RYAN OWENS

NOW that we’ve ticked over into 2020, people might be expecting a change in approach from us as the Olympic year develops.

In reality, though, everything we are doing is a continuation of a process that started after the Rio Olympics.

We’ve been working hard towards the Olympic Games for a long time – the intensity has been there, and we’re now looking to continue to develop that, and hopefully seeing the improvements that we’ve been working so hard to achieve.

We were able to get some down time and time with family over Christmas, which I think is really important in terms of striking the right balance, but it’s fair to say that when you’re eating your Christmas dinner, it’s in the back of your mind that you’re going to have to work those calories off quite soon!

As track cyclists, our year always starts with the HSBC UK National Track Championships, which are in Manchester at the end of this month, and the UCI Track Cycling World Championships, which this year are being held in Berlin at the end of February and into March.

One of my events is the team sprint, in which three riders compete together to record the fastest time over three laps. Also in contention for this event are the likes of Jason Kenny, Phil Hindes, Jack Carlin and Joe Truman, and while we had a lot of racing last year, this year we have relatively few opportunities to compete together before the Olympics.

These opportunities are mainly just Nationals and Worlds, so it will be nice to get out there racing with a number on our back, and really hone some of the things we’ve been working on.

In that respect, the Nationals in Manchester is a bit of a dress rehearsal for us. We’re trying to perfect things and trying to get used to the way each other is riding.

Everyone’s form develops at different rates, so come the end of the month, some of us might be going really well and some of us might still have another few weeks before we find our race legs ahead of worlds.

However, if we can get three rides out (qualifying, semifinal and final), all within a ballpark range, we’ll be happy and take some confidence forward into the worlds, and beyond that, the Olympics.

The HSBC UK National Track Championships take place at the HSBC UK National Cycling Centre between January 24-26. Tickets are still available from ticketmaster.co.uk/britishcycling.