It is likely that he will return to Johan Bruyneels team. Bruyneel said:

“We have a close relationship and if he were to resume competing I can’t imagine him going to CSC or Rabobank…”

However, nothing has been confirmed at the present moment.

If Lance does make a comeback next year, he will face one of his greatest challenges; it is hard to say whether he will have the fitness to challenge the new generation of Contador, Valverde and the Schleck brothers.

Lance Armstrong comeback

Chris Hoy won Gold in

• Team Sprint (team also set a new world record in qualifying events)
• Individual Sprint
• Keirin - Ross Edgar took Silver giving Britain a 1 - 2.

After winning the final event, Chris Hoy said:

“It’s just beyond expectations, and it’s a day we’ll remember for a long time.

“I’m very emotional, but I’m trying to keep a cap on it because I’ve got another race to go.”

The powerfully built rider, won an Olympic Gold in the 1Km pursuit. But, this event was dropped, forcing Chris to rethink his strategy. He has adapted well to the shorter sprint events. His power over longer distances means that his strategy is usually to go hard from the gun.

Chris Newton

Born in Stockton on Tees, Chris is a versatile cyclist who has represented Great Britain in various events.

Chris missed out on the 2008 world championships due to a broken collar bone. However, in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Chris managed to win bronze in the points race; this involved lapping the field twice. He just missed out on silver, losing out on last sprint.

Olympic Medals

2000 - Bronze - Team Pursuit

2004 - Silver - Team Pursuit

2008 - Bronze - Points Race

World Championships

2005 - Gold - Team Pursuit

2004 - Silver - Team Pursuit

2002 - Gold - Points Race

2001 - Silver - Team Pursuit

2000 - Silver - Team Pursuit

Road Racing

Chris currently rides for recycling.co.uk one of the dominant national teams.

Premier Calender winner in 2007

Time Trialling

British World Time Trial Champion 2000

Team Time trial champion 2005

Chris Newton Page

Chris also spends time promoting cycling an

Mark Cavendish

Born in Isle of Man, 1985, Mark Cavendish has become arguably the world’s fastest sprinter, dominating the sprint stages of the 2008 Tour by winning 4 stages.

Mark initially gained success through racing on the track. As part of Team Great Britain, he became Madison world champion in 2005 (with Rob Hayles) and 2008 (Bradley Wiggins). He also won gold for Isle of Man in the 2006 Commonwealth games.

In 2005, he rode his first road races, competing in the Tour of Britain and Tour of Berlin. In 2006, he won the points competition in the Tour of Britain, helping him gain a professional contract with T-Mobile.

His first Tour de France, in 2007, was a disappointment due to a couple of heavy crashes. He abandoned as the race reached the Alps.

In 2008, riding for Team High Road/Columbia, he completed the Giro d’Italia - his first major stage race winning 2 stages in the process. In the 2008 Tour, Mark emerged as the fastest sprinter in the world, winning 4 stages and coming second to a team mate.

Mark divides his time between Manchester and the continent. When at Manchester he works closely with coach Rod Ellingworth.

As well as being one of the fastest sprinters, Mark admits that the mental attitude of a sprinter is of utmost. In particular it is important to have confidence and self-belief when finishing in a mass bunched sprint at speeds of up to 65kmph. He also notes the importance of having a good team to get the sprinter to the front at the right time.

“Absolutely. Bunch sprinting when you have everyone, not just the guys going for the win but their teammates around you, for sure you have to have bottle but you don’t need as much when you have a great team around you. I didn’t  have to take so many risks because I had such a great team. I didn’t have to duck and dive. I had guys to bring me to the front and keep me there and that made it a hell of a lot easier. When that happens you can win by a bigger margin and that was what was happening because I had the best team to set me up.”

Mark comes across as a confident and passionate cyclist. It is clear, that foremost is his desire to win - gone is the idea of British athletes happy to be the plucky loser.

“It is such a beautiful sport with the elation and the toughness. When you hear the Italians and Belgians talking about it, I would not want to be doing anything else. Even when I am suffering in the mountains — I love the mountains, I love suffering. Even if I am last, I still love it. That is part of our sport  and that is why I train harder so I can suffer harder and I know it will be worth it”.

