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Sir Chris Hoy believes Katie Archibald is on track for next summer\u2019s Paris Olympics after seeing her storm to overall victory in the UCI Track Champions League.<\/p>\n
Two-time Olympic champion Archibald admitted she was far from her best at the World Championships in Glasgow in August, when the intense spotlight of a home worlds came as she was still coming to terms with the tragic loss of her partner Rab Wardell 12 months earlier.<\/p>\n
But just a few months later, the 29-year-old Scot showed her class to win the Champions League crown for a second time, wrapping up her victory during the final two rounds in London at the weekend.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s incredibly impressive,\u201d Hoy told the PA news agency. \u201cWe\u2019re starting to see that spark coming back, the smile, the enjoyment of the racing. Just life coming back into her after what was an incredibly difficult year.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe wasn\u2019t at her best at the world championships and I think this is a significant step forward from the worlds and it really does bode well for what is a massively important year for her and for the team.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd they need her. The team really does rely on a few big-name individuals, not to carry the team but to inspire the team.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen the big names are firing and on form it lifts everyone else, so she\u2019s absolutely central to the British Cycling campaign and it\u2019s looking good.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think she\u2019s definitely getting better and getting to where she needs to be.\u201d<\/p>\n
The made-for-TV Champions League, which has just completed its third season, sees endurance riders like Archibald compete in two races per round, the scratch race and the elimination.<\/p>\n
::If you are looking for <\/em>new betting sites<\/em> ahead of the Olympics you can check this list::<\/em><\/p>\n It is a long way from the team pursuit and the Madison that Archibald will aim for in Paris, and comprises only two of the four elements of the omnium, but it will be a significant confidence booster all the same.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is not a direct comparison to those events but it almost doesn\u2019t matter,\u201d added Hoy, who is an ambassador for the Champions League.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s about how she\u2019s responding to the competition and getting inspired by the crowd and just starting to bring back that spark and getting her life back on track after what she\u2019s been through.<\/p>\n \u201cAs a rider you want to use the event in the right way. I would want to come in and see it as an opportunity to learn about my rivals, see them in some different situations and try different tactics.<\/p>\n https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/CzjO_19MQlH<\/p>\n \u201cIf it doesn\u2019t work out it\u2019s not the end of the world, you\u2019ve not missed out on a world title or an Olympic medal, but having said that the overall Champions League jersey and trophy is a massive thing now, it\u2019s being recognised.\u201d<\/p>\n Although star names like Archibald and Dutch sprinter Harrie Lavreysen drew the crowds, this season saw arguably the weakest field yet contest the Champions League with several riders preferring to focus their training elsewhere as the clock ticks down to Paris.<\/p>\n However, Hoy said he believed the still young series \u2013 which aims to elevate the profile of track cycling beyond the Olympics and annual world championships \u2013 is developing well.<\/p>\n \u201cI think it\u2019s pretty close to what I hoped it would be,\u201d he said. \u201cI think they\u2019ve delivered exactly what they promised and probably more.<\/p>\n \u201cThis year it\u2019s been a challenge with it being an Olympic year but the organisers aren\u2019t trying to hide that, and I think next year there will be a rebound when, post-Olympics, riders are freed of the pressure and stress of an Olympic year and they want to go out and ride their bikes and have fun.\u201d<\/p>\n