Sutton's Joanna Rowsell is out for Olympic gold this week and if she fails it will not be for the want of trying, so says team mate Wendy Houvenaghel.

The pair team up for Team GB - along with Laura Trott and Danielle King - for the women's team pursuit qualifying rounds on Friday.

Rowsell, who started her cycling career at Sutton Cycling Club, is already a three-time world champion in the event.

And Houvenaghal, a silver medallist in the individual pursuit in Beijing, is confident the team, and former Nonsuch High School student Rowsell, are ready to race.

"Joanna is very hardworking and dedicated to the task we are about to undertake," she said.

"I’ve known her longer than any of the other girls in the team pursuit squad and we have spent a long time training and competing together.

"She’s a fantastic teammate who is very switched on and knows exactly what she is doing on the track."

She added: "We’re all desperate to get out there and start the competition. We’ve been training for a long time, we’re fully prepared and ready to compete.

"We can’t really wish the competition day to come along fast enough."

The team pursuit, which is raced over 3,000m and has three cyclists on the track at any one time, starts on Friday with the qualifying rounds, and ends on Saturday with the first rounds and final.