Gear When Sprinting

Mark says that when sprinting he will invariable use a 53 *11 for final sprint. Some of the other sprinters like Eric Zabel use a bigger gear 54*11. But, Mark says having a slightly lower gear gives you more flexibility for moving around the pack in the finishing stages. It also means he has tremendous leg speed, something developed from his track racing.

British Cyclists

Mark Cavendish.com

Mark Cavendish interview at British Cycling

Greg Lemond

Greg Lemond was the first American to win the Tour de France and went onto win the race a total of 3 times. He might have won it more, had it not been for a near fatal shooting accident which sidelined him for two years.

Greg Lemond was born June 26, 1961 in Lakewood California. His first passion was for skiing, but aged 13, he switched to cycling where he displayed prodigious talent.
In 1979 he won gold in the World Junior road race championship and was picked for the US Olympic squad of 1980, (although the US were to boycott the event)

With the support of Cyrille Guimard, Greg took a big jump and entered the European professional cycling scene. By 1981 he was racing for the Renault-Elf-Gitane team. Just two years after making his professional debut, he won gold in the World road race championship, aged only 22.

In his first Tour de France in 1984, Lemond finished 3rd and won the white jersey as best young rider. In 1985, Lemond found himself on the same team as French superstar Bernard Hinault. Lemond was under team orders to ride in support of Hinault. Even though at times Lemond appeared the stronger, Hinault was crowned winner for the 5th time, with Lemond 1 min 42seconds back in second place.

In the 1986 Tour, Hinault promised to ride for Lemond in gratitude for Lemond’s sacrifices the previous year. However, Hinault built up a lead of over 5 minutes over Lemond, before Hinault lost ground on one stage enabling Lemond to take over the yellow jersey. In the stage to Alpe d’Huez both riders crossed the line together - suggesting unity, though Lemond felt Hinault had been riding for himself and Lemond had only won, because he was stronger than Hinault.

In April 1987, Lemond was badly injured in a shooting accident, whilst shooting Turkey in US. This put him out of the next two Tour’s.

When he returned to the Tour in 1989, Lemond still had 27 shotgun pellets in his body (including 2 in the lining of his heart). The race proved to be an epic battle between French star - Laurent Fignon and the American, Greg Lemond, on his comeback. Heading into the final stage - a time trial in Paris, Lemond stood 50 seconds behind Lemond. Using time trial aero bars, (then a novelty in pro cycling) Lemond succeeded in overturning Fignon’s advantage, winning the Tour with the smallest ever margin of 8 seconds. Lemond was ecstatic, Fignon wept openly on the Champs Elysees.

Later that year, Lemond completed his remarkable comeback with his second world road race championship. Lemond was awarded the Sports Illustrated magazine sportsman of the year - the first cyclist to receive the award. It was testimony to how much Lemond had raised the profile of cycling in America.

In 1990, Lemond won the Tour for the third time, beating Claudio Chiappucci, despite never winning a stage.

Lemond later lamented the fact his shooting accident prevented him winning the Tour 5 times. But, he remains one of only 8 cyclists to win the tour more than 3 times.

Lemond retired from racing in 1994, as his performance slowly deteriorated. He blamed his poor performance on overtraining; at this time there were also increased mutterings about the new wonder drug - EPO. Something Lemond later said he could never contemplate taking.

After his racing career finished, he concentrated on his bike business. - Lemond Bikes. However, the initial business didn’t succed due to a combination of poor management and lack of investment. His line of bikes was taken over by Trek, who continue to sell Lemond bikes today.

Doping Controversies

In 2001, Lemond noted his disappointment that Lance Armstrong was visiting doctor Michael Ferrari. Michael Ferrari had a reputation for condoning and administering doping products. For example, Ferrari ‘helped’ the Gewiss team in the early 1990s He was later tried and convicted of sporting fraud in 2004 (http://www.velonews.com/article/7047)

However, Armstrong was furious at the insinuations and demanded an apology through Trek. Reluctantly Lemond gave into Trek’s demands for an apology, although he wept as he read it out.

Lemond and Flloyd Landis

After Flloyd Landis’ postive dope test during the 2006 Tour de France, Lemond was asked for his opinion, in which he gave no support for Landis’ excuses.

This led to a phone call between Flloyd Landis and Greg Lemond in which they discussed the issue of doping and Lemond’s ’secret’ Lemond’s ’secret’ here was his painful childhood experience of being sexually abused by a family friend.

