Who will be representing Team GB in the road cycling at the Olympic Games in Rio? There are two events on the road; the road race and the time trial, and if all goes to plan, Britain could walk away with more than one road cycling medal.
Both the women’s category and the men’s looks strong for Britain this year. Let’s take a look at the British Cycling line up for the Olympic road cycling race and time trial and give you a little bit of background information on each of the riders involved.
Lizzie Armitstead will be a name familiar to most readers. She won the World Championship road race in both 2014 and 2015, making her a favourite for the gold in Rio, and has had a good season so far; winning the Tour of Flanders, The Women’s Tour, Trofeo Alfredo Binda and Strade Bianche.
Having already bagged a silver medal in the road race at the summer Olympics in 2016, Lizzie will be looking to go one better this year and outdo her main rival, Netherlands cycling star Marianne Vos.
Lizzie Armitstead told British Cycling: “It’s an honour to have been selected to represent Team GB in Rio for my second Olympic Games. London 2012 was a fantastic event and remains one of my career highlights. I’m looking forward to doing it all over again, and hopefully going one better, in Rio this summer.”
Emma Pooley has a strong Olympic history behind her, having won a silver medal in the Olympic time trial in 2008, and she’s also experienced in single-day races, having won six UCI Women’s Road World Cup events between 2008-2011 and significantly won the national time trial championship not only in 2009 and 2010 but more recently in 2014.
Emma has a good chance of grabbing a medal in the time trial and of helping Lizzie Armitstead on her way to road race success.
The only Olympic debutant on the women’s road cycling team, Nikki Harris rides as much off-road cyclo-cross as she does on-road riding. Crucially, Harris rides for Boels-Dolmans, the same team as her British teammate and leader Lizzie Armitstead. She’ll be riding as a domestique for Armitstead in the road race and looking to get her teammate on the podium.
A man who almost certainly needs no introduction, Team Sky rider Chris Froome won the Tour de France in 2013 and 2015 and will be looking to add an Olympic gold to his cabinet this August.
Chris already has a time trial bronze from London 2012, but with the course in Rio favouring climbers and Froome being a time-trial specialist, this could be the year for him to go one better.
> Rio de Janeiro 2016 | A History of Road Cycling in the Olympic Games
Chris Froome told British Cycling: “It is a great honour to be selected to represent Team GB this summer. The Olympics are special for any athlete lucky enough to be given the chance to compete at the Games. I have great memories of London and winning bronze in the time trial. I will be giving it everything I can in Rio to try and win another medal for Great Britain.”
Welshman Geraint Thomas has a sterling reputation in the world of road cycling, and is a former world champion and current reigning Olympic gold medallist in the team pursuit.
Thomas is the current Commonwealth road champion and won the Paris-Nice earlier this year.
The Team Sky rider works with Froome regularly, playing a pivotal role in Froome’s 2015 Tour de France win, and with his all-round strength on the road and in the time trial, will be the man who will take the focal point in the race if Froome is too tired out from the Tour de France to launch an attack himself come Rio.
At just 23 years old Adam Yates is the youngest member of the Team GB cycling team by some distance, and the only non-Team Sky rider on the roster.
Adam is a strong climber, won some small stage races and has placed sixth and seventh in the Criterium du Dauphine in the past two years. He’s also completed two Grand Tours and will again compete in the 2016 Tour de France.
Peter Kennaugh is another Team Sky rider and another British cyclist with a gold medal to his name – Peter getting his gold as part of the Team Pursuit team at the London 2012 Olympics and becoming the first Manxman to win a gold in 100 years.
Ian Stannard is also riding for Team Sky, Ian is one of the most versatile riders in cycling and a man who is always going to give his all.
Stannard is known for hitting it hard when the conditions get tough, and also played a huge part in helping Chris Froome on route to his Tour de France win last season.