Elinor Barker hopes the Tour of Britain will help her reach peak fitness as she bids to earn Team GB selection for the Paris Olympics.

Barker and fellow Welsh rider Elynor Bäckstedt are among a six-strong Great Britain Cycling Team contingent looking to impress during the four-day tour – which concludes in Leigh on Sunday.

And Cardiff-born Barker – who won gold and silver in the women’s team pursuit at Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 respectively – is confident the home event will prove ideal preparation for this summer’s Olympics in France.

Speaking to BBC Radio Wales after stage two of the Tour of Britain in Wrexham, seven-time track world champion Barker said: “It’s a really good preparation event.

“I know it doesn’t seem like it on paper because it’s so different to the shorter track races, but a lot of the physical elements of what I would do in my training for the track are here at this race.

“There’s a lot of sprint finishes so it’s a chance to test my speed against other track riders that are also in the peloton.”

Lotte Kopecky clinched victory in each of the opening two stages of the Tour of Britain.

You can listen to the full interview and more from the Tour of Britain second stage on Radio Wales Sport from 1900 BST or later on demand.