What more can be said about the British Cycling Track Team at the Beijing Olympics 2008. They continue to real in the Gold medals and they continue to kick serious ass and while they may not be dominant on the road they have easily confirmed themselves as the greatest cycling nation in the world on the track at least. Christopher Hoy has lead the way, the big Scott today won his third Gold of these Olympics becoming the first British athlete to achieve such a feat in exactly 100 years. If anyone deserves a Knighthood coming out of these games, it is him.

The British now sit in 3rd place in the Gold Medal table, a position you would have given them no chance of achieving prior to these games. The reason they sit so high up is mainly thanks to their success on the cycling track. Of the 15 Golds the British team have won 8 have came by way of the cycling and 7 from the track. On top of the 8 Golds there have been 4 Silvers and 2 Bronze’s.

The cycling world is sitting up and taking note of the British.

The only downside for the British on the track was the failure of British duo Bradley Wiggins and Mark Cavendish to medal in the Madison, an event Cavendish had been pinning many hopes on after pulling out of the Tour de France early to stay healthy. Wiggins in the end looked spent after a hard week winning two other Golds on the track.

Cycling is getting unprecidented coverage in the British media and it is certainly a nice thing to see. How long it lasts once the games fade away remains to be seen but I would like to think the track team as well as some individuals will be up for awards at the Sports Awards at the end of the year.

So why all this sudden success in Olympic cycling track racing for Britain? That is the question I have heard quite a few people say. There is one simple answer as well: Manchester Velodrome.

That place was built in 1994 and not just for the Commonwealth Games in Manchester that year. It wasn’t for the top track riders of the day back then either, no this was an investment in the future of British Cycling. Back then British Cycling began to lay the foundations for 2008 and 2012. Kids of 10, 11 and 12 were getting turns on the track, British Cycling was talent spotting and to back it up with the Lottery funding it had a state of the art facility to hone that young talent. Fourteen years on British Cycling is reaping the benefits of them 10, 11 and 12 year olds, who now in their mid 20’s, are taking the track world by storm.

I had the chance to visit that track in 1997 and have a ride on it and I’ll never forget it. We also got to watch an International event the following day and it was outstanding.

No doubt after another unsuccessful games on the athletics track for the British, the Athletics Governing body will turn to cycling for advice, they will look to imitate the cycling program and learn how to hone talent of their own. After all if Cycling can do it, why can’t Athletics or any other sport for that matter, including football.

How long the high wave that British Cycling lasts remains to be seen. Many countries will now look to implement similar programs though many do not have the financial resources that British Cycling have had via the lottery funding.

Another cycling body that could do worse than to implement such ideas would be in Ireland. There was talk of a track in Belfast or Newry but the noise from that idea has faded in recent months. Hopefully after the success of Britain in China, the ideas of this Velodrome might come back again. Money, of course, is an issue but where there’s a will there’s a way. There are a lot of talented cyclists in the North and South of Ireland and a state of the art track to base it all in wouldn’t hurt. Just ask Chris Hoy and Brad Wiggins.

Category: Track Racing » Chris Hoy, Olympic Games |

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