WATCHING clubmate Geraint Thomas cross the line in Paris, Elinor Barker would have been dreaming of a different shade of yellow ahead of this week’s European Championships.

Gold will be the only colour on Barker’s mind as she competes for Great Britain at the ground-breaking multi-sport Championships in Glasgow and Berlin from 2-12 August.

The Welshwoman, from the same Whitchurch and Maindy stable as Tour winner Thomas, lays claim to the country’s first cycling title of 2018 with gold at the Commonwealth Games.  

Her podium pedigree simply cannot be questioned, as reigning Olympic champion in the team pursuit and world champion in the points race.

With the Glasgow event marking the start of Tokyo 2020 qualification, Barker’s burning ambition now rests in cracking the omnium – a true test of a track rider’s mettle.

“I am really looking forward to it, I have raced at Glasgow a few times and the home crowd has been incredible, so I am looking forward to that,” said the 23-year-old.

“I think the points race is going to be incredibly tough because it’s the first race in the Olympic qualifications so everyone sends their biggest and best teams.

“It’s important to get those points in the bag at the start of qualification so you are not scrambling around for them at the end of it.

“From my point of view it’s important to get results and to get my name out there and show that I can bench race well, so that hopefully eventually in two years’ time I will be taken seriously as an Omnium rider.

“I really think we can get gold. I am quietly very confident about it.

“We have a strong team and I think the fact that there are a lot of girls pushing to be in the team makes it even stronger and we are all quite hungry to win on home turf.”

There is, however, a slight blanch of disappointment offered by her ineligibility to defend the Madison title she won so handsomely with Ellie Dickinson in Berlin last year.

It is instead the points race that brings Barker’s sprinting power and ability to form tactical partnerships into perfect harmony.

Despite her lack of experience in the Omnium – 2017’s second-placed finish at the National Championships was a rare foray – her points prowess offers a platform in the six-stage test.

Barker revealed she has taken a slightly different route in preparation for the event at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome – specifically, a different road.

“I was racing on the road all last week, I had a stage race and also raced at the course which is entirely different to how I would usually prepare for a team pursuit,” she said.

“So far I think it has gone quite well. I was a little bit nervous with the Euros being in the middle of the summer, but I am quite happy with my preparation.

“Mentally I am hoping it will prepare me quite well. I feel like I am coming in refreshed for every effort seems very important because what I can do in that effort is magnified whereas other girls have had weeks and weeks leading into this.

“They have had masses of data ticking away while every one of my sessions have to be good in order to get into the team.

“I think it’s pressure, but it’s a good kind of pressure as well. It’s really pushing me on.”

See the stars of British Cycling #BackToTheTrack at London’s Lee Valley VeloPark at the 2018 TISSOT UCI Track Cycling World Cup series between December 14 and 16. For tickets and more information visit www.trackworldcup.co.uk