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Cycling, National Cycling Centre, Stuart Street, Manchester, M11 4DQ
By British Cycling's Larry Hickmott
This Saturday, the rider who found his image splashed across the front pages of all the newspapers in the UK during the last Olympics when he won Britain's first Gold, Jason Queally, is expected to be named in the line up for the Team Sprint. It's the event he won Silver in at the last Olympics to go with the Gold he won in the Kilometre. For many, Jason not defending his title is quite a surprise but Jason seems just as motivated and confident of Gold now, as he ever has been.
The Golden boy of the Sydney Olympics -- Jason is hungry for more and this time the event will be the Team Sprint. I spoke to Jason three days before he flew out to Athens and as ever, he was in good spirits and happy to chat to me, something he said might not have been the case due to nerves had he been defending his Kilometre title. Talking about the preparation and the differences between now and four years ago, Jason explained that "last time we were in Sydney, we left six weeks before the start of the Games as we were concerned about the effect of travelling across time zones and six weeks was ideal. This time round, the only thing we have had to get used to is the temperature and we have been trying to achieve that by going to the velodrome which is heated." "This time round things seem more focused about looking after the athletes. Four years ago, I was concerned about a lot of things but this time round everything seems to be organised by the staff around us which is fantastic. We definitely don't have any excuses this time! So my training is going really well, morale in the team and within myself is good so I am going to Athens having prepared extremely well." For those finding it hard to understand why he isn't defending his title, I put it to him that like others including Sir Steve Redgrave who have adapted to other events and carried on winning Gold, that's what he is doing this time round by concentrating on the Team Sprint. Jason agreed adding "I am a bit older now and over the past four years, I've probably been at a similar level in the Kilo I did in Sydney and not made any progress whereas other people have and the event has moved on somewhat. So I have had to look at other events I can be part of so I can be part of the Olympics". "The Team Sprint is something last year I decided to focus on. I had tried to do the Kilo all the way up until last year and then decided it doesn't seem to be working. Then Craig came along and did that 1.01.5 and a 1.01.6 so I have been concentrating as well as I can on preparing for the Team Sprint and that has meant changes. In the past, I was always training on tri bars but this time round its on dropped (sprinters) handlebars and I have made a lot of progress with the bike in that format. So I am pleased I took that opportunity because if I had continued to mess around with the Kilo and Team Sprint, I could have missed out on both. So at least I am going to get to the Olympics." One of the issues Jason has talked about in the past is wanting a long period where he can clearly focus on an event. With World Cups and the World Championships much earlier this year, that has not been possible but since Melbourne, the disruption to training has been much less. So I asked, has he been able to focus on his training now? "Yes, its been really good. I was panicking a bit before Melbourne because we discussed that we may only run with three people, and I was vying for a spot to be on the three out of the four that was going to be part of the Team sprint. And then we were told just before Melbourne that we were actually going to ride four at the Olympics because we were all of a similar standard." On the reasons for choosing four was because of the Team Sprint time table: Qualifying 4:30-4.50pm Jason then explained why four riders would help Team GB …"Between the three rounds of the Team Sprint, there is only an hour and a half. In Sydney and all the other events we have done, you have a big break between each round. In this Olympics, its crazy. After the first ride, you have fourty five minutes to the next ride, and then 25 minutes for the next ride, so for man two and man three, its going to be pretty tough going and having that strength in depth is going to be one of our assets." Then smiling in a hopeful sort of way, he says "I am not sure if the French are taking four of them with them -- I hope they don't! They certainly have enough riders they can take but last time they only took riders who had good chances in individual events and used three people from that group to ride the team sprint." "So the preparation since Melbourne has been very focused. I have been based in Manchester and had the luxury of having a routine of using that facility and going home which seems to have worked for me because I have come on quite significantly since Melbourne."
Going back in time and talking about the team performance in Melbourne when they were not quick enough in their second ride to secure a ride off for Gold, Jason explains that "I think technically we didn't do as well as we could do and that is something that we have been working on. My form at the minute though is very good although we still have two weeks to go." "I am going quicker now than I have ever done before so I am quite a happy chappy at the minute!" Happy he certainly is and that is something that he shares with the rest of the team where the jealously many may expect with such a strong squad does not exist but a very strong camaraderie does. "We have a focused environment here -- no media or distractions - so the whole team dynamics is now very good and we all think as one. We are much more connected than in the past and trying to help each other as much as we can. I have seen how other teams don't work together and squabble -- it just doesn't help." Referring to who gets to ride what rounds in the Team Sprint, Jason goes on to say "If somebody is quicker than you, then so be it. Hopefully Chris and me will get an opportunity at the Olympics to have one ride each and whoever is quickest will get to ride the final -- I don't have a problem with that because at the end of the day I want the fastest person to be in the team so we have the best chance of winning." The only women member of the team, Victoria Pendleton has also not been forgotten with Jason explaining that "as Vicki is the only female sprint rider here, that must be quite difficult for her and everybody makes an effort to make sure she is alright. She seems to be having very good form at the minute which is great. It's a family unit at the minute and I'm enjoying that sort of feeling." We then chatted about pressure of being an Olympic cyclist. Before the last Olympics, Jason was one of a handful of riders capable of winning and on the day, it was Jason who performed the best and came out with the Gold. He was far from a favourite but had showed at previous Worlds he was certainly capable of winning a World class Kilo event. Now he's the Olympic record holder or at least was at the time we spoke.
