Revolution 56 – Preview

Revolution52_3169Csat

Forget the fireworks bringing in the New Year. The real fireworks begin this weekend on the boards at the penultimate round of the #RevolutionSeries.

Revolution 56 in the National Cycling Centre at Manchester will set the scene for the final push to represent Great Britain at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Big names are beginning show their intent to get on the long-list of potential athletes that will be in with a look at boarding that plane to Rio this Summer, but who will going?

Before we can answer that question, we need to tie up the Revolution Elite Championship.

Team Pedalsure top the table with the final round only a couple of weeks or so away, also in Manchester.

Andrew Tennant and Chris Latham will be defending their lead, but Official TEAMIES Jon Dibben and Owain Doull are hot on their wheels for Team WIGGINS.

Joining the party are last years Champions Christian Grasmann and David Muntaner for Maloja Pushbikers RT sitting in third position at the moment.

Mark Cavendish makes a return to the track for Telegraph Allstars bolstering up his desire to represent Team GB at Rio. He along with Wood, Gibson and Latham will race against Team WIGGINS Tennant, Burke, Doull and Dibben in a special Team Pursuit Challenge.

Fred Wright returns to take up the HOY Future Star Boys competition challenge for the Telegraph Allstars, but he’s going to find it hard to catch series leader Lewis Stewart from Team Scotland who has an eight-two point lead over him.

Revolution53_2124BMeanwhile in the Girls competition, Jessica Roberts, Team USN still holds a comfortable forty-one point lead with two rounds remaining.

Big names in the men’s Sprint competition are set to grace the boards in Manchester once more, none bigger than Robert Fӧrstemann. Joining him to push our lads to their limits are American Dominic Suozzie, Netherland’s Sam Ligtlee and Alex Joliffe.

Pushing our best female Olympic Hero Laura Trott in the Elite Women’s events this time round is no other than the current Scratch Race World Champion Kirsten Wild. Wild finished third place behind Trott’s Silver in the Omnium Event at the Worlds, to be held in two months time in London, and she is joined by Poland’s Gosia Wrotya along with regulars Leire Olaberria, Emily Kay and Elinor Barker.

Revolution53_2111BAnother big name for Rio 2016, in attendance at the #RevolutionSeries riding for Team Sky is Italy’s Elia Viviani. We spoke to Elia back at the first stage of the Aviva TOB after beating Cavendish and Griepel. Check out what he said after the win and what his plans where for in 2016, here.

British Cycling Members to Lead Out Great Manchester Cycle

FM_Image_Great_Manchester_Cycle_3

FM_Great_Manchester_Cycle_Logo

British Cycling members can look forward to getting off to a great start at the Great Manchester Cycle, with an exclusive start zone ahead of other riders.
Following on from the resounding success of last year’s sell-out event, which saw 7,000 riders take to the city’s closed roads, The Great Manchester Cycle is set to return on Sunday 30th June 2013: bigger and better than before.
The initiative will be in effect across all distances and will mean that members will carry the British Cycling logo on their event number and be guaranteed the best start possible on the day. With Manchester’s National Cycling Centre being the organisation’s headquarters, the event will truly be taking place on home turf and is the perfect chance for British Cycling to thank their members.
“The Great Manchester Cycle was a brilliant event last year and it was fantastic to see so many cyclists lining up ready to go – and just a stone’s throw from our offices!” said Gavin Finch, Head of Marketing at British Cycling. “We’re incredibly grateful to our members and wanted to give those taking part the best event experience on the day, offering a unique opportunity to lead out the thousands of riders with nothing but clear roads ahead.”
The 13-mile lap starts and finishes at the Etihad Campus (home of Manchester City FC) and includes a stretch along the iconic Mancunian Way. This part of the route will offer cyclists a once in a lifetime opportunity to ride on the motorway that on any other day is out of bounds.
As in 2012 riders will have the choice of three distances, designed to cater for all abilities from club cyclists through to families wanting to take on the challenge together. There’s ‘A Great Day Out’ over 13 miles, ‘Rule the Roads’ over 26 miles, or, for the more established riders, ‘Break Away from the Pack’ over 52 miles.
Lizzie Amitstead, who brought home Britain’s first medal of the Olympic Games last summer in the cycling road race, took part in the Great Manchester Cycle in 2012 and described the event as “a fantastic day out”.
Entry for each route will cost just £20 for adults and £5 for kids. Children aged 3-7 can take part in the 13-mile route for free, but will need to use either a tag-a-long bike or children’s bike trailer/seat.
For further information on the route, event details and how to enter please visit: www.greatcycle.org
FM_Great-Manchester-Cycle_2013_Course

Revolution 33 Report – The First of the Season

All Images ©Copyright Chris & Ben Dando @ Cycling Shorts.
[flagallery gid=6 name=”Gallery”]

Click SL (slideshow) or FS (fullscreen)

 
Last night saw the first round of the Revolution series 2011 get underway. As an enthusiastic crowd filtered into the velodrome through the National Cycling Centre‘s new vaulted reception area the riders were out on the track warming up. There was a real buzz in the air, everything felt fresh and new, the presence for the first time of the TV cameras brought an extra bit of excitement to the proceedings. ITV4 set up their pundit interview area near the finishing line with Ned Boulting and Rob Hayles readying themselves to broadcast.

Rob Hayles & Ned Boulting - Image ©Copyright Ben Dando @ Cycling Shorts.

