Twelve months after becoming the first Irish winner of an elite world track championship in 117 years, Martyn Irvine will seek to successfully defend his scratch race title at the championships in Cali, Colombia, on Thursday.

While the Ards rider has had some disruptions in the past year, including a long recovery from a fractured leg, team coach Brian Nugent has said that he believes he should be in the running for another gold. “Martyn has been preparing very well and has had a consistent run in training for the past few months since moving to Denver,” he said.

Also competing in Cali are Caroline Ryan, who was due to ride the women's scratch race late Wednesday last night, and Ryan Mullen.

Irvine and Mullen will ride the individual pursuit on Thursday, with the former doing the scratch race afterwards.