Before the trial of Floyd Landis, Lemond was called on his mobile phone by Will Geoghegan, the lawyer of Landis. In this call, Geoghegan threatened to reveal Lemond’s secret of sexual abuse if he didn’t support Landis. Lemond brought the mobile phone call to the attention of the judge and Geoghegan was sacked by Landis, although it appears Landis was in the same room as Geoghegan when the call was made.

Landis almost made a veiled threat in an online posting on the Daily Peloton forum.

Since September 2007, Greg Lemond has become a founding board member of 1in6.org an organisation seeking to help people who experienced sexual abuse in their childhood. In an interview after the Flloyd Landis trial, Lemond spoke of the difficulties coming to terms with his past.

“There was a part of me with a hole that I could never fill and it almost destroyed me, but I have been able to work through a lot of those difficulties and it feels so empowering now that nobody can hold anything over me. I don’t give a shit what people say, because it really doesn’t matter. My life is about my wife, my kids and the few friends that I have.” 

LeMond interview with Paul Kimmage. at Times

Related

Paul Kimmage

List of doping scandals

Doping in Professional cycling

Greg Lemond optimistic about future of pro cycling

GregLemond.com

Tom Simpson - celebrating 1965 World Championship Title

An iconic cyclist of the 1960s, Tom Simpson had a unique drive and ability. He was the first British cyclist to become a major cycling star winning the World Championship in 1965. Tragically, Simpson died during the 1967 Tour de France whilst climbing Mont Ventoux. Even more shocking was the revelation that Simpson had packets of amphetamines in his back pocket, and the use of drugs had been a contributory factor to his untimely death.

Tom Simpson - Early Life

Tom Simpson was born in County Durham, the youngest child of a coal miner in 1937. The family later moved to Nottingham where Tom became interested in cycling. He competed in time trials, road races and on the track. It was on the track where he had his first taste of international success; he won a bronze medal in the 1956 Olympics as part of Great Britain’s team pursuit squad.

In April 1959, he felt he needed to travel abroad to try and win a place in a professional cycling team. (At the time the domestic British scene offered little for an aspiring professional cyclist. He left for Brittany, where he raced in amateur races and also met his future wife Helen Sherburn.

Life as a Pro Cyclist

After winning a couple of amateur races he was offered a contract with Rapha Geminiani Team, who also had British cyclist Brian Robinson on the squad.

By 1960 he completed his first Tour de France, finishing a very creditable 29th.

In 1962, he became the first British cyclist to wear the maillot jaune of the Tour, eventually finishing 6th overall.

By 1963, he was riding for a new team Peugeot BP (with distinctive black and white jerseys). He won the Milan San Remo classic in 1964.

1965 was probably his most successful year as he was crowned World Road Race champion in San Sebastian, Spain and also won the autumn classic Giro Di Lombardia. For his exploits, he became the first cyclist to win the BBC sports personality of the year.

1966 was a disappointing year, due to a skiing injury. However, in 1967, he proved to be in excellent form, winning the early season Paris Nice race and two stages in the Vuelta a Espagne. Going into the 1967 Tour de France, Simpson felt he had a realistic chance of being on the podium

Death of Tom Simpson on Mont Ventoux

On Thursday, 13th July, the 13th Stage of the Tour the weather was very hot. In those days, riders were actually limited to 4 bidons a day (the effects of dehydaration were clearly misunderstood). At the foot of Mont Ventoux, Simpson attacked hoping to move up the general classification. Later he was overtaken by Jan Jensen (the eventual stage winner) and 4 others. Near the summit, Simpson started to zig zag across the road, looking very pale and exhausted and he eventually fell off. His team manager tried to stop Simpson (he was actually worried Simpson might fall off on the descent) However, Simpson got back on his bike and cycled another 500 metres before falling into the hands of his helpers (with his hands still on his handlebars). This time Simpson was unconscious. The race Doctor tried to give Simpson mouth to mouth resuscitation to no avial; he  was airlifted to hospital. But, Simpson was declared dead on arrival.