The format and teams for this season’s Revolution really feel right, the perfect balance has been struck. The team sponsors and structures give the whole event a classic track event feel, with stylish new sponsors including Rouleur Magazine, howies Cycling Clothing, Cunga Bikes and Team UK Youth which is in it’s inaugural year, was set up by the unlikely benefactor Nigel Mansell. The team takes the name of the formula one star’s charity and they fly the flag for the work the organisation does to support over 750,000 young people. These teams were joined by the Revolution old guard of CHEP, Sky, Rapha Condor Sharp and last year’s Championship winners Maxgear.

The headliners included Sky’s Alex Dowsett (British National Time Trial Champion), Steven Burke (National Pursuit Champion), David Daniell and Frances Michael D’Almeida (World Team Sprint Champion)

Devil Scratch Race
Things got underway with the Devil. For those unfamiliar with the format of this fast paced race, there really isn’t any chance of hiding away at the back of the pack waiting to seize glory. The riders have to avoid elimination for the first part of the race with the last rider over the line being disqualified. This happens until you get down to just a handful of riders left on the track and they then fight it out for the win. Alex Dowsett, who’s had a very successful first year on the Sky Pro team, didn’t hang around and was obviously in the mood to show the long road season had been knocked out of his legs. With six or seven laps to go Alex decided to lead out from the front, he shot off the front of the pack and within a couple of laps he had the back of the peloton in sight. He didn’t quite make the catch before the finish line but to be honest I don’t think he tried to. He sat up to celebrate well before the line and the peloton was only metres ahead. The rest of the riders rolled across the line some time later led by Sam Harrison.

There was one thing that seemed different about the atmosphere as people settled in their seats and wandered around the food and bike stands, and it took me a while to realise what it was…. no Watt Bike Challenge! I’m guessing the reason being the huge amount of noise it can generate from the bikes and the spectators. The sound would be a nightmare for the ITV production team to compete with, it did make it was a lot easier to hear Hugh Porter‘s trademark catchphrases over the tannoy too which are always a joy!

DHL Future Stars Girls
One of the standout riders of the evening for me was the lovely Emily Kay. She returns this year to defend her title and she kicked off her first event of the series with an emphatic win in the DHL Future Stars Girls 5km Points Race where she scored points in every sprint for points and then still had enough for a final attack at the finishing line. Alice Barnes took a tumble in the back straight but she got up and dusted herself down to cheers of encouragement from the crowd. Second and third positions were hotly contested by Megan Boyd and Ellie Coster, both putting in great performances. This was just a taster of what was to come later in the evening from Emily though. She continued her charge on the championship jersey with a win in the Girls 6 lap dash and rounded the evening off with the Girls Scratch Race. Riders tried attacks throughout the three Girls events but Emily just stayed calm and controlled the situation. Emily does seem to be head and shoulders above the competition at the moment. She has amazing strength and tactics, an unstoppable combination. I can’t wait to see where her career goes, she’s destined for great things!

Kian Emadi winning his heat against Michael D'Almeida - Image ©Copyright Chris Dando @ Cycling Shorts.

Revolution Sprint
In the sprint competition Round 1 saw Louis Oliva beaten by David Daniell and Kian Emadi proved he’s a talent to be watched as he nudged out Frenchman Thierry Jollet. Philip Hindes was beaten by Michael D’Almeida. Craig MacLean never ceases to amaze me, his experience and strength seemed to be too much for John Paul who put in a valiant effort.

Round 2 saw Craig MacLean make David Daniell work hard for his win and Kian Emadi dispatched World Sprint Champion Michael D’Almeida with an audible gasp from the spectators. I’m not even sure Kian expected that result.

In the Losers 6 Lap Dash race John Paul pushed his way past Thierry Jollet to deny the French yet again.

The Final of the sprint was a great fight between Dave Daniell – who’s obviously on form – and 19 year old Kian Emadi. They were well matched through the early stages of the race but David Daniell had the better of Kian in the second half and powered to the line by almost a bike length.

DHL Future Stars Boys
While the boys events weren’t dominated by one person there was good news for Team CHEP taking 2 wins; Jake Scott took the first of the boys events (Boys 5km Scratch Race) beating Zac May (howies) and Ollie Wood won the Boys 6 Lap Dash ahead of Adam Lewis (Cunga Bikes) and Chris Lawless (Maxgear). CHEP teammate Jake Womersley said, “The races went very well for me and my team, we came out with two wins which was brilliant, they weren’t from me but I tried to help my team mates to get where they needed to be. It was good to be in front of a large audience like that, it really motivates me to do well”.

The Future Stars Boys Scratch race went to Ryan Whatmough. Ryan rode stongly last season and it looks like he’s back to make a play for the championship. He crossed the line ahead of Matthew Cross in 2nd. Jake Ragen put in a great performance throughout the evening with 2nd place in the points race and 3rd in the Scratch race.

Russell doing his Fonzie Mexican Wave - ©Copyright Chris Dando @ Cycling Shorts.

1km Madison Time Trial
Russ Downing whipped up the crowd with Alex in his trademark Fonzie Mexican wave style in preparation for the 1km Madison Time Trial. Alex Dowsett and Russell put in a good performance but in the end they didn’t do enough to get Sky a win, they came in third behind Rapha, winners Leif Lampater and Jon Mould for howies looked very focused and slick taking the win in 58.980.

Points Race – 15km
Russell Downing (Sky) dominated the Points race coming home with 24 points, 9 ahead of David O’Loughlin and Adam Duggleby. I caught up with Russell after the race,

Alex Dowsett Austrailian Pursuit - ©Copyright Chris Dando @ Cycling Shorts.

“I’m loving it, good to know I’ve still got it, I love the Revolutions the crowd create a party atmosphere.”

