Victory for Thomas
Geraint Thomas backed up a stunning qualifying ride to win the men's individual pursuit at the Track World Cup in Manchester.
Thomas clocked four minutes 15.015 seconds in qualification - a time bettered only by world record-holder Chris Boardman - before winning the final by catching Belgium's Dominique Cornu with two laps remaining.
Britain can now lay claim to having the three fastest four-kilometre pursuit riders in history in Boardman - world record-holder after setting 4mins 11.114secs against the clock in Manchester in August 1996 - Thomas and Bradley Wiggins.
Many believe Boardman's record is unsurpassable, because he was riding in the 'Superman' position - which has since been outlawed.
Thomas, Olympic champion in the team pursuit, certainly made a good attempt - with three-time world and double Olympic champion Wiggins watching on.
The 23-year-old from Cardiff earlier beat Wiggins' personal best of 4:15.031, set when he won gold in Beijing - and he then hunted down Cornu in a second strong ride a few hours later to deliver Britain's first gold of the World Cup season.
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