“THIS IS the GREATEST TEAM in BRITISH SPORTING HISTORY” the European Championships Mark the Start of a Huge Year for Britain’S Track Cycling Team
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“THIS IS THE GREATEST TEAM IN BRITISH SPORTING HISTORY” The European Championships mark the start of a huge year for Britain’s track cycling team. Can they live up to expectation? FRIDAY > Cycling | European Track Championships | British Eurosport, 8.30am hane Sutton doesn’t do spin. He does dominated for 10 years, but came up short at this “Brad had sort of gone off the radar for five do pressure and expectation. Team GB’s year’s World Championships – where they failed weeks or so [after his successful Hour Record track cycling squad travelled to this week’s to reach the top step of the podium for the first attempt], and I believed at that moment in time European Track Championships in time since 2001. So, where do they go from here? Brad was probably going away and weighing up Grenchen, Switzerland, with both – First, to Grenchen. The European his options. [But he has come back and said]: Sthanks to British Cycling’s technical director. Championships (19 British golds since it became ‘I’m going to Rio. I’m going to do team pursuit.’ The headline above is Sutton’s unflinching an elite event in 2010), which come to a close this “He’s come back in on a level that most statement. And he is keen to back it up, as you weekend, marks the start of a huge 12 months for people dream of getting to in their whole career. might expect, with numbers: Britain’s track team. Their two major targets this He’s dropped into TP [team pursuit], standard “I’m 100 per cent. Remember, I’m talking year: a home World Championships in London 3km: boom! On the money. The guy is just about the 10-year journey; I’m not talking about in March, followed by next summer’s Olympic unbelievable. We sat down and had a long chat, the here and now. And I don’t think there’s an Games in Rio. and I did question him... He said: ‘No. I’m up for argument. It speaks for itself, it’s evidence-based it now. I needed to go away, reassess. I’m so up that we have been the most successful team in ON THE MONEY for it.’ He wants it. He’s hungry. British history.” With long-time standard-bearers Victoria “When he latches on to something – whether We’re speaking to Sutton at the launch of the Pendleton and Sir Chris Hoy retired, is Britain’s it’s the individual time trial on the road, winning adidas x British Cycling kit at an event celebrating track cycling juggernaut lacking in drivers? the Tour – he doesn’t let go. And he’s now latched the brand’s 10-year collaboration with the track Sutton thinks not. on to the possibility of being the greatest squad. In a sport in which winning and losing is “In this case, the alpha male is Sir Bradley Olympian of all time. In British history. And he defined by fine margins, Sutton is quick to credit Wiggins,” he says. “Big events. Big leader. Which will not let go.” the role their kit has played in Britain’s success. is what we need. Because we’ve been missing Sutton admits, however, that there is a danger It is, as Sutton says, self-evidential: Team GB’s that, with Vicky [Pendleton] gone, and Chris of Wiggins – with all the attention he brings – gold medal haul from Olympic Games and World [Hoy] gone. So having a big leader like him is being a distraction, but that British Cycling Championships since 2005 is 58. The squad have going to make a massive difference. are well capable of managing that: k Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images October 16 2015 | sport-magazine.co.uk 29 “We also keep Brad (bottom) very grounded. He isn’t treated any different to anyone else “British Cycling protects us from thinking: ‘Oh my when he comes in. He gets a bollocking the same god, we’re part of the most successful team in the as anyone else will if he’s not on time... And when it comes down to pure performance, he world. How the hell are we going to get better?’” wouldn’t want us to treat him any different.” Rowsell agrees. “People were saying we were WHEN IT MATTERS the safest gold medals [before London]. I tried to If Sutton backs Wiggins to lead, he is equally ignore that. Part of it is having the mental confident that Jason Kenny can add to his three strength as well physical. A lot of people might Olympic and two world golds next year. crumble under the pressure of going into a race “Kenny gets it right when it matters, so I’m as favourite, or as defending champion. I think expecting him to be our Sir Chris Hoy of this that really separates out the Olympic champions Games,” says Sutton. “With the omnium, the from the people who haven’t quite got it.” chances are endless – from a bronze medal from The onus, for once, is perhaps not on Britain’s Ed [Clancy] in the previous Olympics down to team pursuit squad, but on Australia. But if Cav [Mark Cavendish] and Swifty [Team Sky’s Rowsell Shand, Trott and company are going to Ben Swift] throwing their hats in the ring.” win gold in 2016, it looks like they are going to Britain’s gold medal prospects in 2016 are, have to break the world record. however, arguably stronger on the women’s side. Aussies and how that develops over the next “I think it helps that we’re not the ones setting Laura Trott and Joanna Rowsell Shand are two of year. Because it’s going to be tough, but I really the record now,” says Rowsell. “Before, especially the team pursuit squad who, until this year’s thrive off that. It’s really motivating that it could when it went to 4km, we were always pushing worlds, were four years unbeaten. They instead go either way. You can’t ease off the gas.” the boundaries. You sort of think: ‘How fast can came away with a silver medal, losing out to we go?’ But now someone else has set a Australia – who broke the world record. SOMEONE TO CHASE benchmark for us to work towards. Now we have “We’d all prefer to be world champions,” says Trott (above, with Rowsell Shand and Elinor someone to chase, which helps.” Rowsell. “But I was part of team that got silver in Barker) says the squad can deal with the pressure Sutton, however, believes his native Australia 2010, and back then it was the best thing that Sutton publicly heaps on: are not Britain’s biggest competitors in 2016. could have happened, because team pursuit had “British Cycling has the support staff we need “We’re our biggest competitor,” he says. been announced as an Olympic event for London to protect us from thinking: ‘Oh my god, we’re “Because we don’t want to be governed by and we were world champions twice over [2008 part of the biggest team, the most successful anyone else. It’s whether we can get this and 2009]. [But] everyone carried on training in team in the world. How the hell are we going to juggernaut really moving. If we get it moving like the same way. And we got silver. So everyone sat get better? How are we going to stay at the top?’” we have done in the past, it will run over up and thought: ‘We need to make some changes.’ The flip side to that is, at the Olympics in everybody. It’s about getting a good start. They “So the silver lining to losing this year is that particular, Britain has huge confidence in its won’t be able to stop us once we get started.” it’s made everyone realise it’s not guaranteed... track cyclists, trusting that they will deliver gold. Graham Willgoss @grahamwillgoss Personally, I’m really looking forward to what “That first week [in 2012], we did struggle [for could be one of the biggest events of the whole medals], I guess,” says Trott. “But that second The adidas British Cycling kit is available at adidascycling. Olympics: the competition between us and the week was like: ‘It’s alright – we’re starting.’” com. Join the conversation @adidasUK #owntheroad Bryn Lennon/Getty Images, Luke Webber 30 sport-magazine.co.uk | October 16 2015.