“Put Me back on My Bike”

This famous phrase was attributed to Simpson by Sid Saltmarsh, who was a journalist for Cycling and The Sun. Sid was not actually at the race and Simpson never said these words. According to his team manager, his last words were ‘Go on, Go on’. However, although Simpson didn’t say these words they epitomised his attitude of being willing to ride himself into the ground. It appears that one effect of the drugs he took was that it was harder to be aware of his own limits.

The cause of death was given as heart attack brought on by heat, dehydration and exacerbated by alcohol and use of amphetamines.

Aftermath

The cycling community was shocked by his death. The next stage of the Tour was a procession, with the British riders allowed to cross the finishing line first (Barry Hoban happened to be first)

At first the link between his death and drugs was not widely publicised. It took time for revelations about amphetamines and other drugs to be released. A search of Simpson’s apartment the next day found more drugs - Stenamina and Tonedrin.

Tom Simpson’s death did mark a turning point in the use of drugs in professional cycling. After his tragedy, the UCI did start to implement more drug testing, although its efficacy was open to question. Many riders such as Jacques Anquetil retained a resistance to dope testing. Even now, the culture of doping in the professional cycling scene still perists.

Reputation Tom Simpson

Tom Simpson’s memory evokes a mixture of responses. In many ways he was Britain’s most successful and prominent rider. He rode at a time when dope taking was rife and drug tests sparodic to say the least. Tom Simpson embodied tremendous determination and drive to win. He showed the way to a generation of British riders. But, his career has always been overshadowed by the knowledge of his extensive doping and his willingness to push himself so far, he ended up paying the ultimate price. Yet, despite his tragic death, he is held in high regard by the Cycling fraternity. A monument was erected to Tom Simpson near to where he collapsed on Mont Ventoux; it receives thousands of visitors every year.

Related

• British Cyclists
• Doping Scandals in Cycling

In 2001, Cycling Weekly voted Tom Simpson as the second greatest British cyclist of the twentieth Century. Admitting that his drug use cost him first place (given instead to Chris Boardman)

Female British Cyclists

• Beryl Burton
• Nicole Cooke
• Victoria Pendleton
• Rebecca Romero
• Shanaze Reade

British Cycling Books

• The Hour by Michael Hutchinson
• Heroes, Villains and Velodromes
• This Island Race by Les Woodward
• A Century of Cycling by William Fotheringham
• The Flying Scotsman by Graeme Obree

British Cycling Celebrities

• David Duffield Quotes
• Classic British Time trial Photos

Irish Cyclists

• Paul Kimmage

Reade - Pendleton celebrate Gold at Track Championships 2008

Shanaze Reade was born in Crewe, in 1988. She has always been interested in sports; her first interest was athletics - 100m spring and the shot put. However, after seeing a bmx race she decided to switch sports and soon began competiting in bmx races. Shanaze Reade would often beat, not just other girls, but, also men.

In 2002, her cycling career become more serious and she won a number of junior UCI European titles.

In 2007, she won the UCI Bmx World title, aged only 17. In 2007, she also made the switch to track racing and successfully won the 2007 team sprint title with Victoria Pendleton. This world title was despite very little track training. In 2007, Shanaze Reade was awarded  the Sunday Times young sportsperson of the year award. Her world track title was repeated in the 2008 World Championships held in Manchester, where she again partnered Victoria Pendleton to Gold.

2008 Beijing Olympics

Shanaze Reade is Great Britain’s sole representative in the BMX event - In the Olympics for the first time.

• shanzereade.com

Nicole Cooke is one of the world’s leading female cyclists. Born in Wales in 1983, Nicole was raised in a cycling family and became interested in cycling from an early age. As a youngster she competed in several disciplines from time trials to cyclocross and road racing; Nicole invariably won, often beating older children as well.

By the time she was 17 she had won an unprecedented collection of British National Titles and World Titles in a variety of cycling disciplines. These included Gold in Junior World Championships in Road Racing, Time Trials, and Mountain Bikes.

Nicole has a genuine passion for cycling and racing at the highest level. In an interview with Cycling News she said:

“I love to go hard and I love to train alone.”

By 2006, Nicole Cooke had become UCI’s number 1 ranking female cyclist, a position she currently holds (2008)

Her palmeres includes:

• Olympic Gold - Road Race Title Beijing 2008
• 1st Tour Grand Boucle - Tour Feminie 2006, 2007
• 1st Tour of Italy 2004
• 1st Tour of Germany 2006
• 1st UCI World Cup 2003, 2006
• 8 Times British Road Race champion, including as a junior in 1999

Nicole turned pro with an Italian team - Ausra Gruodis-Safi.

