STEVEN Burke will be looking to get off to a winning start when he takes to the line in the opening World Cup meeting of the season in Mexico which begins tomorrow.

The Colne star is in the men’s team pursuit squad, an event in which he won Olympic gold in 2012, and is set to join Ed Clancy, Andy Tennant and Mark Christian in the line-up.

Jon Dibben has also been named in the endurance squad but the youngster is the favourite to ride the Omnium event meaning he would be the most likely to miss out on a team pursuit ride.

The event in Guadalajara is the first of three stops for the World Cup circuit with the London round in December before the final round in Cali, Colombia in January.

All three rounds give Burke and his GB teammates the chance to score Olympic Games qualification points ahead of the Rio Olympics in 2016.

Burke, 27, will be hoping to replicate his London success in Brazil and claim a second Olympic gold medal in two years time.

Burke, who did not compete in the European Championships last month, is part of a 16-strong Great Britain team which also includes Olympic stars Laura Trott and Jason Kenny.

Of the selection, Shane Sutton, British Cycling’s technical director, said: “We won eight medals at the European track championships in Guadaloupe and our aim is now to build on this and carry the momentum onto the world stage.

“As we’re now in the Olympic qualifying period, we’re keen to start the ball rolling with scoring points early on to relieve the pressure as we get closer to Rio and for that reason we’re fielding what I believe to be a strong team.”