WITH a name like Bradley Wiggins you either become a down-to-earth but Corinthian sporting hero in one of the more arduous disciplines, or resign yourself to a couple of decades as a downtrodden minor character in Coronation Street.
Brilliant Bradley, wearing World Championship laurels after a third victory in the individual pursuit, actually bears a passing resemblance to Martin Platt, once of the Weatherfield parish (Martin got on his bike smartly before spouse, Gail, was torm
ented by a psychotic third husband and a satanic son). With all those gold medals though, he seems to have made the right career choice.
The BBC's coverage of the World Championships from Manchester had presumed that a tone of benign self-satisfaction might have been justified in a sport in which Britain can claim astounding success, and some of the world's most admirable athletes. A spanner was thrown into the Shimano gear mechanism though on Wednesday by the unsettling revelation British team veteran Rob Hayles' blood was not right.
Those brought up on the heady narcotic cocktails of the Tour de France would immediately have assumed the world-weary grin of satisfied cynics. This wasn't supposed to happen on the track though; surely this was an arena where the Olympian ideals still had a vestige of influence?
It may turn out that Hayles' test will prove an innocent anomaly, explained by lack of rehydration or something equally prosaic. The BBC team sensibly steered clear of speculation, although the incident discouraged too many poetic paeans of satisfaction about the achievements of this British team.
With the BBC in a state of escalating panic about the loss of various sports' broadcasting rights, it has been slow to appreciate the televisual potential of track cycling. Its events are short, sharp jolts of exquisite drama, Britain happens to rule the roost, and in the bluffly charismatic Wiggins and the decidedly telegenic Victoria Pendleton, it has gold medal-grabbing global stars.
After a spot of trial and error, the cameras have figured out how to present the various disciplines' technical specifications. Thursday night's men's team pursuit final was a consummate piece of sports broadcasting. The split screen allowed us to see the British team's incremental destruction of their Danish rivals, while close-up contrasts of the British riders' precise formation with the Danes' fragmenting foursome indicated this is an event where choreography is as important as speed.
Rebecca Romero's gold in the women's individual pursuit was another highlight, the British rider's astounding performance rewarded by the compliment of the camera pulling back to give a panoramic shot, showing that Romero's American rival was in danger of suffering the ultimate pursuit humiliation, the "catch".
Television also does a decent job of conveying the cagey narrative of the individual sprint, an event laced with psychology and deceit. No wonder ingenuous Edinburgh lad Chris Hoy, used to the directness of the kilometre time-trial, found it so tough against the wily Theo Bos in Thursday's quarter-final, although he prevailed with breathtaking brinkmanship.
In such a technical sport, it is important the commentators wear their knowledge lightly. Hugh Porter, who is pushing 70, but sounds 30 years younger, tends to concentrate on the personalities, while his terse Antipodean sidekick Gary Sutton offers the technical insights. Porter's race-reading errs on the side of the bold, but Sutton is there as a valuable corrective voice of reason. Sutton has more than 40 Australian titles to his name, and Porter has four world titles and a Commonwealth gold, so they know whereof they speak.
Presenter Jill Douglas comes from Hawick where they have yet to acknowledge there might be other sports besides rugby, so you can forgive her not dwelling on the technical specifications. Her strength lies in recognising the human dramas on the track, in appreciating the commitment and training that goes into a performance which can last less than a minute.
If cycling's profile continues to soar, Douglas can be an integral member of the distaff legion, with Hazel Irvine, Clare Balding, Gabby Logan and Sue Barker presently threatening to take over all of the BBC's sports coverage. She exudes a kind of enthusiastic respect for the British cyclist's achievements, that never quite gets to the gushing stage. The sterner test will come when things go awry, when the presenter has to start asking tougher questions than, "How satisfying was that?" If the chemists have problems with Hayles' sample, that time could come sooner than anticipated.
The full article contains 753 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
