European Track Championships: GB track squad start Rio journey

Great Britain's world championship winning quartet of Katie Archibald, Elinor Barker, Laura Trott and Joanna Rowsell

Great Britain's track cycling squad are preparing to take part in this week's European Track Championships.

The Championships, in Guadeloupe, are the first chance to score Olympic qualification points for Rio 2016.

The team includes world champions Katie Archibald, Elinor Barker, Joanna Rowsell and Laura Trott.

British Cycling's technical director Shane Sutton said: "The squad as a whole is prepared and looking forward to the racing."

Recently crowned four-time national champion Callum Skinner is also in the 15-strong squad, which will be aiming for gold medals in the men and women's endurance and sprint categories.

The British female quartet won gold at the World Track Championships in Colombia in February.

Trott, Barker and Archibald also claimed gold, silver and bronze respectively in the Commonwealth Games this year, and Trott helped Wiggle-Honda to the team pursuit title on the first day of last month's British Cycling National Track Championships.

Great Britain tops the overall medal table since the championships began in their current form in 2010.

Guadeloupe, in the Caribbean, is a French-owned overseas region. The Championships run from 16-19 October.

GB squad:

Men's sprint: Matt Crampton, Lewis Oliva, Callum Skinner

Women's sprint: Rosie Blount, Katy Marchant

Men's endurance: Mark Christian, Ed Clancy, Jon Dibben, Owain Doull, Andy Tennant

Women's endurance: Katie Archibald, Elinor Barker, Ciara Horne, Joanna Rowsell, Laura Trott