Australian Pursuit
One of the races I love is the Australian Pursuit. This race is one you have to keep focused on as you need to keep your eyes on the riders and their team manager, who stands throughout the races and acts as their individual start and finishing line. The riders (in this case 8 of them) are evenly spaced out around the track and the object of the twelve lap race is not to be caught by riders starting behind you on the track. If a rider is caught they are immediately eliminated. The winner is the first rider back to their starting position after 12 laps. This endurance race is a great crowd pleaser but pure endurance and in this case it favoured Jens Mouris the Dutch Vacansoleil pro rider in the Rapha colours for the Revolution series. Steven Burke and Alex Dowsett came in second and third respectively.

Feature Race – Round the World Pursuit
A break from the championship came from a special event: in February 2012 Sean Conway intends to cycle solo around the world without a support team in 150 days or less to raise money for SolarAid, hoping to raise £100,000. Throughout this season’s Revolution Series there will be a number of events to help raise money for Sean’s efforts. Each Revolution Sean will take on a different challenge.

Sean Conway on his Pursuit - ©copyright Chris Dando @ Cycling Shorts.

For the first Revolution the challenge was a 12 lap pursuit on fully laden touring bikes. Sean would be up against Vin Coxthe current Global Bike Race record holder, this was going to be tough for both riders as the track is not the environment either of them are used to and touring bikes with panniers aren’t the ideal choice for a velodrome. Sean got off to a good start but the lead swapped a number of times with Vin Cox finally getting the better of Sean and he opened up a gap and made it stick.

After his race Sean challenged members of the audience to beat him on the rollers at his stand. For more information on Sean’s amazing adventure please visit his website and please donate www.cyclingtheearth.co.uk

Keirin (8 laps)
Back to the sprint racing and Craig MacLean got his revenge on the rest of the sprint field as he powered on to win the Keirin.

Scratch Race – 10km
The Scratch Race was the penultimate event of the evening and Rouleur ruled the event with Sam Harrison winning and teammate Tom Murray coming in 3rd. Steven Burke of Team Youth UK came 2nd.

Team Sprint – GB v France
The final crowd-pulling event was a two man international team sprint grudge match between Team GB and France. Riding for GB were John Paul and Dave Daniell and for France Michael D’Almeida and Thierry Jollet. It was a nail biter and the crowd really got behind the GB team but World Team Sprint Champion D’Almeida and teammate Jollet put in an impressive performance and crossed the line in 31.949 with Great Britain finishing in 31.971. A great ride by both teams and while it may have been a bit of a disappointment for the home team I came away smiling when the delightful Michael D’Almeida pulled up to the railings and handed me his winners bouquet… a true gent!

Future Stars Emily Kay & Ollie Wood - Image ©Copyright Ben Dando @ Cycling Shorts.

Championship
The team leading the Championship after the first round is Rouleur with 204 points. So our very own Tom Murray was on the podium I had a chat with him afterwards, “I’m trying to find my track legs still! So not at my best tonight, but a great result for the team, but always a good laugh doing Revolutions with a big crowd”. Emily Kay (Cunga Bikes) now leads the girls DHL future stars competition with 90 points and looks like she has no intention of giving up her long held crown. Ollie Wood (CHEP) leads the boys competition with 50 points. It looks like it’s going to be an excellent series so don’t leave it too late to book. The next meeting will be headlined by Sky’s Geraint Thomas and Mark Cavendishwith more to be announced shortly.

Image ©Copyright Ben Dando @ Cycling Shorts.

Watch highlights on Monday 31st October
at 7pm on ITV4 in the UK

To buy tickets or to find out more about the Revolution please click here.

Revolution Team Championship

1 Rouleur204
2 Team UK Youth 190
3 Sky Procycling 165
4 CHEP 160
5 howies 159
6 Cunga Bikes 158
7 Maxgear Racing 154
8 Rapha Condor Sharp 132

Future Stars Girls Leader
Emily Kay

Future Stars Boys Leader
Oliver Wood
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

The Revolution Is Coming!

 

Revolution 28 Girls Future Stars Madison - Amy Hill & Amy Roberts - Image ©Copyright Anna Magrath

Yes that’s right, it’s that time of the year when our attention here in Europe turns to the warmth of the track as the road season draws to a close and the track season gets underway today with the British National Championships.
So if you’re not lucky enough to be attending the Nationals one of the best ways to see some vibrant cycling action is to attend a Revolution, don’t worry it’s not that sort of revolution! Revolutions are competitive but friendly track meetings between world pro cyclists and the best of British pro cycling, along with the cream of British junior talent. All this is condensed into a Saturday evening of electrifying entertainment.

Bradley Wiggins at The Revolution - Image ©Copyright Revolution


I’m a big fan of the events as you can tell, I’ve attended them since they started in 2003 and the atmosphere is amazing, it’s not intimidating like other sporting events can be, I think that’s mainly down to the fact that cyclists and cycling fans are a uniquely friendly and laid back breed. The Cycling Revolution Series is now in it’s ninth season and it will kick off with the 33rd event on the 29th October 2011. There are four meetings a year [usually one per month], already confirmed for the first is Alex Dowsett from Team Sky, fresh from his National Time Trial victory and I am told more top names are to be confirmed shortly for this first event, but throughout the season you will be able to see the likes of Chris Hoy, and Victoria Pendleton. Confirmed to appear during the season are Team Sky’s Geraint ThomasBen SwiftRussell Downing and Pete Kennaugh. Last years Revolution Championship team Maxgear will include Simon Yates, Adam Yates and Chris Lawless. Rapha Condor Sharp will bring- Ed ClancyAndy Tennant and Dean Downing, and UK Youth will join the action headed by Magnus BackstedtSteven Burke and James Lowsley-Williams, more will of course be added to the list as the season progresses and riders such as Luke Rowe will be available for selection once the new riders contracts start on January 1st 2012.

