Ontelly

UK Cycling's Biggest Challenge Yet

Logo for UK Cycling's Biggest Challenge Yet

No Briton has ever won the world's greatest cycling race, the Tour de France. In this programme journalist and broadcaster Jim White looks at the attempt to get a Briton across the finish line for the first time in the event's 107-year-history. The man behind Great Britain's extraordinary success in track cycling at the last three Olympics, Dave Brailsford, is masterminding the team that is considered to have a reasonable shot at triumph in this gruelling 2,000 mile jaunt around the mountains, valleys and plains of France which takes place over three weeks in July. The multiple Olympic and World gold medallist Bradley Wiggins is the key man in the nine man squad that will race in the colours of TeamSky. The British based broadcaster has put up the money to fund the project as part of its wider commitment to get a million Britons to take up cycling. Jim spoke to Dave Brailsford and other members of the team as they prepared for the start of the first classic of the season, the Giro D'Italia, which this year peddled off with a sprint event through the streets of Amsterdam.