Great Britain’s Liam Phillips insists he will remain focussed on his racing as UCI BMX Supercross World Cup glory beckons at the final round in Chula Vista.
The 25-year-old has led the standings since round one and will aim to become the first-ever British male to win the competition on 27 September in California.
He currently holds a 130-point lead at the summit of the rankings after four races but with 225 points on offer to the winner the title is not his yet.
“I’d much rather be in the position I am in than chasing,” Phillips said, speaking from Great Britain’s training camp from Chula Vista.
“The only thing that is in my control is to go out on the track and have another good race. I want to end the season the same way I started so if I can do that the overall will take care of itself.
“I’m looking forward to racing, winning the overall has been a target throughout this season but my mindset has been the same since the start really, just to go to each stop on the world cup circuit and do as best I can then.
“If that’s enough to win the overall then so be it.”
The 2013 world champion has stood on the podium in three of the four rounds to date. Victory on his home track in Manchester was soon followed with third in Papendal. A less successful trip to Berlin followed, where Phillips was eliminated in the quarter-finals.
But he returned to the top three with second place earlier this month at Santiago del Estero in a classy performance that also saw him win the time trial.
That result has left Phillips on the verge of joining a select group of riders to have been crowned both world and word cup champions.
“It’s been a target of mine over the past couple of seasons now so if I was to achieve that it would be great,” said Phillips.
“To have that on your CV would be mega but I guess until that moment comes I don’t know,” the two-time Olympian said.
“It would be a nice way to end the season but my focus is to go out there and ride my bike the best I can and hopefully perform well again.”
The track in North America is a replica of the London Olympic Games course and is known for its large jumps and high speeds.
It has hosted the final round of the UCI BMX Supercross World Cup since 2009.
“It’s definitely different - it’s big, really big,” said Phillips, who finished eighth in the corresponding event last year.
Fans will be able to watch live video from Chula Vista on the British Cycling website. The qualifying motos and time-trial superfinal take place from 10pm on Friday with the Saturday’s racing starting at 10pm.
Reports and reaction will also be on the British Cycling website.
