London 2012 Olympic gold medallist Peter Kennaugh is hoping to get the chance to bid for more honours at this summer’s Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. If selected, the 24-year-old from Onchan will be making his debut at the ‘friendly games’ and is likely to be part of the strongest cycling squad ever to represent the Isle of Man with Mark Cavendish also a strong contender for selection. Kennaugh was part of the world record breaking Team GB team pursuit squad at London 2012, but here are some more facts about the talented young Team Sky pro rider.
Age: 24
Home town: Onchan
Team: Team Sky
Sporting achievements
Team Pursuit gold at London 2012 Olympics (with Steven Burke, Ed Clancy, and Geraint Thomas)
Team Pursuit gold at 2012 World Track Championships (with Steven Burke, Ed Clancy, and Geraint Thomas)
Winner Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali 2014 stage race (including a stage win)
Finished 2013 Tour de France on his debut helping Chris Froome win on GC
Winner of Team Time-Trial with Team Sky at 2013 Giro del Trentino
Winner 2013 Lincoln Grand Prix road race
Under-23 British Road Race Champion in 2008 and 2009
British Road Race Championships – silver medallist in 2008 and 2010, bronze in 2009 and 2011
Winner Trofeo Internazionale Bastianelli 2008
Winner GP Capodarco 2008
World Junior Track Champion (scratch race) 2006
British Track Championships Madison gold medallist in 2008 (with Mark Cavendish) and 2009 (with Mark Christian)
British Junior Road Race Series winner 2007
British Junior Road Race Champion 2007
Winner of the Sleepwell Hotels IoM Youth and Junior Tour 2007.
Target events for Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games
Cycling road race on Sunday August 3.
Aims for 2014
In 2013 Kennaugh got his first chance to compete in the world’s greatest bike race, the Tour de France. A series of strong performances on the toughest mountain stages played a crucial role in helping Team Sky team mate Chris Froome win. But it also showed Kennaugh’s mental and physical strengths as he proved to be more than up to the challenge. 2013 also saw him win the prestigious Lincoln Grand Prix (while riding for Team Isle of Man), and he was also part of the Team Sky squad which won the team time-trial in the Giro del Trentino stage race in Italy.
The 2014 season has started well with an impressive performance in Italy’s Tirreno-Adriatico stage race. He was part of a four man break which went clear at the start of the 189km sixth stage, and was only caught inside the final 14 kilometres. This was followed by victory on stage two of the Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali four-day race in Italy. The win gave Kennaugh the race lead which he successfully defended to take his first professional stage race victory.
Gaining selection for Team Sky’s Tour de France squad is his main goal this season. And just a week after the Tour finishes in Paris, Kennaugh will be hoping to race in Team Isle of Man colours in the Glasgow 2014 road race. The British National Road Race Championships were held in the city last year, and on a course similar to that which will be used for the Commonwealth Games. Kennaugh made the winning break in the national championships and rode well to finish fourth behind Mark Cavendish, Ian Stannard and David Millar – all of whom could be contenders for gold in the Commonwealth Games road race.
What do the Commonwealth Games mean to you?
“The Commonwealth Games are unique as it’s pretty much the only time you ever get to represent the Island in competition. This will be my first Commonwealth Games, if I’m selected, and I think we can go there with a great chance of winning gold in the road race. It’s a course we know well having raced it last year in the National Championships, and one that suits us a team.”
* The Isle of Man Commonwealth Games Association is the organisation responsible for the publicity, fundraising, travel and support for Team Isle of Man’s participation at the Commonwealth Games. It is a registered charity and relies upon fundraising events and donations to fund Team Isle of Man’s participation. Fundraising initiatives are being planned in the countdown to Glasgow 2014 and donations to support Team Isle of Man can also be made at www.cga.im.
Photo courtesy of Team Sky.
