HAMPSHIRE cyclist Jon Dibben had to settle for Track Cycling World Championship team pursuit silver last night.

GB were pipped to the gold medal by perennial rivals Australia, but Sir Bradley Wiggins predicted they would get their revenge in the Rio Olympics later this year.

The Lee Valley VeloPark witnessed the second fastest team pursuit race in history, following the London 2012 Olympic final which Britain won ahead of Australia.

But this time Australia's Sam Welsford, Michael Hepburn, Callum Scotson and Miles Scotson won gold in three minutes 52.727 seconds and Wiggins, Southampton-born Dibben, Owain Doull and Ed Clancy had to settle for silver in 3mins 53.856secs.

Britain had trailed for much of the four kilometres, but with two laps of the 16 remaining took the lead, only to unravel in the closing stages after Dibben had peeled off and Clancy struggled to cling on.

Clancy had back surgery last year and is still recovering, meaning Britain have more to give as they look for a third straight Olympic title in Rio this summer.

Wiggins, who is targeting a fifth Olympic gold and British record eighth medal in Rio, said: "We were here to win. We knew it would take a time like that to win and we didn't produce it and they did.

"It's really disappointing. But at the same time, when we look at where we've come from, we're close.

"We knew we'd have a race on here and we're going to have a race in Rio, but I think we'll get over the line first in Rio."

The 35-year-old Wiggins won the Olympic team pursuit title in 2008 before switching focus to the road and winning the 2012 Tour de France and Olympic road time-trial, his fourth Games gold.

"In 17 years of team pursuiting, that's the strongest I've been," Wiggins added.

"There's a bit of life left in me yet and I've got another four, five months to try to get a little bit better."

Wiggins paid tribute to two-time Olympic team pursuit champion Clancy, who was drafted into the line-up for the final after recovering from a career-threatening back injury.

"He (Clancy) is the strongest man in the team. He's the one man that's probably irreplaceable," Wiggins said.

Another who could come into contention is Mark Cavendish, who begins his six-discipline omnium campaign today. Cavendish is targeting Olympic gold in the omnium, but must be able to switch into the team pursuit line-up.