Riders in shock as Manning quits

Head of women’s endurance track squad resigns after 10 years

The British Cycling women’s endurance squad were left in shock after the sudden departure of long-standing coach Paul Manning last week.

Manning, who has headed the women’s endurance squad for 10 years, unexpectedly resigned from his post last week just days after the team won the European team pursuit title with the second-fastest time in history.

Cycling Weekly understands riders on the team were shocked by the move and were briefed on his departure just hours before the story broke in the press.

Manning, who retired as a rider after winning gold at the Beijing Olympics, and is described by colleagues as a levelheaded individual, was widely respected within the Manchester velodrome and beyond and his loss runs the risk of complicating the team’s build-up to the Tokyo Olympics next summer.

In a statement, Manning pledged to minimize the risk of that. He said: “My remaining time with the team will be focused on a successful launch into 2021.”

Sources close to the team said that while his departure was unexpected, the squad is quietly confident that it has enough experienced people within its ranks – including veterans of past Olympics such as Laura Kenny, Elinor Barker, and Katie Archibald – to enable it to continue to build towards the Games with minimum disruption.