Your almost certain to see well known faces past and present wandering around the edge of the track mingling with the crowd. There are stands of cycling goodies, food and drink tempting you to part with your money. A great way work those calories off is to have a go at the Watt Bike Challenge, it’s open to everyone and is a real crowd puller.

The Revolutions give fans a chance to see the worlds best compete in a track league format (it was the first track league in the world). The evening’s are filled with different formats of racing including international grudge matches, where riders temporarily leave their Revolution League team to join with their national team to go against rival countries in crowd pulling races like the teams sprint, it’s a great way to see how on form riders are before the Olympics! The venue and event has a very family friendly atmosphere, it’s a great night of fast paced racing and music which enthrals both newcomers to cycling and those hardy old skool cyclists and fans. I’ve often taken friends with me who have no interest in, or knowledge of track cycling and they always come back for more! It will inspire any child to get into cycling, they’ll be pestering you to arrange a track session or find a club for them to join, I’m yet to be proven wrong on that one! It’s thrilling for youngsters because they see the Juniors [Future Stars] riding the track in the same teams as the pro riders and up against them. All teams compete for points towards the Revolution Championship and the all important winners Black Jersey. There are 8 teams with a mix of international, British and junior riders on each. Last seasons winners Maxgear and the runners up Team Sky will be part of this years line up along with other British Pro teams like Rapha and UK Youth. There’s also a bonus this year because the recent building work is now complete at The National Cycling Centre and the brand new adjoining indoor BMX Centre is now ready for competition and training sessions, so visitors can take a peek at what that has to offer, the BMX facility has a shared reception area with the velodrome.

Throughout the winter the Revolution Series takes place in four Saturday meetings (29th October, 19th November, 7th January and 28th January) at Manchester Velodrome, and with Olympic track tickets sold out, this is the perfect and for some the last time to see the Pro’s ride the boards as they reach their peak form in preparation for London 2012, tickets normally sell out well before the meetings so it pays to book early to bag yourself the best seats! I would recommend buying a season ticket, you get to enter the velodrome early and avoid all the queues via the VIP entrance 30 minutes before the main doors open, ideal on a cold, dark Manchester night. You also get 15% discount from the Revolution shop, but hurry I’m told the Season Tickets are nearly sold out!

To buy tickets you can call the ticket line on: 0843 208 0500

or click here to be taken to the Revolution Website to buy tickets online.

For more information on past and future Cycling Revolution Series Events please go to the Revolution’s BRAND NEW website by clicking here.

Follow Cycling Revolution Series on Facebook.

Follow @RevolutionUK on Twitter.

 

ENTER OUR EXCLUSIVE PRISE DRAW TO WIN TICKETS TO THE FIRST REVOLUTION OF THE SEASON BY CLICKING HERE! 

 

Revolution 28 British Team Sprint Line Up LtoR: David Daniell, Ross Edgar, Pete Mitchell - Image ©Copyright Anna Magrath

 

 

 

 

 

 

Interview With Jamie Staff MBE

Jamie Staff – Image ©Copyright Way Ahead Photography

Thursday 09:10 California Time
A few weeks ago I hooked up for a chat with British Track and BMX cycling star Jamie Staff to find out how the World and Olympic champion is settling in to his new life and routine over in the States as USA’s Director of Sprint, and to discuss his other projects and thoughts on his old team back in the UK. It’s 9am California time and Jamie’s just finished clearing away breakfast. He settles himself down for what ends up being a rather long chat.

So tell me about your new role as Director of Sprint.
We [the family] moved over here last year, as you say. My title is Director of Sprint, which basically means I’m the coach for the sprint team but I also have creative control. I have a lot of control over how I go ahead with the programme. I’ve got a few things that I’m trying to do. When I stepped into this role over here there was basically nothing in place: no sprint programme, structure or anything. There had been in the past but they just pulled the plug on it after the Beijing Olympics.

What was the reason for that?

They just didn’t really have the right coach. They’d had a long line of coaches that I don’t think were suited to what the programme needs. I know some of the coaches that had worked with the US before, and it is a somewhat daunting task. It’s a lot to do, but I’ve come in with a lot of energy and know-how and already seen improvements in the short time I’ve been in. The mens team sprint, they’ve set a new US record twice now, and they did set a new Pan-American best time, but that got beaten in the finals in Columbia, but y’know it’s baby steps. For me it’s just about riders’ improvement, as long as we keep riders improving we’ll get where we need to be, we’re not looking at beating world records by any means at the moment. From day one I stated, “look don’t expect any major results [short-term].” Even if we get to London basically it will be an achievement, even if we get on the plane we definitely won’t be competitive in terms of shooting for medals, there’s just no way.

So are you looking further ahead to 2016 in Rio as a realistic goal?

Yeah, that’s my target, and even then I don’t know if we’ll be in gold medal position. I mean you’ve got the likes of Team GB, France and Germany which have had great programmes for many years. So I’m quietly confident in my abilities but at the end of the day it’s down to the riders, you can only guide them and give them so much, the rest is up to them.

Does the track team in the US have a different attitude to the British team?