In 2008, she joined the British Team Halford Bike Hut, riding the new Chris Boardman pro Bikes

Nicole is currently based in Lugano, Switzerland, although she finds time to return home to her native Wales, in between training and racing. She is part of the Great Britain Olympic squad of 2008.

Nicole Cooke takes Olympic Gold 2008

Nicole Cooke.com

Nicole Cooke Interview

Graeme Obree is one of the most unique cyclists. He has had a colourful cycling history which includes breaking the prestigious world hour record twice. Obree made his first attempt in Norway, 1993. At the time he was relatively unknown outside of Great Britain and few gave him any realistic chance of beating Francesco Moser’s world hour record of 51.151 KM which had stood since 1984.

At the first attempt Obree failed missing the mark by nearly 1 KM. However, Obree was determined to try again the next day. Most journalists left and Obree had to beg the officials to let him have another go. This time to many people’s surprise he was successful setting a new hour record of 51.596 KM. This record would later be surpassed by Chris Boardman just one week later. However, Obree went on to break the record a second time in April 1994.

Graeme Obree is also famous for building innovative bike designs using various spare parts. After his first world hour record there was a lot of media interest in his home made bike. Obree’s bike apparently was made with bits of an old BMX and parts from a washing machine. I think some of this got exaggerated however Obree was definitely an innovator and continues to make his own bikes. For a while Obree was feted by the European press who were intrigued with this eccentric Scottish man who had built his own bike. Perhaps unfairly this overshadowed his athletic ability and great determination. For his first record he used a position known as the tuck position this has also been labelled the “Obree” position.

A photo of Obree in the tuck position

This position was later banned by the UCI but Obree went on to develop another position, popularly called the “Superman Position”. (see Obree Bikes)

After his record breaking attempt Obree went onto become World Pursuit Champion in 1993. He beat Chris Boardman in the Semi Final (also setting a new world record) In the final he beat Frenchman Phillipe Ermanault. To become World Champion was in many ways unexpected for Obree but it enabled him to attract many lucrative offers to travel around Europe racing in prestigious time trials and track meetings. Graeme was victim to an unfortunate experience in the 1994 World Championships. Obree was the defending champion and had modified his bike to bring him into line with the new rules. However on the evening of the Championships the UCI bought in a new law effectively banning his unique tuck position. The rule was so new that it hadn’t even been written down. Obree had no chance to get used to a new design and was thus disqualified after his first qualifying attempt. Obree briefly signed a contract with a French based professional team. However unfortunately this didn’t work out. Obree said he never felt comfortable in the set up and was also unwilling to pay the “supplementary medicine ” costs (this was in the Pre Festina) days. It was after this time that Obree began to increasingly suffer from depression.

Obree’s autobiography is a compelling account of his experiences as a bike rider and his private battle with the problems of depression and low self esteem. The overriding theme in his book is his desire to prove himself by winning. If he lost a race he would feel awful. The book is written with great honesty and is a fascinating insight into the mind of a great athlete.

Graeme Obree representing Great Britain

I admire Obree because:

• He was a great cyclist,
• The hour record is the ultimate cycling record, very few professionals even dare try to attempt it
• The list of Hour Record Holders reads like a Who’s Who of professional cycling
• Obree was an individual outside the cycling hierarchy (The UCI treated him quite unfairly at one point, banning his position without giving any forewarning)
• He built his own bikes on a limited budget. For a number of years I believe he lived off unemployment benefits.
• He was always a clean rider, at a time when not many professionals were.

View: Graeme Obree’s Bikes

Graeme Obree Links

Graeme Obree video of World Hour Record in 1993

Graeme Obree at Amazon.co.uk

The Obree position with information about Obree’s World Hour Record

Obree Film - The Flying Scotsman

Released In 2007. The flying Scotsman partially tells of the struggles that Obree went through in becoming a successful cyclist. It mainly concentrates on the bike racing and only touches upon the personal aspect.

The Flying Scotsman - DVD

at Amazon.co.uk

at Amazon.com

• Graeme Obree speaks about his short lived professional career - BBC