Published June 2, 2011 11:36AM
Great Britain could use cycling pacemakers in a bid to win their first Olympic triathlon medals at London 2012.
Rather than allowing all entrants to battle for medals at the 2012 Olympic triathlon in London, the Great Britain squad is considering using a cycling “domestique” to aid the top medal contender.
“It’s a really important aspiration to win at least one medal,” said British Triathlon chief Zara Hyde Peters.
“We will do that however we best can, using potentially the entire resources of the team at our disposal.”
Other countries have employed the policy since triathlon made its Olympic debut at the Sydney Games in 2000.
Unlike open-participation triathlon, the Olympic discipline allows cyclists to ride in packs, as conventional road racers traditionally do in events such as the Tour de France, where team riders are known as “domestiques”.
That allows the opportunity for a cycling specialist to work for the team and push team-mates harder during this phase, between the swim and the run.
However, Britain’s former Under-23 world champion Will Clarke says he is concerned about the potential use of pacemakers.
“I’m not sure there’s actually anyone strong enough who could do the domestique job,” said Clarke.
Read more: BBC Sport