Laura Trott believes Great Britain stand a good chance in the team pursuit at the UCI Track World Championships next week after promising signs in training.
Last year saw the British team fail to win gold for only the second time since 2008 as Australia took victory in Paris, denying Trott a sixth world title and fifth in the team pursuit.
Their preparations for the 2016 event in London next week have been hampered by the withdrawal of Katie Archibald due to a knee injury, but Trott is confident the squad have the qualities to regain their rainbow jersey.
"Last year we got silver, obviously in the omnium I have had sliver for three years in a row but in the team pursuit to get silver it was kind of hard to take I guess, almost a shock," she told Omnisport.
"I mean in training I sort of knew we weren't going to win in a way, like it wasn't going brilliantly and you have to have four girls going really well on the one day and we didn't have that.
"But it wasn't until it happened that it kind of came and you are a bit like, 'oh! This has really happened' and that was hard to take, but this year has been going really well, the World Cups have been going really well and I believe that we can do it.
"After last year we've come together as a team, we're gelling as a team - maybe not in terms of time, because obviously we don't know what time we are going to do, this track [Manchester] runs differently to London's track, but just as a team I feel that we've come together.
"We're riding now as one rider on the track rather than four individuals and I think that is really important in team pursuit."
And Trott hopes a return to the venue of double Olympic gold success in front of a home crowd can help spur them on against their fierce rivals – and defending champions – Australia.
She added: "Oh! It's massive. I absolutely love having a home crowd. Just that atmosphere, especially in that London velodrome as well because obviously they sell standing seats as well so it's absolutely rammed and it all bounces off the roof and it's just amazing.
"So it's something that I really look forward to."