DIFFERENT ROUTE, SAME DESTINATION

In Tokyo British cyclists repeated their 2016 success but in a very different way. Chris Marshall-Bell looks at how this will help British Cycling find and inspire a whole new generation of riders

- Chris Marshall-Bell

From a quick glance at the medal table, it was a case of déjà vu for Team GB at the Tokyo Olympics. Twelve cycling medals, six of them gold, just like Rio five years earlier.

But the opposite is actually the truth, because for the first time ever, the cycling successes came from a wider pool of riders and across numerous disciplines, the deliverance of a new strategy and a vision of the future.

Maiden mountain bike and BMX golds captured public attention like few other wins did and prompted engagement from sections of society who have been less and less enamoured with track glory after it became the ‘norm’.

In the Paralympics it was also business as usual, where for the fourth consecutive Games GB topped the cycling medal table, this time claiming 10 golds out of 24 medals from 14 individuals. The standout performer was once again Sarah Storey, the veteran scooping up her 15th, 16th and 17th Paralympic golds, a British record.

The individuals who earned the medals were assisted by the Games being delayed, too: in the cases of Tom Pidcock, Ethan Hayter and Matt Walls, it is no exaggeration to suggest that the early 20-somethings benefited from an extra year’s development and experience within the professional ranks, while in the Paralympics Sophie Unwin had never even raced a tandem before August 2020 yet went on to collect a silver and bronze medal.