RETURNING to the track after an intense block of road racing, the World Class Performance Plan's team pursuit squad took a silver medal in the World Cup meeting in Poland at the weekend, behind Germany. The squad - Bradley Wiggins, Paul Manning, Chris Newton, Bryan Steel and Phil West - qualified fastest, but conceded two seconds to the world champions in the final.

In the individual event, Newton took eighth, and Emma Davies finished fourth in the women's race.

"We have to use these events for developing riders and, at the same time, qualifying for places at the World Championships - we've got people at different phases of their training at the moment," explained WCPP director Peter Keen, who is happy that everything is going to plan.

In the sprint events, Craig MacLean won the minor final for fifth place in the sprint and took fourth in the keirin, Denise Hampton finished 11th in the women's sprint, and Julie Forrester was 10th in the 500m time trial. Andy Slater, Chris Hoy and Alwyn McMath narrowly missed out to the Germans in the Olympic Sprint minor final and had to settle for fourth place.

The team pursuiters also competed in the other endurance events, with Wiggins taking fifth in the points race after he and a group of riders made up two laps on the main field, and West and Steel took eighth in the Madison on the same lap as the winner. In the women's points race, Frances Newstead finished on the same lap as winner Leontien Zijlaard.

"Every major nation is playing strategically to qualify for the World's," said Keen. "The real fireworks will be at the end of the year." The next World Cup event is in Milan in two weeks' time.