Geraint Thomas produced superhuman form last night to set the world’s fastest time for the men’s individual pursuit and take gold at the UCI World Cup Classics in Manchester.

Even with Sir Chris Hoy topping the bill on his return to international competition for the first time since suffering a serious injury in February and Victoria Pendleton causing an outbreak of bitten fingernails, Thomas stole the show in front of a packed Manchester Velodrome.

A record qualifying time was followed by a thumping victory in the final over Dominique Cornu as he overtook the Belgian on the final lap, setting a time of 4min 15.015sec. But it was a bittersweet moment for the Welshman, as the event could be wiped from the schedule for the London 2012 Olympics.

The IOC will decide next month on a new roster of cycling events to bring the number for men and women into line and the men’s individual pursuit could be a victim of the shakeup.

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Thomas is only 23, a decade younger than Hoy, who returned last night looking fresh. He was forced to take a ten-week lay-off after crashing in Copenhagen eight months ago and then took the summer to get back to peak fitness. It paid off as he dominated the men’s Keirin to take a more than convincing gold. Hoy is scheduled for four events over the three days here — and he could win the lot.

Chris Newton could also find his best event, the men’s points, scrubbed from the 2012 schedule, which would be deeply disappointing after he dominated his race to take gold, while there was a silver in the one-kilometre time-trial for David Daniell, 19, one of Team GB’s rising stars.

In the women’s sprint final there were nerve-racking moments as Pendleton was taken to a deciding leg by Shuang Guo, of China. However, the Briton saved the best for last, scorching a final lap to take victory and her first gold medal of the World Cup by the width of her front tyre.