Jamie Staff with USA cyclist Dean Tracy – Image ©Copyright Brian Hodes @ VeloImages

Erm… It has been in the past but I’m trying to change it [he chuckles at this]. The US mentality was just about trying to beat the other best American, it was about being the best in the country.  It was very short-sighted, so I’ve really worked hard with that in saying, “that’s not good enough and that’s not gonna work with me and if that’s your attitude…”

Americans are very good at setting goals in sport, for example in athletics they compete at the top of the world rankings, is it an ethic that’s just not been built into the track sprint team?

I think it’s just because it all boils down to the support they’ve had in the past. If you’ve had a poorly run programme, with a coach that doesn’t really truly believe in his athletes then you’re going to get a very moderate outcome. So I’ve come in, and I’d say I’m multidimensional in my coaching philosophy: it’s not just what you get the riders to do on a daily basis, it’s instilling many other things in them, trying to change their philosophy, goals and beliefs. Basically it’s getting them to believe in themselves and believe that they can be the best in the world, and just raising the bar. That’s what I’ve worked hard at, and I’ve already seen the results from that, so, it’s been very rewarding from my point of view so far. We’ve definitely got a long way to go, but I’d definitely say we’re ahead of where I thought we would be after this short period of time.

You’ve been in America now for nearly a year, and coaching is very different from getting out on the track yourself. Did you find it difficult settling in to a different lifestyle and routine?

Oh yes, for sure. I mean I’ve lived here on and off for ten years with BMX, my wife is from the US, my kids were born here too, and we were living here for a couple of years before we came back to the UK. So I mean in terms of just everyday life…  and I know the riders well, I know the track well, I used to train here, I know a lot of the management around the track, so it wasn’t like a foreign country where you don’t know anyone or don’t speak the language. So from that point of view it was very easy.

Coaching is very different to being an athlete, and not every great athlete would make a great coach. I was very fortunate to be part of the British Coaching Programme. I did their education programme, and I even worked writing some of the literature that they produce for their coaches, so I had quite a bit of involvement. I did work with the British BMX team for a little bit as a coach on a part time basis, but that’s basically how I ended up in the job. I never really thought I’d be a teacher or a coach, or anything like that, it didn’t really appeal to me, but as I started doing it I found it very rewarding and enjoyable.

Did you start the coaching training long before you finished your career on the track?

Yeah, I was doing some BMX coaching in 2006. I helped the BMX programme – it was sort of leaderless and didn’t really have a director in the UK – so I kind of stepped into that role, as well as doing my track training I was coaching the BMX guys. So yeah, I have had some coaching experience, and again just working closely with the Coach Education Programme in the UK, which is a world class programme, I think just gave me some of the fundamental principles. I’ve been very fortunate really. I kind of knew my career was coming to an end, so you do start trying to educate yourself or try and gain experience in other areas and I think that’s how I fell in love with coaching.

When you had your back injury had you already decided you wanted to move on, or was it a case of “Oh no, not another injury, I don’t want to deal with this”?

Most of the injuries I’ve had have been short-term, mainly impact injuries, and it’s simply diagnosed and you just get over it relatively quickly. Back injuries are probably one of the last ones an athlete wants to hear or talk about, I mean I’ve had back problems before but it’s been a simple physio visit and a couple of weeks later you’re back to being one hundred percent. But this one was… well, the physios were quite confident I could get over it, I had some scans and tests, but all these things start piecing together over time and being back in the UK was just a lot of pressure on the family. With the wife being from over here amongst other things, we found that hard. And then age obviously comes into it, you know you’ve got to be realistic about your ability especially as I was heading towards London 2012, so there were quite a few different aspects that came together to make that decision. And I think – as I tell my riders – you’ve got to want it more than anything else in this world, you’ve got to be so hungry for that goal otherwise you’re wasting your time.

So you feel the hunger was waning?

Yes, yes for sure, I’ve always been that sort of person. Once I’ve achieved my goal I’ve always found it hard to maintain that drive and hunger.

And was that the same with BMX?

Yes the same thing really, I’d done everything I could. I wasn’t always the best, I was far from it some years and so, I think that was why I was inspired every year to try to be a better BMXer.

Jamie Staff 1996 BMX World Championships Brighton – Image ©Copyright Neill Phillips @ EpicDream Productions Ltd.

Why did you choose Track over say, Downhill MTB? Having so much explosive power and such a strong upper body?

[He chuckles] In BMX obviously you would probably be closer tied to MTB [Mountain Bike], like you said, or Four-Cross [also known as Mountain Cross] or something. But one of my goals was Olympic medals so I looked for the disciplines that were within that range and practised one of them.

It was just by chance really, in the late 90’s we [some of the BMXer’s] went up to Manchester to do some physiological testing on the watt bikes, I did the test and put out more power than any of their track guys. So they asked the question, “hey do you wanna do track?” and I was like, “well is there any money in it?” and they said, “no,” and I was like, “well, then no I don’t, I’ve had years of travelling around the world, this is great!” And I think if they’d spent a little bit more time explaining about the Olympics and what my potential actually was, then maybe I would have pursued it at an earlier stage. There are actually a lot of similarities, a lot of the behind the scenes work you do is very similar. Yes the bike looks completely different but the gym work is basically exactly the same. It’s all the same basic work, so the only thing I had to do was get used to riding a track bike, which after riding a BMX bike was very easy.

You have to contain your movements a lot more though, you can’t throw yourself around as much?

Yeah right, that takes some learning. But yeah, in BMX I was always the first to the first turn, and I wasn’t always the smoothest jumper or the fastest through the rhythm section, but it was my horsepower that kind of won me the races. And that’s why I think track appealed: no obstacles, just start, finish. Go, get there as quick as you can!

Do you still get out on your BMX since the back injury?

