Cycling’s friends reunited

Published on Sunday 21 July 2002 01:00

WHAT goes around comes around is probably a fitting phrase when it comes to guys whose lives are nothing if not cyclical.

In a Commonwealth Games cycling team comprising several medal hopefuls, one of Scotland’s best chances of gold, the Olympic sprint team, features two Olympic medallists, Chris Hoy and Craig MacLean, along with 19-year-old Ross Edgar. But it is the inclusion of fourth man Marco Librizzi that sees things come full circle.

The 31-year-old, who has been lured out of retirement for the Manchester event, was one of the guiding lights when Hoy and MacLean embarked on their track careers as bright-eyed youngsters and was one of the City of Edinburgh riders that Scotland’s dynamic duo looked up to.

"He was the target we had to aim for in those early days," explains Hoy, "and I think we both learned from him. We used to compete with him in this event in the early days when he had the key role to play. Now, after all these years, we’re back together, but this time were competing for Scotland and not just City of Edinburgh."

The roles, though, have been reversed and it is Hoy and MacLean who are proving to be the power behind the pedals.

Having stayed friends with Hoy and MacLean despite retiring from the sport in 1994, the sales rep attended a function to mark their Sydney Olympics silver medal achievement in 2000 when the topic of the 2002 Commonwealth Games cropped up.

Obviously the third member of the team in Sydney was Jason Queally. As he will be representing England at the games, they all knew that they needed a replacement.

That was late 2000 and Librizzi, although flattered to be asked, was not convinced. He had quit the sport disillusioned by the lack of coaching and sponsorship and opted instead to concentrate on his family and a career that paid well, while making less demands on his time than high-level cycling.

The odd jaunt on the bike and some swimming were the extent of his fitness regime, and he knew that to attain the standards Hoy and MacLean would require to give them genuine gold medal prospects would necessitate cycling taking over his life again.

"I just couldn’t commit to two years of that but they kept coming back to me. I began to give it some thought and after mulling it over for six months and being nagged by Chris and Craig, I discussed it with my wife because I knew the impact it would have on our lives. She told me to go for it if I wanted to, and eventually I gave in and agreed."

The swithering meant that he had less time to get himself into top shape but he set himself targets to achieve. Checking the time he would need to guarantee the team are competitive at the Manchester Velodrome, he gave himself a deadline for reaching it.

"I thought it would be quite tough, but Chris has been really helpful and gave me a copy of the training schedule he had used in the build-up to the Olympics. That was extremely beneficial and Dave Clark, who is the strength and conditioning coach at the Scottish Institute of Sport has been fantastic. He’s given me a lot of advice about weights and it’s amazing how that side of the sport has come on in my absence."

It all paid off because he has well and truly surpassed the time set down by Hoy and feels he is much faster than he was before he slid into retirement. "I’m going there to win a medal," he said when the team was announced. "That’s the only reason I have put myself through this."

It’s also the only reason MacLean is pushing back the pain barrier. Having broken his collarbone three months ago, he is popping painkillers so he doesn’t let his team-mates down.

"I’m still carrying the injury and it is affecting my training," said the Grantown-on-Spey rider. "My position in the team is lead-off man and that entails standing up in the saddle a lot and I can’t really do that very well yet, so my training has been curtailed but I will do my best and I am still optimistic we can get a medal in the team event."

Like Hoy and Librizzi he is also down to compete in the individual sprint but although he is likely to take his place at the start in an attempt to help settle initial race nerves and sweep away the racing cobwebs prior to the Olympic sprint, he admits he may have to ride himself out of the event so that he doesn’t hamper the team’s prospects.

"I’m taking it day to day and I’ll decide how I feel at the time but we have a really good chance of a medal in the team event so that has to be the priority. It has taken some of the shine of the Games for me because I know I won’t be at my best but I suppose the fact I’m carrying the injury relieves us of some of the pressure myself and Chris were under.

"There were big expectations after the medal in Sydney, but we always knew it wasn’t going to be as easy because a Scottish team wasn’t going to be as strong as a British team."

However, with Edgar and Librizzi both laid-back additions and talented riders, neither Hoy nor MacLean are shying away from positive predictions.

"I’m optimistic." says Hoy. "Obviously, I can’t guarantee you a medal but I think we’d all be disappointed if we didn’t come back with one.

MacLean agrees. "England have a very good team but the Aussies will be the biggest threat. Apart from those two I think only Scotland could consider themselves realistic challengers. New Zealand and Barbados may be decent but I think the medals will be shared between ourselves, the English and Aussies. I just don’t know what colour we will get."

Gold is certainly within their capabilities and with all four riders likely to be utilised throughout the rounds, it will all depend on how much they are able to rise to the occasion.

With Librizzi’s work commit-ments, Edgar competing in European events, and MacLean’s injury, the four are unlikely to get together for some concentrated training until a week before the event begins on August 2, but MacLean is not too perturbed.

"Ross, Chris and I were together in Germany recently for some training and I know that Marco is in the best shape of his life. It just goes to show what you can do if you’re motivated, focused and have some talent."

So far all that those commodities have earned the Scottish team is short odds with the bookies, but in the appealing, heady atmosphere of Manchester’s hi-tech Velodrome, despite Edgar’s relative inexperience, Librizzi’s lengthy retirement, MacLean’s shattered collar bone and the pressure subsequently piled on Hoy’s shoulders, it could just be enough to capture them gold.