Olympic Academy a Legitimate Route to Road Success
Story posted July 2, 2007
By Larry Hickmott (larryhickmott@britishcycling.org.uk)
Last year at the Tour of Britain, and first year senior and Academy rider Andy Tennant leads the bunch out on the final stage.
If a reminder was ever needed that the GB Olympic Academy Endurance Programmes are producing world class cyclists on the road, this year's Tour de France is such an prompt. Two graduates from that programme are on the start sheet: Geraint Thomas who is already a World Champion on the track this year and Mark Cavendish who has six professional road wins to his name in 2007.
For many years, the Great Britain Cycling Team has been labelled a "track programme", created to produce athletes capable of winning Olympic medals and as most of those are on the track, that is where the emphasis was placed. The funding of the team, after all, is largely based on Olympic medals won. But other disciplines of the sport were never forgotten and nor was the development aspect of producing champions.
Within the GB Cycling Team of today, under the directorship of Dave Brailsford, there are teams of riders preparing for future Olympic success across many disciplines – cross country mountain biking, BMX, track endurance and sprint and road racing. Within all these disciplines, cyclists of all age levels from young teenagers to established podium programme athletes are being groomed to do their country proud in Beijing, London and other Olympic cities of the future.
The GB team has certainly seen a great deal of success - especially on the track this year in Majorca - from its podium and academy programme athletes but also on the road with the Olympic Academy cyclists. The man many put a lot of this success down to is Rod Ellingworth, who was brought in four years ago to come up with the Academy blueprint.
Rod is no part time coach or manager. He lives and breathes the sport 24/7 with his young academy cyclists, whether its in Italy where they are based for large parts of the year, or here in the UK, when in the middle of winter you will find him instilling into his riders one of his key attributes for successful cyclists, an ability to work hard no matter what the conditions. He doesn’t call these periods ‘boot camps’ for nothing.
“I’ve always said by 2012 we should have a number of bike riders in the Tour de France” he told Britishcycling.org.uk last week. “Building up their endurance for the track was always a key element of our programme but if you look at where these guys want to be, they see the track as a way of moving forward. I would say 90 per cent of our endurance athletes, certainly the ones who are 23 or under, want to be pro bike riders and ride the Tour de France. That is their dream and you have to remember that and do a bit of what they want to do.”
“Ultimately, the Tour de France doesn’t make any difference to us regarding funding but riding the Tour sees our lads doing what they want to do, earning their own money and building a career for themselves on the road and they will always come back to the programme because they feel so much a part of it.”
| How the Academy helps riders prepare for life on the Road |
The GB Academy Way: Being a successful bike rider, especially a professional, requires lots of skills as well as physical talent as professional level cycle racing is one of the most punishing sports. The Tour de France, a race which lasts three weeks, with the riders tackling upwards of 100 miles a day, is enough to show that the sport is tough, very tough. And Rod’s job is to prepare his riders for that. >>Read More
| In the Tour: Academy Sucess Stories |
Rod Ellingworth talks about his former pupils making a name for themselves on the road: “Personally, the success we have had is fantastic. To know these guys and think that I have possibly helped them achieve what they really want to do, I feel really happy for them and am pleased I have had an input into that.” >>Read More
| Ben Swift talks about life on the Academy |
Interview: Ben Swift -- Britishcycling.org.uk also caught up with a rider who looks like being the next to turn professional, Ben Swift. The Rotherham rider who has had a number of significant results this year including a win in Italy, was preparing on the track in Newport (Wales) for the European Championships, when we spoke to him. >> Read More
| Related Articles |
Academy Head for Roads of Europe
Geraint Thomas Selected for Tour
Thomas Signs for Barloworld
Ben Swift Interview Nov 14 (2006)
Jonny Bellis Interview (Nov 14) (2006)
GB Academy: The early days (2005)