Er… Not really, but my back is fine now, it only really hurts when I put it under extreme stress. So squatting over two times your body weight, and doing repetitive circuits on the track, is when it would hurt. I mean right now I don’t feel that problem at all, and my back feels fine. I actually feel great. You know, as an athlete you’re pounding your body every single day in training and your body’s under constant stress, and so therefore you’re quite sore and irritated all the time. And it’s quite pleasing actually that, now I’ve retired, my body feels a hundred times better than it did when I was training.

So are you still continuing with some sort of training regime?

I don’t do too much to be honest, I’m a little bit burn-out on riding a bike, I’m trying to find something else to do. I played some racket sports when I was in my early teens and when I was a youngster, with my dad, so I’m maybe looking at doing something down those lines, something different. I mean I live at the velodrome twelve hours a day, I need to try to get away from that and do something different. I need to find something that will drive me to remain fit and healthy, I don’t want to get on that slippery slope. Just for the stresses of work, as you can imagine now, it is hard, that’s one of the things I’ve learned.

As an athlete I was always looking at family members or friends and saying, “why don’t you just work out? Why don’t you train?” And now, having no physical goals like that I find it so hard to get motivated. I always struggled to comprehend, why don’t people just stay fit? You know, why don’t you go and do something? When you have goals and targets it’s dead easy, but when you don’t it’s so hard. And at the end of a long working day, whatever your job, it’s the last thing you want to do. I’ve been out running a few times but that just bloody hurts so much, I try to find something positive in it, but I need to find something that’s enjoyable and just suits my personality.

You’ve recently become a football or should I say “soccer” coach for your twins’ under six team?

Yeah, I got thrown into that role, but it’s quite fun, I enjoy it, it’s just a local soccer tournament.

Are your twins getting into cycling?

Yeah, my son rode before he was three, my daughter could ride when she was three and a half to four, they’ve both got bikes they’re out all the time. We live in a little cul-de-sac so that’s great for bike riding, they love it.

Would you encourage them to follow a career in cycling?

It’s a tricky one. I mean, I think BMX is a fantastic sport for young kids, it teaches them many skills which they can then take away and apply to other cycling disciplines. It allows you to get into cycling at an early age, as opposed to say mountain biking or road and track, so I wouldn’t stop them from doing it, but I’m really kind of un-forceful. I mean right now my kids are doing soccer but before that my daughter was doing ballet and my son was doing tae-kwon-do, I kind of want them to experience many things, and they need to be the one that figures out what they want to do.

You feel sports is vital for kids development?

Absolutely, I mean I was a shy kid, terribly shy, and through cycling I explored the world and I think I matured as a person, it gave me so many valuable lessons. I think you could do that through any sport, it boosts your confidence tremendously. You’ve got the obvious physical benefits, but it’s the mental ones as well. I’m so lucky I was able to go down that route, and I won’t push but I will definitely express to my children that it’s a great avenue to take. But it’s up to them, I’ll just try to be as supportive as I can, just like my parents were. They were never pushy.

Were your parents into cycling?

No not at all, no one in my family is really sporty at all, the family played squash, badminton and things like that, but no one was at any significant level. It was just something I fell in love with. That is the key thing, trying to find something that you love, and you would do anything to be able to do it. When you have that kind of passion for something that is when you have the potential to be very successful.

I know you had plans a while back to start up a youth academy, is that still something you want to do?

Jamie coaching Holly Swarbrick at Newport Velodrome, Wales – Image ©Copyright Guy Swarbrick

Yes, in the UK. That was the hardest thing for me I think, just walking away from a lot of stuff in the UK. I don’t want to walk away from anything, I’m still trying to put it together.  The Cyclo Park [being built in Kent] is a great facility and I’m trying hard to stay involved with that. Literally as we speak I’m putting together just a little bit more detail [in to my academy plans]. Hopefully it will be aimed a bit more at the elite level, y’know with nutrition, psychological, physiological input into riders and helping them with their careers and career planning, season planning and all that kind of stuff. So, yeah I’m still currently working with Kent County Council on that. I’m looking for sponsors right now, I’ve obviously got some good relations in the industry which I’ll be targeting and then there’s some chances of other major sponsors.

The aim is to try to relieve some of the financial responsibility from the actual athletes, because I know how poor cyclists are. I mean it’s very different over here, you can charge an absolute arm and a leg for coaching, but in the UK it’s very, very different, I mean people don’t want to part with ten pounds. If the academy is a success I would love to roll them out all over the UK or maybe even worldwide! You need to grab peoples attention while the sport is on a high to keep the momentum going.

Considering cycling as a sport doesn’t get much national TV and media coverage, certainly compared to the rest of Europe, how come we have such a hotbed of talent and how are kids coming to the sport? Obviously in recent years the profile has risen, but even before that it was always there just under the radar?

I think British Cycling is doing a brilliant job, especially in recruiting cyclists, whether it’s for leisure or sport. I mean BMX is definitely nowhere near where it was in the 80’s and I don’t know if it ever will be. The participation in cycling as a sport has gone through the roof, so I think British Cycling is doing a good job. I hope it’s not fickle. I think we have to be realistic about London’s results, I think Team GB will be successful in certain terms, but I doubt they’ll replicate what they did in Beijing. That’s just sport and that’s life, that’s the cycle of the athletes. We went through a glory period, and it is gonna be hard for them. You can’t replicate that year after year, it ebbs and flows.

I guess that’s even more the case when everyone discovers your secret formula to success?

Exactly, and I hope that those companies that have come into the sport as sponsors remain for the long term loyal to the sport, and I hope they’re not just in for the short term ride. Cycling has many great elements to it and I think the UK is a fantastic country and is embracing that, with building cycle paths and the general infrastructure, they are making improvements. It’s far better than it is over here in the States. I mean yes we have the great weather over here, but they don’t have the cycling infrastructure at all.

