Dani King to focus on road in 2015 as Olympic champion takes alternative route to Rio Games

Olympic track champion Dani King has announced she will focus on road racing in 2015.

The 23-year-old won the gold in the women's team pursuit at London 2012 and has three world titles in the discipline, but did not make the final selection at February's Track Cycling World Championships, despite the event increasing from 3km and three riders to 4km and four riders.

King will focus on racing with Wiggle-Honda next year, forgoing the forthcoming track season, which begins with the European championships in Guadeloupe later this month, but has vowed to return to the velodrome for the 2016 Olympics.

The decision was made "in order to give Dani the best opportunity for her to develop as a cyclist and to realise her ambition of defending her Olympic title at Rio de Janeiro in 2016", British Cycling said in a statement.

'Really excited'

King, runner-up to Laura Trott at June's British national road race, said: "I'm really excited to be given this opportunity by British Cycling to go and do a full season on the road with Wiggle-Honda.

"The idea of riding a road season as preparation for team pursuit hasn't been done before in our squad, but is a tried and tested method within the men's endurance squad with Team Sky.

"I therefore believe it will enable me to get the best out of myself as a cyclist and give me the best chance possible to defend the Olympic title I won at London 2012 in the team pursuit."

King's new career path is in contrast to her fellow London 2012 team pursuit team-mates, Laura Trott and Joanna Rowsell, who will both leave Wiggle-Honda to join English-based teams in 2015 in order to tailor their road riding around team pursuit training.