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Touchline • Issue 14 • 19
quite rightly, in my opinion regarded as one of the most feared of
all sporting challenges. Riders of ‘le Tour’ are selected carefully
from the upper echelons of world elite cycling, all with their
own specialist skills, hopefully creating a team dynamic that
maximises the chance of placing a rider as overall victor in
the General Classification or GC. They are in the view of many
cyclists, Ashley Brown of Team Sportscover included, athletes
that make other professional cyclists look like hobbyists, having
no equal.
To put further context behind Bradley’s achievements it is
worthwhile looking at the history of the Tour de France. Until
a few years ago, (when Lance Armstrong seemed to be winning
every year) the race had been dominated by riders of countries
where cycling is engrained into the sporting culture and
psyche of its population. Cycling
legends such as Bernard Hinault,
Eddy Merckx, Jaques Anquetil
and Miguel Indurain were
synonymous with the race and
have since become embedded
into the very fabric of it’s make up.
In fact, it took 83 years for a non
- European rider to win the race,
with Greg LeMond winning it in
1986. There have been British
riders who have put on a good
show, winning selected stages
and even winning the green jersey
or maillot vert, (the trophy jersey
given to the leader of the points
classification) but none however
had worn the maillot jaune or
yellow jersey as they crossed the
line at the Champs Elysees on the final stage in Paris. Britain just
doesn’t seem to have really ‘fitted’ in culturally to the event and
as a consequence our European friends (in the main) have never
considered British riders as a threat to their general dominance
in this most European of sporting challenges.
Many people involved in cycling, acknowledge that the catalyst
for the success being enjoyed by British cyclists up to now
began on a track in Barcelona in 1992. Chris Boardman won
the individual pursuit gold medal at the 1992 Olympic Games,
heralding the start of performance cycling in its current form.
The creation of the performance centre in Manchester in 1994
and his invaluable contribution to research and development
and general presence in and around the top echelons of the
sport here in the UK should also be recognised as integral to the
overall success that is being enjoyed.
On the start line in the 2012 event, Brailsford and Team Sky
had assembled a formidable collection of riders and general
management staff (including the ‘Guvnor’ - Sean Yates and the
straight talking, down to earth Australian coach, Shane Sutton)
to support Bradley in his quest for glory. Having the likes of Mark
Cavendish (World Road Racing Champion) and Chris Froome (an
outstanding talent, who will, in time have his day and surely take
his place on the top step in Paris) as well as a collection of other
world class riding talent like Michael Rogers, Bernhard Eisel
and Edvald Boasson Hagen, all riding in support of a common
aim was truly inspirational and each and every one should be
recognised for the part they played in Bradley’s success on the
2012 tour.
Taken in isolation, a win in the Tour de France is exceptional but
Bradley Wiggins had already
won every time trial he had
ridden in 2012 as well as
winning the Paris – Nice, the
Tour of Romandie and the
Criterium du Dauphine and at
the time of writing has won a
gold medal in the individual
time trial at the Olympic
Games, a feat not equalled
by any cyclist beforehand. By
any standards, quite a year!
People have their own
thoughts as to what
represents great sporting
endeavour and achievement
but in my opinion what
BradleyWiggins has achieved
this year should be recognised as the single most impressive
sporting achievement of any British athlete. In support of this
claim, I would echo the sentiment of the track cycling legend,
Sir Chris Hoy when he stated, prior to Bradley finishing the race
that if he went onto win, it should rank ‘as good as anything any
British athlete has ever done.’
Current success by Bradley and all the cycling team as well as
the rest of the Team GB athletes needs to be harnessed and built
upon in the future as other great sporting nations have done in
the past so that this fantastic period for British sport generally
isn’t wasted in the years to come. Signs are encouraging
with record numbers of bicycles being sold in UK shops and
membership to the British Cycling Federation at an all - time
high. This really is a once in a lifetime opportunity for UK sport
to build a legacy of sporting endeavour and create a platform for
future success for the generations to come.
© jans canon