FROM THIN GRUEL TO SOLID GOLD

With the Olympic Games under way, Chris Sidwells examines how the British team’s training and support has evolved from shoestring basics to world-beating innovation

- Chris Sidwells

When I went to the Munich Olympics in 1972, I was desperate to bring back a West German team jersey. I asked every German rider I could, but we had nothing they’d take as a swap – we were so badly off we had six spare wheels for the whole team.”

That Olympic recollection comes from sprinter Geoff Cooke, and it’s typical of the experiences of GB teams before lottery funding allowed the creation of British Cycling’s performance wing, AK A ‘the Medal Factory’. Fast-forward to 2021 and cycling is the second-highest funded UK Olympic sport after rowing, receiving well over £24m for Tokyo.

That level of funding means all riders on BC’s performance programme are full-time and have all the back-up they need: equipment, coaches, fitness practitioners, sports medicine and facilities. No stone is left unturned in the pursuit of excellence.

So we decided to compare the Olympic preparation and experiences of riders from pre-lottery funded days with those of more recent times – as well as what we can learn, as budget-limited amateur riders, from those disparities.

TRACK SPRINTING GEOFF COOKE V SIR CHRIS HOY

Geoff Cooke

Match sprint second round and tandem sprint quarter-finalist, Munich 1972