Cycling: Milestone for Skinner as he makes GB debut in Beijing

Capital cyclist Callum Skinner will make his senior debut for Great Britain tomorrow when he lines up in the team sprint at the UCI World Cup in Beijing.

The 19-year-old former pupil of James Gillespie High School is now based at the British Cycling Academy in Manchester. His selection for the competition – the penultimate round of the four stage World Cup – marks his complete recovery from a health problem late last year that forced him to miss the National Track Championships.

Skinner will link up with Phillip Hindes and Pete Mitchell for tomorrow’s event, with qualifying in the morning and a target of securing a place in the evening’s medal deciders. He will also compete in Sunday’s individual sprint.

Meanwhile, Skinner’s City of Edinburgh team-mate and fellow British Cycling Academy rider John Paul kicks off his year with a gruelling outing at the Bremen Six Day event in Germany.

The Edinburgh Grand Prix champion will face some of Europe’s leading sprinters on each of the next six nights, with the winner being the man who accumulates most points over that time.