So is it city or rural areas that have the better facilities?

In the city you don’t get anything cycle-related, I mean there’s the odd bike path here and there that follow the contours of the rivers from the overflow of rainfall down from the mountains. The US is far behind the UK in terms of that. In the UK the government’s backing a lot of the programmes whereas over here the government’s not interested so it’s all down to the local cities, councils and private investors to try and get stuff going. You’d be amazed at the lack of input over here from the government, in terms of cycling and funding. USA Cycling is, well it’s good that they are self sufficient and they’ve got a business model that works but they don’t get a penny from the government, not a single one, so all their money comes from private investors and just the everyday business through membership. So that’s how they generate their revenue.

So I guess that’s why Road Cycling is the poster sport for cycling in the USA because it can bring in major sponsors and TV coverage?

Exactly, yes, USA Cycling is definitely not in the position that British Cycling is, but then again that’s all down to the National Lottery, if you pull that funding away then, well it would be interesting to see what happens.

Team GB Sprint to Gold in the Beijing Olympics – Image ©Copyright Chas Pope

There’s quite a Jamie Staff shaped hole in the British Sprint team for first man at the moment, and as you know, Liam Phillips the BMX rider is trying out on the track for 8 months. And in that time he’s got to try and get near 17.3 seconds in order to match where the French are with Gregory Bauge. Do you think that is a lot to ask of him?

It is, but I’ve known Liam since he was a little kid, I think he’s got potential, I don’t think they need to put all their eggs in one basket, being purely Liam. I mean Jason Kenny could do it, but he doesn’t like being man one, he likes to be in man two position, and he’s the best man two they have, and Chris is the best man three they’ve got, and yeah obviously they’re trying to fill my shoes. But it is an extremely tall ask of Liam, and I think they’ve got their work cut out for sure. I mean they asked me to come back and I laughed, I was like “yeah right!” I mean I don’t know, I’m pretty sure I couldn’t replicate what I did in Beijing. But I think Liam has a shot, but at the same time I think they need to chase other avenues with Ross Edgar and push Ross as much as possible. My choice would be (and obviously I’m not there on a daily basis but I know the riders potential): Jason Kenny, then Ross Edgar then Chris Hoy, that would be my call. I mean going into Beijing, Ross was a little bit slower than Jason at man two but it wasn’t much, and even if we had had Ross in the team on paper we would have won, so I know it’s tricky and certain riders want certain positions.

Jason’s gained a lot of power from training for man one, will that have effected him in any way adversely in other areas? 

No, I don’t think so, you just have to look at Gregory Bauge, he’s man one and he’s three times World Sprint Champion but he’s not great at the Keirin. So if I had to call it I think Jason will probably end up man one in terms of the team sprint.

But I think Jason definitely has a chance of taking the sprint position in the GB Team, I think Chris will keep the Keirin role, and as I said I think the team sprint will either be Jason, Ross and Chris or, if Liam can come in, then it would be Liam, Jason and Chris. Liam has definitely got a lot to do. I mean at Liam’s age when I was BMXing, I was in my prime, in my mid twenties, and I only got good at the end because of the help from BC, and it wasn’t that I was peaking at thirty-five, it was that I applied everything that they were throwing at me, and that was learnt, and by pushing myself. So you know Liam does have the potential to do that, he’s coming on well physically, he’s really gained a lot of strength over that past couple of years.

Do you keep in touch with a lot of the guys back home?

Yes, periodically, I mean it’s a small world cycling, even though you might not speak to someone in a year, when you do see them it feels like three weeks. I’m a family friend of Liam’s. And the likes of Chris and Jason, I’ll drop them an email every now and then. And every month I’m on the road and during the world cup season, we catch up. I miss them all tremendously, I really miss the UK, and being part of the team, but life goes on. But I couldn’t be happier in my new role and doing what I do, I’m very fortunate to be doing what I really enjoy.

What are the home comforts that you miss from the UK?

Believe it or not, I miss the rolling green fields of Kent, and obviously when we lived in Manchester the surrounding areas there were also very similar. In Southern California you don’t have the ability to escape, I mean anywhere in the UK you can hop on a train or in a car and within an hour you’re in the middle of nowhere. Whereas here, I could go to the middle of nowhere and it would be a dry desert. You do feel kind of trapped by that sometimes, you can’t always take that big deep breath of fresh country air.

Jamie leads out the Mens Team Sprint – L to R Ross Edgar, Jason Kenny & Jamie Staff – Image ©Copyright Andy Carnall

Have you visited the London velodrome yet?

Yeah I went there when it was halfway completed, they were just getting the roof ready to go up, there wasn’t a track or anything in there. I’ve seen the pictures and the video and it does look fantastic. When I come over for the world cup in February we’ll do some touristy stuff with the team, get that out the way, and check everything out. I know the US team was asking if the track would be opened up before for training but I’m pretty sure it won’t be. I’m pretty sure Team GB will keep it to themselves, and only open it up when they have to for the World Cup. So apart from that I think it will be closed doors until after the Olympics.

What are your thoughts on the new rules set out by the Olympic committee on the number of entrants per event?

