CYCLING superstar Sir Chris Hoy believes Farnworth team-mate Jason Kenny can deny him an individual World Track Championship title in Denmark over the weekend.

The duo, along with Ross Edgar, won bronze in the team sprint on Wednesday night.

Four-time Olympic champion Hoy lines up against Kenny in the individual sprint tomorrow.

“I think people perceive there to be this big gap between us,” said Hoy, who celebrated his 34th birthday on Tuesday, the same day Kenny turned 22.

“But it is getting smaller and smaller. Really, sometimes the gap is the other way round.

“In training, Jason is better than me and he has been for the last couple of years.

“To be beaten by Jason would not be a surprise.

“It happens quite regularly in training which the public don’t get to see.

“So I treat Jason the same way on the track as I do anyone else. You commit 100 per cent and try to beat them with everything you have got.

“I have definitely benefited from having this strong competition within the team.

“To have all these guys pushing for places just keeps that pressure on me, and on them as well.”

Hoy denied Kenny the Olympic sprint title in Beijing 18 months ago. The pair clashed again more recently at the Revolution meeting in Manchester with Hoy again shading the verdict by the closest of margins.

“It would be nice to think I could beat Chris in Copenhagen,” said Kenny.

“But it's not just Chris I'm racing. There are a couple of French guys who are mega fast.

“And though we are really competitive in training, everyone is supportive of each other.

“I'd love to get a gold medal this week because I've never really done as well as I should have at the World Championship.

“I got a silver last year but I definitely want to establish myself this year.”