THE rider who wants to help Lizzie Armitstead to win gold in Rio will be trying to plot her downfall in Saturday's Tour de Yorkshire Ladies Race.

Dani King, who knows what it is like to win an Olympic title as a member of Great Britain's winning women's team pursuit squad at London 2012 alongside Laura Trott and Joanna Rowsell, is fighting hard to win selection to ride alongside the Otley star in the road race.

The 26-year-old, who has battled back from an horrific training accident in 2014 which left her with eight broken ribs a punctured lung and a bruised liver, knows that that a good performance in the Tour de Yorkshire can boost her hopes.

King is part of the Wiggle High5 team who will be taking a look at the race route from Armitstead's home town of Otley to Doncaster, today.

She acknowledges that Armitstead, with four major victories behind her this season, will be a hot favourite for the £15,000 first prize.

"Lizzie is the world's top women's rider and I hope I can fight my way into the GB team too. I believe Lizzie can win gold and I realise that if I am selected my job will be to help her to achieve that goal.

"Competition to get selected will be tough because Lizzie and Emma Pooley, who will be doing the time trial, are set for two of the three places."

King is no stranger to the support role. She has been domestique to the Swedish rider Emma Johannson for much of the season.

She said: "I have been pleased with the way I have been riding and I have some big races coming up. After the Tour de Yorkshire I will be straight off to China and then I will be off to the Tour of California."

Although the bulk of the crowd will be behind Armitstead, King is looking forward to racing in front of a British crowd.

She said: "It should be a great race and I am delighted that Britain has taken up the baton both with the prize money and the promotion of women's cycling.

"I am looking forward to getting out with the team and looking at the course. It looks a long route and I am sure we will be working out the type of race to expect and our tactics for Saturday."

One factor which could come into play is the fickle Yorkshire weather. "I heard it might snow," said King. "Living in Wales I am used to it."

lDani King is a Wiggle High5 team rider sponsored by www.wiggle.co.uk the world's largest online cycling and tri-sports retailer