Commonwealth Games gold is the next step on the ultimate cycling checklist for Ethan Vernon.
The 25-year-old from Bedford is on a mission to upgrade his silver medals to gold over the next two years in the velodrome, and it all starts at this summer's Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
Following retirements and changes elsewhere, the majority of the men's team pursuit will be stepping out in Glasgow for their first Commonwealth Games, with only Charlie Tanfield also returning for Team England.
It puts Vernon into a new leadership role this summer, one he is relishing as he looks to transform a second-place finish under the English flag in 2022 and a silver medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics into victory.
"The Commonwealth Games sits in a perfect time to try and create a winning environment and get a team together that can win in LA, and that is why I really wanted to do it.
"We had a couple of guys move on to other things after Paris, and I feel like as a guy who's been on the team for a while, the ownership is on me to try and bring a group together and start that cohesion.
"If we can kick off that project with a Commonwealth gold, it gets the ball rolling quite quickly.
"And if we can do the Commonwealth gold this time, then there's one left to go, and it's the Olympic gold.
"At that point I'd be really happy with my track career success."
The pressure of turning silver into gold does not come with any stress for the endurance cyclist, because he already knows what it feels like to win in the Dear Green Place.
Glasgow hosted a memorable World Cycling Championships in 2023 and while Vernon saw heartbreak in the men's team pursuit, crashing in qualification and unable to compete, he soared to the very pinnacle with elimination race gold just two days later.
"Bouncing back from that crash to win gold was really special," he said.
"Unfortunately, when we crashed out of the team pursuit, my parents decided not to travel up anymore and then I won the next event.
"They won't be making that mistake again this summer.
"Glasgow is also actually a similar track to the one in LA, which we'll be racing on the Olympics, so it's a good opportunity to get some good experience."
With his eyes currently focused on the track, gold at Glasgow 2026 and LA 2028 are just two of the next steps in Vernon's ultimate career plan.
Usually found on the road with Pro Team NSN Cycling or training on the roads of Andorra, he has won four races this season, including an explosive sprint finish on Stage 4 of the Tour Down Under.
And with dreams of adding Grand Tour stage wins to his roster one day, there is more to the man than just track.
"There are not many teams that allow the collaboration between the track and the road, but my team has a good balance, so that's why I'm really happy. It has been a really good year," he said.
"I'm trying to keep winning bike races on the road, and also on the track.
"I think if I can win Grand Tour stages, like a stage of the Giro d'Italia or Tour de France, I would be happy in my career."
