Cycling Weekly Magazine

24 April 2014

Sir David Brailsford’s resignation from his post at British Cycling brings to an end a golden era for British Cycling — an era that runs through three Olympic Games and includes 18 Olympic gold medals for the sport. Can that level of sustained success ever be repeated? I think not. During his tenure at the top, Brailsford was blessed with some of the greatest riders this country has ever produced. He was lucky to have Chris Hoy, Victoria Pendleton and Bradley Wiggins, but equally they were lucky to have him in charge. He provided them with the best support network any bike rider has ever had, and we may never again see those two elements paired up. The British team still has some great coaches, and there are still many exceptional riders in the squad, but can they win world titles year in, year out across the events and deliver Olympic success? Jason Kenny, Becky James and the men’s team pursuit squad showed at the Track World Champs in Colombia that it’s not as simple as their predecessors made it look. Brailsford has made the right (albeit tough) decision. His attention was 90 per cent on Team Sky in the last year, and the country’s most successful Olympic sport needs and deserves a full-time boss. Simon Richardson, Deputy Editor