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Shane Sutton Appointed Officer of the British Empire

British Cycling's Performance Manager Shane Sutton has today been appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) by Her Majesty the Queen during an Investiture Ceremony at Buckingham Palace.

Speaking of his OBE, Shane said: "It is a huge honour and privilege to be here today which I owe entirely to the brilliant work and commitment of the riders, the coaching team and the support staff around me. This accolade is not about personal achievement but that of the whole GB Cycling Team."

Shane has worked with the GB Cycling Team since 2002 where he is highly regarded as an inspirational coach and mentor to athletes and staff alike. The Australian figurehead played an influential role in the unprecedented rise of the team ahead of the 2008 Beijing Olympic and Paralympic Games where 34 medals were won by Britain's cyclists. He continues to play a central role in the team's build up to London 2012.

Shane's career began as a road and track cyclist where he won numerous titles including gold in the Team Pursuit at the Commonwealth Games in 1978 and in 1990 he was the overall winner of the Milk Race.

His coaching achievements have recently been recognised with a number of accolades including the 2008 UK Coach of the Year award and the 2009 UK Performance Coach of the Year awarded by UK Sport.

Brian Cookson OBE, British Cycling's President, said:

"On behalf of everyone at British Cycling I'd like to congratulate Shane on this well-deserved honour. The contribution he has made over the past few years has been immense, and his knowledge and expertise will be invaluable with London 2012 looming ever larger on the horizon."