Only one journalist mentioned the ‘d’ word during the lunch break at the Laoshan velodrome today, not long after Victoria Pendleton and Chris Hoy had set new Olympic records in their individual pursuit heats during the morning session. It was inevitable however, that after another dominating display, Team GB’s supremacy over its rivals would eventually be questioned by suggestions of doping.

It says a lot about the culture of cycling that extraordinary success promotes suspicion of drug use, even if it comes on the track rather than on the road. Yet even Team GB coach Chris Boardman has acknowledged that ‘If it looks to good to be true, then it usually is.’

After years of doping scandals in cycling, only the most naïve eyes would not see Team GB’s many medals as an extraordinary achievement. But there may be a more straightforward explanation for the Great British gold rush — Team GB are now light years ahead of their rivals in quality, organisation and ability.

There is no doubt that under Performance Director David Brailsford, Team GB have better athletes, better coaching staff with greater expertise, better logistical support and, in a sport decided by hundredths of a second, the best equipment. The British riders seizing the day in the Olympic velodrome also have the luxury of preparing full time for racing and of living within a stone’s throw of the Manchester velodrome.

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Then there is the money — Team GB have an annual budget of £4 million, while Holland spend only half a million euros and have just one single full time coach. And there are things that are particular to these Olympic Games. The track, for example, with its longer straights, suits Britain's sprinters better, according to Team GB sprint coach Jan Van Eiden.

“The straights in the velodrome here are slightly longer than in Manchester, and the bends shorter, so if you’re second in line you have to go slightly wider," he said. "It’s shorter to get through the bends but you have longer straights."

In theory, this design should work in the favour of both Chris Hoy and Victoria Pendleton, both of whom like to lead from the front and are capable on sustained turns of speed to take them to the finish line first.

“I think this track really suits us,” Van Eijden said, even before the racing began. “If you asked the French they’re not going to say it’s a disadvantage, but Chris is a former kilometre rider, so he’s a long distance sprinter. Jason Kenny is the same, so it suits our boys.”

Finally, Team GB’s opposition simply don’t seem able to get their act together and are growing increasingly demoralised. The French team have been listless since their defeat in the team sprints and even long-standing rivals, Australia, who arrived in China almost a week after Team GB, have failed to claim a medal so far.

“They’re rolling over and dying,” Rebecca Romero said of Team GB's rivals. “I guess it’s the pressure of the Olympics. I can’t explain it.”

Worst off are the Dutch team whose Olympic cycling campaign has been a collective catastrophe. The highly touted Marianne Vos, having prepared for the heat of Beijing in El Salvador, Spain, Italy and Korea, froze in the Welsh valleys weather that so suited Nicole Cooke in the women’s road race. Holland’s track campaign was blighted even before it began after head coach Peter Pieters was taken to hospital following a collision with one of his riders in training.

Their mishaps continued when Dutch pursuiter Niki Terpstra crashed and broke both arms on his way to the Laoshan velodrome. That came 24 hours after Theo Bos, once seen as a sprint rival to Hoy, had burst into tears after being disqualified from the Keirin.

Bos was also only ninth fastest in this morning’s sprint qualifiers. “I’m ashamed,” he said afterwards. “I’m wondering if it’s even been worth the price of the plane ticket to send me here.”