When all was said and done at the 2008 Summer Olympics Great Britain’s cyclists won 14 medals – eight of them gold. In many cases such a great degree of success could bring turmoil, but British Cycling performance director Dave Brailsford is determined to keep a good thing going for 2012.
For Brailsford, the 2012 Olympics are set to be on home turf in London. He admits he’s had his share of offers to move over to more lucrative pastures, but the Brit says national pride would never allow that to happen no matter how much money he is offered. Brailsford to the the BBC, “the worst job would be to lead a foreign team in that Olympics. I don’t think I could stomach that really. National pride would not allow me to do it, no matter what somebody paid me.”
No doubt the program has gotten a lot of attention at home, but it takes money to stay on top of the sport and the British Olympic Association is fully aware of that. After the beating the British team showed the rest of the world, being dominant in 2012 will likely require an even healthier dose of dedication from all parties involved.