shand and Trott.

At the second round of the World Cup in Mexico, Barker, King, Rowsell Shand and Archibald set a world record and Barker went on to become world champion again in the team pursuit at the 2014 World Championships in Cali.

At the 2014 Commonwealth Games, Barker took the silver medal in the points race for Wales, narrowly beaten in the final sprint by Trott, while the Cardiff cyclist also won bronze in the scratch race.

More European and World Cup success continued but at the 2015 World Championships in Paris, GB’s run of dominance ended as Barker and the team picked up silver, losing out to Australia who set the new world record as well as winning the gold.

The GB quartet also had to settle for another minor medal at the World Championships in London in March with a bronze having qualified only in fifth position when the quartet split up during their ride.

“We are in pretty good shape,” said Barker, now 21.

“London was pretty disappointing but we have learned a lot from it.

“I am glad we made the mistakes in London and hopefully we won’t repeat those in Rio.

“That was always going to be a stepping stone.

“It is interesting to see the other teams develop and overtake us in some cases.

“Gold is the goal in Rio. It’s going to take a very fast time and we want to be the team that gets some time.”

And Barker knows an organisation she will have to thank if she is standing on top of the podium in Brazil.

“Welsh Cycling have been hugely important to me,” said Barker, who will be watched in Rio by her parents, older sister and boyfriend.

“First, having the facilities like the Velodrome attracts people to the sport and it snowballs from there.

“More people get attracted to the sport and that’s how I ended up cycling.

“Once you are in the system, Welsh Cycling have been so supportive.

“They took me to my first World Cups and without that I would never have had a chance to have a track trial.

“And I wouldn’t be where I am now.”