Left to right: Chris Hoy, Craig Maclean and Jason Queally -- Silver medals in Sydney 2000 and nobody appears too happy ... this weekend the riders along with Jamie Staff can do smoething about that by winning Gold. Its tight but they know they can do it and so do we ... Speaking about the pressure he feels now, or the lack of it, Jason says "I am pretty lucky in that if I was going to the Olympics defending my title, the pressure that I would feel would be slightly different but now that I am in a team event, you can distribute that pressure a bit more across the board to the other team members. I don't feel that much pressure now because although I am a rider and have been a previous Olympic champion (still was when we spoke!), I don't think people expect that much of me." "This gives me an opportunity to go into Athens with very little pressure whereas Chris Hoy has got so much pressure on his shoulders because he is the current World champion and it takes a special sort of person to pull it off. Look at Arnaud Tournant (France) in 2000. He hadn't been beaten for three years and the poor guy goes to the Olympics and the one ride he wanted to win more than any other one -- he was 4th. I think Chris has the strength of character to overcome that pressure though. He is one focused individual and fair enough, it would be nice to go along and ride your own individual event and that, but if I was doing that, I probably wouldn't be talking to you right now because I would be too nervous!" "So I feel quite relaxed. The last time round I was nervous and fairly new to it but I am now enjoying it a lot more this time round. Sydney was fantastic and the venue was awesome, so in no way do I think Athens will surpass that -- I just feel more happy and content this time round." Does he have any expectations this time round after being Olympic champion? "I am not going in there expecting to win the gold because then to lose would be devastating, but it will be tight. As long as I know I have tried my best and that is all I can ask of myself. If we walk away with a Gold medal though, that will be brilliant! We then continued to chat and I had to keep reminding myself that the person who was so relaxed and unassuming in front of me, once stood on the podium with millions of viewers around the World all applauding a stunning performance on the Dunc Gray Velodrome. Since that day, I have met Jason many times, the first asking for his autograph for a friends son who had done a school essay on his medal winning ride and since, a number of times at training sessions. Every time he was happy to talk and I know he made a lot of people's day at Newport when he rode over to a small crowd and stopped to chat. But that's Jason. In sport, he knows what he wants and will fight for what he believes in and outside of it, he is just like the rest of us and has his feet firmly on the ground. The next day, it was training as normal on the Newport Velodrome, a track that surprised him such was the speed of the boards on what is essential still a new and 'soft' track. With most of his hard work done, Jason was just starting his taper and bringing his form, the best his team mates have ever seen, to a peak for the day of the Team sprint. That day is now almost upon us and the word from the Athens camp is the lads are going great and we can only wish them all the luck in the World on the weekend when they try to avenge that silver from four years ago - only Gold will do to do that and team GB has a rider who knows just what it means to win Olympic Gold. All the best Jason, Chris, Jamie and Craig. We'll be watching!
Set in stone... Jason's name outside the Olympic Velodrome in Sydney.
GREAT BRITAIN OLYMPIC TEAM IN BREIF Rider (potential events) Oli Beckingsale (Mens Mountain Biking) Nicole Cooke (Women's Road Race) Steve Cummings: (Team Pursuit) Stuart Dangerfield: (Men's Road Time Trial) Emma Davies: (Womens Individual Pursuit/Womens Points Race) Ross Edgar: (Sprint, Keirin) Roger Hammond: (Mens Road Race) Rob Hayles: (Mens Individual Pursuit/Team Pursuit/Madison) Rachel Heal: (Womens Road Race) Chris Hoy: (Kilo/Team Sprint) Jeremy Hunt: (Mens Road Race) Liam Killeen: (Mens Mountain Biking) Craig MacLean: (Kilo/Team Sprint) Paul Manning: (Mens Individual Pursuit/Team Pursuit) Chris Newton: (Team Pursuit/Mens Points Race) Victoria Pendleton: (500TT/Womens Sprint) Jason Queally: (Kilo/Team Sprint) Jamie Staff: (Kilo, Team Sprint, Keirin) Bryan Steel: (Team Pursuit) Sara Symington: (Womens Road Race) Charly Wegalius: (Mens Road Race) Bradley Wiggins: (Individual Pursuit/Team Pursuit/Madison) Julian Winn: (Mens Road Race)
The Great Britain Cycling Team for the Paralympics Tandems
(click for bios) Aileen
McGlynn - 22.06.73/Glasgow Ian
Sharpe - 27.10.70/Ramsey, Isle of Man Solos Gary Williams - 05.03.68/Bickerstaffe, Lancs
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