Project Rainbow: How British Cycling Reached the Top of the World

The inside story of Mark Cavendish's Rainbow Jersey Winning World Title of 2011 .
'A master psychologist - cycling's answer to Brian Clough.'
MARK CAVENDISH


The inside story of Mark Cavendish's Rainbow Jersey Winning World Title of 2011

Twenty five years ago, British road cycling was in the doldrums: today it is at the top of the world thanks to Bradley Wiggins, Chris Froome, Geraint Thomas and the sprinter who has bridged all their careers - the Manx Missile, Mark Cavendish. British cycling has become that rare beast, a story of sporting success built from the bottom up. Project Rainbow is the story of this sport's meteoric rise, told by one of its key figures, culminating in Cavendish's world road race title in 2011.

As GB Elite Road Coach and former Team Sky Performance Manager, Rod Ellingworth was one of the most important men behind this incredible rise. Here, one of the chief architects of this amazing journey, tells the inside story of both teams' advance to the top.

With an introduction by Mark Cavendish.

Having represented GB from 1989 until his retirement in 2001, Rod Ellingworth founded and ran the GB Cycling Academy. Then, alongside Dave Brailsford and Fran Millar, he was instrumental in creating Team Sky in November 2008. William Fotheringham has been the Guardian's cycling correspondent since 1994. He has covered 22 Tours de France and four Olympic Games and his published work includes the best-selling biographies Put Me Back On My Bike: In Search of Tom Simpson and Merckx: Half-Man, Half-Bike. Most recently, he co-wrote Bradley Wiggins's bestselling memoir My Time.