You can understand it from one point of view, but then I think they often forget why people do it. I have this issue on a daily basis now. When I go to a World Cup I’m only able to take three guys and two girls and I’ve probably got ten guys and four girls. Now for those other riders if they don’t see any chance to compete then they’re going to lose motivation, lose drive and probably end up quitting. You want to have the top echelon of riders at the competition, which I understand, but at the same time you can’t take away the dreams of other people, they need to have the chance to prove themselves. I mean you look at Team GB: they probably have four or five decent sprinters, but only one’s going to the Olympics, and so that fourth or fifth quickest rider right now is probably looking at his age, looking at his options and thinking, “well screw it, I don’t think I’ve got a realistic chance of going, why am I doing this?” On the day of the race ultimately it does all come down to who’s in the best place mentally and physically. Even the very best have bad days on the track.

The same applies to the huge amount of pursuit talent, I just don’t think it’s going in the right direction, I think as a competition the one in Beijing worked fine, it had two athletes in most events which was great and I don’t see anything wrong with that. So what if GB has the best two or three riders, why should they have to pay for that? So I mean I can understand it from one point of view, but I think in the interest and the long term of the sport it’s not doing it any good.

Do you still have your first Raleigh Mag Burner?

[Chuckles] No, I wish I did! I actually question what my parents did with everything, because I don’t have an ounce of stuff. I think my parents just gave everything away, sold it or whatever, just to pay for the other races, so it would just discretely disappear. I mean I have nothing, I have some things in the US from when I used to race for Haro, I have some GB tops and stuff.

So do you have a collection of bikes nowadays?

Nooo, you’d be amazed, if you look around the house you wouldn’t know I was a bike racer. In my office I’ve got a couple of jerseys up on the wall and a few pictures from the Olympics, but that’s it. In the garage I’ve got a mountain bike, one BMX and one road bike. I’m not fanatical like some, I mean I know this one kid, he said he’d got like thirty bikes and I said, “you’re kidding me?!” It’s unbelievable, and we don’t have the room basically and I don’t think my wife would appreciate having twenty bikes in the garage. I think she’s had enough, she’s got her bike, I’ve got mine. I’ve got one for if I want to go off on the road, I’ve got something for playing with the kids on the BMX. At the end of the day if I wanted something I could always get it because I know plenty of people in the industry but I’m not that fussed.

For now British Cycling are staying at Manchester Velodrome do you think the pressure will build for them to relocate to London and the new facilities?

Jamie Staff competing in The Revolution Series at Manchester – Image ©Copyright Guy Swarbrick

No, Manchester has too much of an interest in British Cycling and the upheaval of all the staff would be too much. I’m sure there will be divisions of it potentially that will move down there, maybe one element of it, you know like education or Go Ride. They may extend down there, and obviously there’s such a catchment area, it would be silly not to do something with it. So I’m sure it will be a fantastic velodrome that’ll be extremely busy but the nuts and bolts of British Cycling will definitely stay in Manchester in my opinion.

What advice would you give to young riders that want to get their talent noticed?

To get their talent noticed it’s basically going to be racing. I think it’s far harder these days. When I was a kid, because the sport was in it’s infancy, everyone was at the same level. Now for a junior or young kid coming into the sport where even the young kids are extremely talented, it’s got to be very off-putting and nerve racking and they basically just see it’s near enough impossible for them to get better within that sport. So I think you’ve just got to focus on yourself and make sure that you improve, and over time you can do it. It doesn’t take long for a young kid to get into BMX – you’re still talking a number of years, maybe three or four years before they’re really good – but in the scheme of things that’s not very long at all. So just don’t be put off by the talent above, don’t let that deter you.

So it’s very important they join a club?

Yeah yeah, definitely, they shouldn’t be afraid to ask questions. Sometimes cyclists seem very closed with information, but I think once you start talking to parents or club officials or whoever, they’ll open up and tell you quite a bit. So just talk, ask questions and people will be forthcoming with information and help guide you. And then obviously in today’s modern world with the media it makes that so much easier.

Do you think you’ll come back to the UK at any point and do some coaching?

Hopefully yeah, I mean, like I said, my plan with the academy in the UK is that I come there every three months and do a two or three day seminar, that’s the goal. The premise of the academy is to basically educate people on their upcoming quarter, so we’ll break a season down into four parts. So prior to that next part I will come and educate you on the things that you need to be thinking of and the processes you need to go through.

So for instance: you’ve just finished your race season and now you’ve got to deal with some time off, so I’ll tackle that. A lot of people don’t take any time off and it’s all about having other interests and hobbies so you don’t get burnt out, because I think many kids are just too intense for too long, you’ve got to have balance in your life. So I’ll just deal with different issues at different parts of the year. I’ll also cover bike skills and winter riding, and I want to get some

Jamie Staff – Image ©Copyright John @ Cycling Focus

companies involved with parts, equipment and bikes, and help educate people on clothing, tyre choice and even get some pro riders to help inspire them.

I feel there is such a lack of information out there, it’s just ridiculous. I’m just trying to open up the knowledge that I received from British Cycling and obviously what I’ve learnt myself. I want to open it more to the general public, and get some of that information out there because I do feel it is somewhat closed off. I mean there are no real secrets but you would think there was. It’s just careful planning and hard work basically, that’s what it comes down to, there’s no magic helmet you’re just gonna put on, no magic shoes, it’s just bloody hard work at the end of the day, and I think people need to hear that.

To find more out about Jamie click here to go to his website.

To find out more about the USA Cycling Team click here.

Jamie’s major career results include:

My thanks to Jamie and all the photographers.

©Copyright 2011 Anna Magrath @ Cycling Shorts. Please do not reproduce any content without permission from myself or the photographers.

Subscribe for 10% Discount!

Join our mailing list to receive the latest cycling news and updates from our team. Receive 10% off your first order placed in our online shop!

You have Successfully Subscribed!