Ethan Vernon: Cyclist eyes Team GB pursuit gold at Paris Olympics

Vernon believes being lead-off man in the pursuit quartet is perhaps the toughest role of all as they “set the team up” and establish the pace.

“You decide how fast you get there, or how slow you get there, the team’s success almost depends on those first few laps and how quickly you accelerate, so you’ve got to get that right,” he said.

“In a race scenario, when you’ve got the crowd (there), you can overdo it.

“When you come to a race, there’s a full crowd, the heat is on, the pressure’s there, and all of a sudden you’ve gone way too fast above split. It’s a really fine line getting that right.

“The strategy isn’t finalised yet, but I’ll be (rider) one or two. We’re all fairly flexible and can all switch around a bit, it’s about making the best decision for the team.”