Cyclist Ethan Vernon is ready to fulfil whichever role is allocated to him in the hope of helping Team GB win a team pursuit medal at the Paris Olympics.
Versatility is certainly a key strength for Vernon, who these days is also a professional road racer and competed in his first Grand Tour, the Giro d’Italia, earlier this year.
A childhood BMX racer, he looks certain to be in the squad for Paris after helping Team GB win the world pursuit title in France in 2022, European gold in the Netherlands in January and the Track Nations Cup in Canada in April.
“We’re up to 70km an hour in the team pursuit and some of the descents on the road are 100km an hour plus – it’s just something you’re exposed to, you get used to feeling comfortable with being uncomfortable,” he told BBC Look East.
Vernon has had his share of uncomfortable moments, including crashing to the floor before picking himself up to win the men’s elimination race at last year’s World Championships.
But he believes the team pursuit is a “true test” and one which demands a range of strategies in order to cross the line first.
“On the road, there’s a bit more luck involved but at the Olympics it’s just [about] which team has prepared the best and put their resources in the right places,” the Bedford-born 23-year-old said.
“Qualifying is the worst because you don’t know where everyone’s at. After that you settle a bit, you know what you’ve done before and you know what everyone else has done.”
‘You mustn’t overdo it’
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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.”
Ethan Hayter, Charlie Tanfield, Vernon and Oliver Wood finished seventh in the men’s pursuit in Tokyo three years ago after a controversial finish to their semi-final against Denmark.
It was an event in which Team GB had won gold at the three previous Games.
Vernon believes his career has been a “stepping stone process” and although a stage win in last year’s Tour de Romandie was a special moment, one of the best feelings for him is “winning with the guys”.
And he will not just be satisfied with making the podium in Paris.
“I’ve not thought about second or third,” Vernon added. “We went to Tokyo with the thought that we could medal and that didn’t happen. I was only 20 years old and to get that experience, now I know what I need to do.
“We’ve got a really good team and no one is thinking about silver [this time], we just want to win gold.”