With Great Britain established as the dominant nation of these world track championships in Manchester, cycling is on a real high.
The world class programme, overseen by Performance Director David Brailsford, is being hailed as an example for other British sports to follow in the build up to the Beijing Olympics.
Multiple medal winners, like Victoria Pendleton and Bradley Wiggins, are becoming the role models for a new generation of sports enthusiasts.
Jill Douglas of the BBC celebrates after finishing her Wattbike Race
But that tells only part of a modern success story. British Cycling’s culture of advancement and innovation is having an impact from the playground to the podium.
A batch of new community coaches has been introduced, and discussions are under way to utilise the Wattbike in an expansion of the sport in schools, through British Cycling’s Go Ride programme.
The BBC is experiencing unprecedented television ratings for cycling, outside of an Olympic Games, and the spotlight is being trained on domestic areas of excellence.
This is where the Wattbike, which was featured by presenter Jill Douglas in Thursday night’s transmission, comes in. It is the product of British company, based in Nottingham, which believes in the ability of sport to be a force for social good.
It is envisaged that the Wattbike will eventually become the centrepiece of a series of socially-responsive programmes, aimed at combating childhood obesity and inactivity.
