The Best Of British

By Shane Thomas

Britain and cycling. People old enough will remember that those two words once went together like Britain and sunshine. But ever since Chris Boardman's gold medal at the 1992 Barcelona (summer) Olympics, there has been a sporting revolution on two wheels in this country.

Olympic Stars #8 - Victoria Pendleton

By Shane Thomas

Britain have three gilded queens who are going to the Olympics. Jessica Ennis on the track, Rebecca Adlington in the pool, and Victoria Pendleton in the Velodrome. But unlike Ennis and Adlington, Pendleton brings a magnitude of emotional baggage to go with her crown.

A superb recent BBC documentary exposed what was common knowledge to many sporting observers. Pendleton is one of the most compelling and fascinating athletes of her era - in any sport.

Olympics Stars #6 - Laura Trott

By Shane Thomas

In the lead-up to London 2012, it's oft forgotten that the Olympic Games are a sporting event that tends to be a launching pad for the next generation of sporting superstars. Unlike the World Cup, Wimbledon or the Superbowl, the Olympics lends to an explosion of stardust for previously unknown names, rather than underscore the skills of the marquee athletes whom we already know. It's what the Spanish call llegada.