PRESIDENT'S WEEK #5

STORIES FROM ANOTHER MONTH

From British Cycling President Brian Cookson

 

OK, maybe we�d better start calling it Brian�s month��sorry for those of you who may have missed me (no Larry, don�t tell me how many hundreds of our members have e-mailed asking what happened to my column � er, what, no-one, no-one at all!!??). Anyway I�ve just been so busy with the day job and trying to get a few miles in that things just slipped by and, well, you know all the excuses for not doing your homework, etc, don�t you?

Anyway, first of all, what fantastic rides by Nicole Cooke in the Amstel Gold and the Fleche Wallone. Two World Cup wins and the leader�s jersey is quite something. What a pity that we didn�t get any television coverage of the races. Sadly, the women�s scene is undoubtedly some way behind the men�s in terms of both media coverage and sponsorship. It may be several years before things start to even up, but young stars like Nicole can only help to raise the profile of our sport, particularly in the non-traditional cycling nations like us. So well done Nicole and good luck for the rest of the season.

Meanwhile the other British women have been progressing steadily, if less spectacularly too, with some great rides reported elsewhere on this website. If all goes well, we should certainly have one of the best squads at the World Road Championships in Hamilton, Canada, in October. And then Athens is just around the corner��

Moving on, you may have heard that the World Track Championships are to be moved away from China because of the SARS outbreak. We have of course expressed our interest in helping out the UCI by putting the Championships on in Manchester, but there appear to be a number of other contenders. We should know by the end of the week, but I�m not holding my breath.

On another subject, it�s also been great to see Malcolm Elliott doing so well on his comeback. The late eighties were a brilliant time for British bikies in some ways, with Malcolm, Joey McLoughlin and so many others all showing the way, and promising so much. I remember Malcolm winning the first five stages of the Milk Race one year, outsprinting people like Abdujaparov in his amateur days. Everyone who was around in those days has their own stories or theories about Malcolm, but he was and is one of those riders who just looks right on a bike, like he was born turning the pedals. Of course Malcolm spent a number of his formative years as a member of the GB Team Pursuit squad, giving him a great grounding in sheer speed��now why does that sound familiar???

And finally, it�s official. I finished 7502nd out of 27841 riders in the Cape Argus Pick �n Pay Cycle Tour in South Africa in March. For my age group (don�t ask) I was 404th out of 1603. The 109kms took me 3 hours 43 minutes and 59.4 seconds (obviously it was well worthwhile sprinting at the end!), an average speed of 29.2kms/hour. And I now have a certificate to prove it! OK, not exactly earth shattering, the serious veterans can rest easy in their beds, but hell, I enjoyed it, I want to go back, and I reckon I can take half an hour off that time if I prepare properly and avoid the colds and flu that stopped me riding for 3 weeks before the event. (You see, like all good bike riders I have my excuses ready to roll).

Next stop l�Etape du Tour, a slightly more formidable challenge at 195 kms through the Pyrenees, but if I don�t do these things now I probably never will. So if you see a knackered-looking figure dragging himself over all the hills in Lancashire between now and July, it will be me, in what I laughingly call my preparation phase. All encouragement will be acknowledged, so if I just nod my head slightly it�s because I am deep into hunger-knock in a misguided attempt to burn off excess weight.

Next weekend however, I�m off to Lincoln to watch the Grand Prix, one of the country�s best events. Say hello if you see me there!

Brian Cookson; President

PS, I won�t be wearing a blazer�..

OTHER COLUMNS FROM BRITISH CYCLING'S PRESIDENT
The Presidents Week #1 >>> Full Story
The Presidents Week #2 >>> Full Story
The Presidents Week #3 >>> Full Story
The Presidents Week #4 >>> Full Story

� British Cycling 2002/2003