Cycling’s place in the British sporting mainstream – especially in Olympic years – is reinforced as the sport provides a quarter of the nominations for the BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year competition. And they’re all trackies…
2008 winner and greatest British Olympian Sir Chris Hoy and is joined by Tour de France and Olympic Time Trial Gold medal winner Bradley Wiggins and greatest woman Paralympian Sarah Storey. They’ll face stiff competition from tennis star Andy Murray, athletes Jessica Ennis and Mo Farah, rower Katherine Grainger, golfer Rory McIlroy, boxer Nicola Adams and sailor Ben Ainslie. Team GB’s incredible performances at London 2012 meant that short listed Laura Trott and Victoria Pendleton didn’t make the cut.
2011 SPOTY Mark Cavendish with 2012 favourite Bradley Wiggins
British Cycling’s President, Brian Cookson OBE, said “It’s phenomenal news that three of our cyclists are up for the UK’s most prized annual sporting award. To be nominated for Sports Personality – especially after such a spectacular Olympic year for Team GB – is an amazing recognition of what has been achieved across our sport. Bradley Wiggins, our first winner of the Tour de France, Sir Chris Hoy, now Britain’s most successful Olympian, and Sarah Storey – whose 11 Paralympic golds match Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson’s record – all thoroughly deserve their place on the shortlist. This comes a year after Mark Cavendish won the award and if a cyclist can do it again, it will further highlight just how mainstream our sport now is.”
Sarah Storey en route to World Cup Gold at Manchester in 2011
