Romero has not competed since winning the gold medal in the Laoshan Velodrome in Beijing in 2008, completing a remarkable four-year journey since she had won a silver medal at the Athens Olympics four years earlier as part of Britain's quadruple sculls rowing team.

The 30-year-old Londoner had threatened to walk away from cycle and find another sport to try to qualify for at London 2012 after the UCI scrapped the pursuit as part of a revamp that saw more women's events added to the Olympic programme.

But Romero is now set to abandon the track as her main discipline to instead concentrate on road cycling in the build-up to London 2012.

She said: "I am pretty eager to get on with things.

"When it comes round to competition I'll be ready."

Romero won the British time trial championship in 2006 but has little experience of competing in the event at international level.

She said: "It's hard making the transition, realising it was a full change for me again, starting off again, like I did in my first year in the pursuit.

"But it's good to have settled down and have another pathway for me to get on with and see how I get on in the time-trial.

"That's really my focus and the big target is seeing if I can qualify for the World Championships on the road.

"I've still got to get to world-class level."

The decision to scrap the pursuit did not surprise Romero.

He said: "I was fully expecting the outcome but when it happens, that's when it hits you.

"That glimmer of hope I had that it would still be in had gone for good."


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