LES HERBIERS, France, July 2 (Reuters) - He led Britain to unprecedented success at the Olympics and heads Team Sky, one of the top road race teams, but Dave Brailsford will not rest until road cycling is part of his country’s culture.
“My great goal is to try and make road cycling a part of British culture,” Brailsford told Reuters in an interview before the start of the first stage of the Tour de France on Saturday.
“In France cycling is big. It’s not the case in Britain although more and more people stop me and want to talk cycling with me.”
The last time Britain hosted a big road cycling event was when it was the venue for the prologue and the first stage of the 2007 Tour de France.
Brailsford started out as a professional rider in France at the end of the 1980s but it quickly became clear he would not break through.
“I returned to Britain to study sports science and sports psychology at university,” said the 47-year-old.
“I knew I would never be a high-level rider but I liked the idea of becoming a coach. After my first degree I studied for an MBA (Master of Business Administration) in Sheffield.
“I did not know it at the time but I was destined to become a (cycling) manager. I wanted to be involved in sports,” added the Team Sky principal.
The National Lottery started to become involved in his chosen sport in 1998 and it made all the difference, according to Brailsford.
“The lottery funding changed everything. Their goal was to make it to the medals table at the Olympics and there was money to invest in professional structures,” the Welshman explained.
Brailsford had his own business in management consulting but he quickly decided to drop it as he climbed the ladder of British cycling to become performance director.
“I started to help them as an adviser but they asked me to work full time. I stopped my business and they asked me to be the boss,” he recalled.
LONG TERM
“There were 12 gold medals to be awarded in the track events at the Olympics to road racing’s four. We targeted track cycling because the lottery money came with the medals—no medals, no more money.”
British Cycling snatched two titles in Athens in 2004 and burst into prominence with seven gold medals in Beijing four years later.
It was not enough, however, to fulfil Brailsford’s ambition. He then drew Sky into cycling as they built a top-flight team that started in 2010 with Olympic pursuit champion Bradley Wiggins as figurehead.
Wiggins is one of the top contenders in this year’s Tour and can rely on the help of Welshman Geraint Thomas, the 2010 British champion and one of the top prospects in world cycling, and sprinter Ben Swift.
“I had been thinking about creating a pro team for a long time,” said Brailsford.
“With all the British talents going to different teams it became obvious we needed a team to group them all together.”
Sky are now one of the most glamourous outfits in the sport, with Wiggins, Thomas and Norwegian prodigy Edvald Boasson-Hagen in their ranks.
Brailsford, though, wants teams and sponsors to commit to longer partnerships than they do now.
“I would like it better if instead of talking about a two or three-year extension to a partnership we could build on a 10-year project,” he said.
“Then we would be in a position to make plans.”
“My great goal is to try and make road cycling a part of British culture,” Brailsford told Reuters in an interview before the start of the first stage of the Tour de France on Saturday.
“In France cycling is big. It’s not the case in Britain although more and more people stop me and want to talk cycling with me.”
The last time Britain hosted a big road cycling event was when it was the venue for the prologue and the first stage of the 2007 Tour de France.
Brailsford started out as a professional rider in France at the end of the 1980s but it quickly became clear he would not break through.
“I returned to Britain to study sports science and sports psychology at university,” said the 47-year-old.
“I knew I would never be a high-level rider but I liked the idea of becoming a coach. After my first degree I studied for an MBA (Master of Business Administration) in Sheffield.
“I did not know it at the time but I was destined to become a (cycling) manager. I wanted to be involved in sports,” added the Team Sky principal.
The National Lottery started to become involved in his chosen sport in 1998 and it made all the difference, according to Brailsford.
“The lottery funding changed everything. Their goal was to make it to the medals table at the Olympics and there was money to invest in professional structures,” the Welshman explained.
Brailsford had his own business in management consulting but he quickly decided to drop it as he climbed the ladder of British cycling to become performance director.
“I started to help them as an adviser but they asked me to work full time. I stopped my business and they asked me to be the boss,” he recalled.
LONG TERM
“There were 12 gold medals to be awarded in the track events at the Olympics to road racing’s four. We targeted track cycling because the lottery money came with the medals—no medals, no more money.”
British Cycling snatched two titles in Athens in 2004 and burst into prominence with seven gold medals in Beijing four years later.
It was not enough, however, to fulfil Brailsford’s ambition. He then drew Sky into cycling as they built a top-flight team that started in 2010 with Olympic pursuit champion Bradley Wiggins as figurehead.
Wiggins is one of the top contenders in this year’s Tour and can rely on the help of Welshman Geraint Thomas, the 2010 British champion and one of the top prospects in world cycling, and sprinter Ben Swift.
“I had been thinking about creating a pro team for a long time,” said Brailsford.
“With all the British talents going to different teams it became obvious we needed a team to group them all together.”
Sky are now one of the most glamourous outfits in the sport, with Wiggins, Thomas and Norwegian prodigy Edvald Boasson-Hagen in their ranks.
Brailsford, though, wants teams and sponsors to commit to longer partnerships than they do now.
“I would like it better if instead of talking about a two or three-year extension to a partnership we could build on a 10-year project,” he said.
“Then we would be in a position to make plans.”
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