“I remember Adam and Simon Yates, we used to call them ‘Adam red bike’ and ‘Simon blue bike’. We couldn’t tell them apart. To this day, it will always be ‘Adam red bike’ and ‘Simon blue bike’ to me, that’s what I’ve called them since they rode Manchester regional track league when they were only 15 or 16.”
Carole Leigh’s name might not be one you’ve heard of, but she’s been an integral part of the careers of some of the best riders that Great Britain has ever produced. Adam and Simon Yates are just two in a long list of professional cyclists who have spent their formative years racing at events organised by Leigh, who has been working as a volunteer putting on bike races since she was 18 years old.
“Other people my age wanted to go to the pub and I wanted to organise a bike race,” Leigh laughs. “It was a circuit race in Wigan. Since the inception of the National Cycling Centre which opened 30 years ago, we started organising the Manchester regional track league and I still do that today, 30 years later. It’s not just me, we have a whole team of people and I’ve had so many roles over the years and been blessed to work with some lovely people on many different events, both on the admin and officiating side.”
Leigh at the Leicester National Track Championships in 1982 (Image: Phil O’Connor)
Leigh explains that she followed in the footsteps of her father who was also a race organiser – she and her brother used to work as runners growing up when data was recorded by typewriters on to cards for every rider for each event they rode. Leigh notes how much the sport has changed since then – she has also been part of the team at events which have aimed to take a more modern approach to track cycling, such as the Revolution Series.
“So we started that off and continued right through to the end,” Leigh remembers. “But I think officiating at the 2012 Olympics must be the highlight of my time in the sport. The Olympics is a pinnacle in anyone’s career, be it on the bike or off the bike. But I do what I do because I love the sport. I have made so many friends and colleagues over the many years and friendships when you work together, it’s like a second family.”
As cycling has developed, Leigh notes that she has seen fewer people getting involved as volunteers which she rightly states could be detrimental to the progress of the riders coming through the British Cycling system. Grassroots and domestic…