London at last

Having ticked off crucial preparations such as seeing a red double decker bus, London Bridge and the iconic London Eye, Meares, her fellow Australian Cyclones and the rest of the world will have their first taste of the brand new Olympic velodrome this weekend, an opportunity that disappoints British head coach David Brailsford.
 
"I'm a little bit miffed, if I'm honest, if I'm really, really honest," Brailsford told the BBC.
 
"To have a fully-blown world cup as a test event when a lot of the other venues are using national championships - we're basically inviting the rest of the world in, and the opposition in.
 
“Let's have a look at what the track is like and the nuances of how the track runs and the differences between the London track and any other track."
 
At the height of their Olympic qualification journey and countdown to the 2012 UCI Track Cycling World Championships in Melbourne in just 50 days time, the world’s greatest cyclists will contest the final round of the UCI Track World Cup series this weekend.
 
Doubling as the London 2012 test event, top cyclists from around the world will race on the new track at the Velodrome in the heart of London’s Olympic Park. The event will provide the best indication yet of their form leading into the world championships in April.
 
The line-up across the four day event features five Olympic and 16 world champions amongst 340 riders from 48 nations and 18 trade teams.
 
Shaping up to be the highlight of the world-class field is the men’s and women’s sprint competitions.
 
Current sprint world champions Jason Kenny (Great Britain) and Meares (Australia), Olympic champions Sir Chris Hoy and Victoria Pendleton (Great Britain) and current world cup series leaders Denis Dmitriev (Moscow Track Team) and Simona Krupeckaite (Lithuania) will all line up in a classic battle of the speedsters.
 
Not to be discounted, current world keirin and Commonwealth Games sprint champion Shane Perkins (Australia) and Germany’s Robert Forstemann, who is currently placed second in the men’s sprint world cup standings further extends the depth in the men’s event.
 
And to add a little more interest to the contest, consider the internal battle between Great Britain’s Kenny and four-time Olympic champion Hoy for their one and only sprint position for a home Olympic Games - a battle that is likely to come down to a final decision at the track worlds in Melbourne.
 
"Whether I'm racing Chris or anyone from around the world, it's all about racing hard and trying to beat them,” Kenny told Press Association Sport.
 
"I have a sneaky suspicion the world championships will probably play a deciding factor.
 
"It's the last major race before the Olympics and it's the second biggest race we'll do in our lives.
 
"I'd imagine that will have quite a big impact on the selection panel and that's what I'm focusing on at the minute."
 
Fresh from claiming her 27th Australian title at the recent 2012 Subaru Track National Championships, sprint queen Meares is likely to match up with British rival Victoria Pendleton.  But the pair cannot dismiss current 500m time trial and flying 200m world record holder Simona Krupeckaite who is currently leading the women’s sprint series or 2009 keirin champion China's Guo Shuang.
 
The London World Cup will also be the first major opportunity to put runs on the board in the much anticipated battle for team pursuit supremacy.
 
Home nation Great Britain have a powerful six-man squad including Ed Clancy and Geraint Thomas, two of the men who recorded the current world record on the way to Olympic gold in Beijing.
 
But the going with be tough with current world champions Australia and their Trans-Tasman rivals New Zealand, who recorded the fourth fastest time in history at the Oceania Championships in November, eager to get the early psychological win.
 
Current individual pursuit world champion Jack Bobridge (Australia) reiterated the importance of the world cup and world championships when speaking to Australian Associated Press.
 
"We'll be looking to win in London and stamp a bit of authority there and do the same thing at the worlds," Bobridge said.
 
"It'll be great to get there, get some data and see what the track's like."
 
The four round UCI Track World Cup series kicked off in Astana last November before heading to Colombia in December and China earlier this month.
 
After this weekend’s final round in London, all eyes will turn to Melbourne for the 2012 UCI Track Cycling World Championships in April and the final opportunity for nations to gain qualification points for the London 2012 Olympic Games.