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Understanding Great Britain’s Rio Track Cycling Dominance

10/3/2016

17 Comments

 
GB Cycling Team
At Rio this year, Great Britain had their most successful performance at an Olympic games, and much of that success was built on the extraordinary performance of their cycling team. Team GB completely dominated the men’s and women’s track cycling, winning 6 gold metals out of 11. Everyone in the squad returned home with at least one medal. Their performance was so comprehensive that rival nations have questioned their methods. So how did a team that hasn’t been on the world stage since London 2012 do so well?

Funding and Support

The GB cycling team was the highest funded of all nations, receiving US$39.4 million for a four year period, which is almost twice as much as other teams. Australia was second highest at US$23.5 million. This level of funding has received criticism in the UK for favoritism ahead of other sports, however the results have been telling. The funding served as the catalyst for the most cutting-edge research across any sport. Cyclists rode on US$13,000 bikes developed in secret at Cambridge University by former Jaguar F1 team boss, Tony Purnell. They wore skin-suits that analysts predict add five per cent performance gains, and their activities on and off the track were poured over in pursuit of the smallest gains. Nothing was overlooked, from square vs. rectangular pillows and seat angles to shaving body hair

Single Minded Approach

Team GB had single-minded focus towards Olympic success at the cost of all else. Their results at the World Championships and other international events since the London Olympics barely caused a blip on the radar as their entire focus was based around the four-year Olympic cycle. Track cycling received funding favoritism ahead of road, however the results speak volumes with 6 golds coming at a cost of US$6.5 million each and the cycling team winning twice as many gold medals than in any other sport
17 Comments
HannahV
10/26/2016 07:36:21 am

GB did great at Rio. Great job at breaking down their strategy for success

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rachel kerolle link
10/27/2016 02:23:41 am

Nice

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rachel kerolle
10/28/2016 06:23:08 pm

nice

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Austin Kline
10/26/2016 07:48:23 am

Great Britain came out way ahead in this sports activity. It's amazing how they dominated but they have better skill than most of the other countries. Overall I was surprised but I was cheering for them.

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Caroline Kaugher
10/26/2016 10:30:59 am

Holy smokes!! That's a lot of money to devote to one cycling team! Paid off though! And skin suits! Wow. I had no idea all this went into cycling! Neato!

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Mike Lee
10/26/2016 10:51:22 am

Never realized how much funding is required to win at cycling in the Olympics. And the technology within the bikes and suits is amazing but also incredible on how it can always be improved on from year to year. Loved this line "Nothing was overlooked, from square vs. rectangular pillows...". Congrats to the Brit's on their 6 Golds in Rio!

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Tim C
10/26/2016 12:12:17 pm

Very cool to read about how this all works. It's very informative and also interesting to learn about the sport.

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julio pacio
10/26/2016 06:39:28 pm

The GB cycling team are at the top of their game.This kind of dominance is rare when it comes to Olympic cycling.

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Vincent Agosta
10/27/2016 06:31:01 am

Britain has very fast cyclers. Great job and wish them the best of luck. It is amazing what they can accomplish when riding on a bicycle to compete.

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Mona
10/28/2016 06:51:39 pm

Wow - that was really interesting - such a great asset, and brings people together!

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Caitlin
10/29/2016 09:49:04 am

Terrific strategy with excellent results !

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F. Martin
10/30/2016 06:40:40 am

Having an advantage at any sport is an amazing feat. Great Britain's track cycling dominance is a perfect example of having the right stuff, and firing on all cylinders.

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Connie Mastroianni
11/1/2016 05:39:16 pm

Great Britain has some of the best athletes, especially in cycling. They are an inspiration and are motivated to achieve the best.

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Caitlin Donnelly
11/2/2016 06:55:01 pm

GB has really taken a hold of the sport in ways I wish the US could comprehend. Their turn around is phenomenal. Thank you for the blog post!

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Caitlin Chaos
11/2/2016 06:56:55 pm

GB did a great job with the turn around. They could teach the US a thing or two.

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Sam
11/2/2016 09:56:02 pm

Funding is important to bring the success to the GB Cycling, and focusing on winning has been the key to get recognized by international and national audience. This is the strong key to winning, when the funding is satisfied.

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Lina
11/3/2016 06:03:26 pm

Wow, great job Great Britain! This shows when you really put your heart into something above all , there's nothing you can not accomplish!

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    Cameron Poetzscher

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    Cameron Poetzscher is a Harvard Business School graduate with extensive M&A, business strategy and operations experience.
    He is the VP of Corporate Development at Uber, and is passionate about sport.

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