#tbt – Positive Spin: Making the Most of the Track Worlds
Remember track racing? Britain was obsessed with it for a while because it was the only thing they were good at, and the velodrome was the only place you could ride a bike without coming an inch from a van. At least until we locked the keys in the van while it was parked on the track during a Revolution loadout. The old boys on the Sunday morning session were very upset with us when we turned up to move it.
By 2010, Britain was losing interest. Road cycling was cool again, because they were good at it. Mark Cavendish was winning everything, Team Sky had just launched, Bradley Wiggins had finished fourth in the Tour de France. A Golden Age for British road cycling was emerging, and the track team was suddenly doing something niche and weird again.
Here’s what we wrote in March 2010, as the Track World Championships continued to roll on to its handful of fans on the BBC red button service. Actually it’s not what we wrote, but a guest contributor. Either we can’t remember who it was, or we’re keeping their identity secret because they were involved in the track setup at the time.
What British Cycling say: The other countries were absolutely flat stick here.
What they mean: I really fucking hope they were. Lets not forget that our budget is bigger than several of our competitors put together – what France spend wouldn’t keep us in carbon handlebars and they came away with one less gold than we did. And hopefully Cameron Mayer will be a full time roadie by Apeldoorn next year.
What British Cycling say: We’re in the middle of a four year performance cycle.
What they mean: Forget that the world championships is live on prime time TV for four consecutive nights, and that the great British public much prefers to see Brits winning than Brits getting beaten by New Zealand. But hey, part of that budget goes on spin.
What British Cycling say: Our goal is success at the Olympics.
What they mean: Our budget is entirely dependant on Olympic success, so the World Champs aren’t really worth turning up for. Or at best a glorified training camp. Anyway, if it all goes tits up we’ve got till at least September 2012 to ride on the back of this excuse.
What British Cycling say: We’re not concentrating on the individual pursuit because it’s no longer an Olympic event.
What they mean: Ok, ignoring that, if it hadn’t been for Vicky Pendleton jumping up and down and stamping her feet there’d probably still be an Olympic individual pursuit but seriously, who’s gonna do it? Brad Wiggins is busy riding up mountains and there isn’t another British rider that has a prayer in the event and we aint gonna magic one up in the next two years are we?
What British Cycling say: We’re on course for where we need to be at the moment.
What they mean: Hey, Sherlock, didn’t you notice the road team? Track is just so 2008. And our great and very fickle and not hugely bright British public aren’t going to go off us as soon as we start failing to win the Tour. I mean they don’t get that it’s a bit harder than a team sprint and that half the team are actually Norwegian.
Still, hey.