MacLean's Olympic Ambitions

29th January 2008

Source: www.plowmancravenevanscycles.com

Craig MacLean doesn't look like a victim. Cycling fans who witnessed him and his GB team mate Jamie Staff beat the Dutch aces Theo Bos and Teun Mulder in the team sprint at the recent Revolution meeting in Manchester saw a man bursting with good health, in peak fitness and in winning form.

 

Yet the Plowman Craven track sprinter recently returned from a successful guest appearance at the Rotterdam Six - could yet be described as a victim of the healthy state of British track cycling, one of seven highly talented sprinters competing for just three spaces on the British squad heading for the Beijing Olympics.

"Olympic qualification for the GB squad is looking very promising, but who is actually going to make it on to the team is the hard bit," said MacLean. "I've been on the squad for twelve years now and for the older guys, it's going to be really tough. We face a lot of trials in the weeks to come; there's a trial at the World Cup in Copenhagen, and Revolution 20 is a team trial for the World Championships. There will be two or three more trials after that, even in training, as there is no guarantee that the same trio will ride the team sprint at both the Worlds and the Olympics. The Olympic squad doesn't have to be named until six weeks before the start of the Games, so this is a very intense, very demanding period."

Craig might prefer to be regarded as talented in a halcyon era on the track; he doesn't contemplate victim mentality, preferring to focus on aggressive, testosterone-fuelled passion. But there is no disputing that the British selectors have a gifted group to choose from. Leaving team selection until the last moment means the 'on form' athletes will be in Beijing.

But even some of the biggest names in global sprinting on the cycling circuit are not yet household names in Britain, a privilege which seems to be reserved for Olympic medallists.

"You would probably get more recognition for a medal in an individual event rather than a team event and I have turned to individual events more in the last few years. Initially we focussed on the team sprint, because our funding was dependant on success. It's much harder to control the individual event, even if you're fastest, you might not win, tactics play such a key role," commented MacLean.

There is no doubt that the complex selection process over the coming months for team and individual events is becoming less distinct, as British Cycling's sprint coach Iain Dyer confirmed in an interview last week.

"There are more riders than places, which is a great position to be in. The team sprint is the main driver behind the selection for the individual sprint and keirin. Once we've identified who is going to be the starting man, we will select man two and man three - it's not simply a case of taking lap times and the picking the three fastest," he said.

 

Right: Craig just gets the better of World Champion Theo Bos who beat Craig to the title in 2006.

That's good news for MacLean, who's aiming to fill the starting man spot, and will at least be among the first to know if he's made the team.

MacLean predicts world records will fall in 2008. "I think the team sprint gold in Beijing will be won in about 43.5 secs if conditions are favourable, if the heat and humidity allow for a fast track. I had a chance to race on the Olympic track during the World Track Cup in December and it's a fantastic facility. The Chinese pulled out all stops. I'm really pleased I had a chance to race on it before the Olympics."

Staying motivated over the next few months won't be a problem for the Plowman Craven rider. His training regime at the moment involves a minimum of 20 hours a week, with three to four days on the track and two to three sessions in the gym to maintain the optimum physique for sprinting. Unlike his Plowman Craven team mates who regularly clock up 100 miles plus on a single training ride, Craig puts in just eight hours a week on his road bike, with only one or two longer rides.

"I'm not trying for big distances, I'd only do about 60 kilometres, it's completely different for the road racers. When I first started in cycling, I raced on the road, but not with much success. I have a lot of admiration for my team mates in Plowman Craven, particularly with the British climate. It's tough to go out on your bike for four hours on a cold, wet day, particularly if you're on your own."

MacLean began competitive cycling as a BMX rider when he was eleven, just about the time of the huge boom in BMX racing. He stuck with it until he was fifteen, when he gave up cycling altogether for five or six years. Ironically, more than 20 years later, the introduction of BMX events in the Beijing schedule meant track events like the kilo were sacrificed.

At 21, MacLean returned to racing bikes. Initially looking to keep fit, shed some weight and get ready for the ski season, he discovered he had a talent on the track, and began competing at Meadowbank in Edinburgh which he still views as his home track. A medal in the Worlds eluded him until 1999 when he won silver in Berlin, but it was a breakthrough performance. Up until then he had been just outside the medals and was delighted to get it right on the day. He's climbed on to the podium many times since then, at Commonwealth, Olympic and World Championships.

When asked what his most memorable moment in competition was, MacLean was hesitant. "The Sydney medal (Olympics 2000) was quite special, but I just remember feeling so gutted it wasn't gold. My proudest sporting moment wasn't actually on the cycling track, but when I was nominated to be the flag bearer for the Scottish team at the opening ceremony of the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester. It was a tremendous feeling leading my fellow athletes into the stadium," he said.

From the highs of one Olympics to the lows of Athens. "I'd had glandular fever leading up to the games and it's a hard position to be in - I knew I wasn't on top form but it was worse than I could ever have believed. It felt like I had wasted the last four years; that all the work had counted for nothing. I don't want to connect Athens to Beijing: although it was a horrendous time for me, I don't want it to be an issue in Beijing."

MacLean hasn't ruled out competing at the London Olympics in 2012, but prefers to reserve any decisions until after the current Olympiad. "It would be fantastic to compete at home, but I'll be 41 by then, which is older than anyone who is competing now. If I'm still able to perform and still enjoy riding my bike, it's possible. Training methods have changed hugely over the years, we train more effectively now and lottery funding has helped us so that we can focus on sport. But important as lottery funding is, the support from trade teams such as I enjoy with Plowman Craven is invaluable.

For cycling to realise its potential in the UK there needs to be both lottery and trade funded team teams. I'm a good example of how they can compliment each other. So is Jamie (Staff) at SiS. I'm particularly proud to be associated with Plowman Craven's Race Clean programme. They were the first UK trade team to adopt blood passports, and in fact did so long before better known squads like Slipstream, who are regarded as innovators. The regular testing we do is similar to that done by British Cycling and provides another example of the continuity and consistency in UK cycling and why the UK is regarded as a clean haven for the sport."

Whatever the future might hold for him, MacLean has already started to prepare for it. He's working towards British Cycling coaching awards and courses in strength and conditioning. He has a huge amount of experience and expertise to offer young cyclists, although he is interested in working with other athletes as well.

MacLean is grateful for the support of the Plowman Craven team. "This has been a very positive move for me. There are a number of Scottish riders on the team and it's nice to have a feeling of belonging to that group. It gives you extra motivation at an event like Revolution to pull on the Plowman Craven shirt. Although I ride in a GB shirt in the Worlds, I still have a Plowman Craven logo on it," he said.