Team GB Olympic bobsledder in track cycling switch with sights on Tokyo 2020

A member of one of Team GB’s four-man bobsleigh crews at the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang earlier this year has announced a switch to track cycling and hopes to compete in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

The bobsleigh Greg Cackett helped crew in Korea finished seventeenth, one place ahead of the other Team GB sled.

The 26-year-old, who before turning to bobsleigh competed in the 100 metres in athletics, a popular route into the sport, announced his plans in a post on Instagram.

He said:  “Ok so here's the 'announcement' that a few of you know but many don't that I've decided to set myself another monster challenge by trying to make it in a third sport, track sprint cycling!

“We found during my time at bobsleigh that I had a high power to weight ratio on the bike and this piqued a curiosity for me about giving this sport a go.

“A few of the bobsleigh boys had talked about trying it previously and I'm now the one who's hit the fuck it button and is going for it. So I’m stepping away from bobsleigh for a couple years to see what happens.”

Cacker, who said he planned to use his Instagram page as a social media diary, continued: “All the fails, falls, wins, losses, training, first races, you name it it'll be here.

“Hopefully the training content will be interesting for those of you who don't know me and for the ones that do I hope you continue to enjoy the rollercoaster that is my sporting career … and let’s see if I can become the first Olympic champion to win on stabilisers.”

The explosive power that led to Cacker’s bobsleigh career means track sprinting is where his sights are set, and a video posted to Instagram shows him practising his start at Lee Valley VeloPark.

View this post on Instagram

BIG IMPORTANT THING! Ok so here's the 'announcement' ha a few of you know but many don't that I've decided to set myself another monster challenge by trying to make it in a third sport, track sprint cycling! We found during my time at bobsleigh that I had a high power to weight ratio on the bike and this piqued a curiosity for me about giving this sport a go. A few of the bobsleigh boys had talked about trying it previously and I'm now the one who's hit the fuck it button and is going for it. So im stepping away from bobsleigh for a couple years to see what happens... • • So im announcing it because my insta page is basically going to become a social media diary of the journey! All the fails, falls, wins, losses, training, first races, you name it it'll be here. Hopefully the training content will be interesting for those of you who don't know me and for the ones that do I hope you continue to enjoy the rollercoaster that is my sporting career. So please share, follow (or unfollow!) And lets see if I can become the first olympic champion to win on stabilisers. I know there are probably cyclists up and down the land who will laugh at the notion of this. Probably similar to the individuals who laughed at the 11.5sec 100m chef who said he wanted to be an Olympian. Ive never shied from a challenge and whether this fails miserably or succeeds brilliantly, I'll know at least I tried. And bobsleigh, I'll see you in 2020. • • #herewego #olympian #transfer #sport #dream #challenge #learning #wobbly #essay #bobsleigh #olympics #teamgb #cycling #watts #training #transformation #ridingbikes #seriousshoot #shoutout @performanceelitegym @tom_archer_performance @woolley_man @dolanbikesuk @picotdesignstudio

A post shared by Greg Cackett OLY (@gregcackett1) on Oct 19, 2018 at 5:01am PDT

However,  competition for the three places at Tokyo will be intense, with six-time gold medallist Jason Kenny aiming to become Great Britain’s most successful Olympian.

Besides Team GB’s other team sprint champions from Rio two years ago, Philip Hindes and Calum Skinner – the latter is currently taking an indefinite period away from the sport – others who could be in the frame for a place include Jack Carlin, a silver medallist this year at the World Championships and Commonwealth Games.

Cacker acknowledged that his ambitions may raise eyebrows, saying: “I know there are probably cyclists up and down the land who will laugh at the notion of this. Probably similar to the individuals who laughed at the 11.5sec 100m chef who said he wanted to be an Olympian.”

He added: “I’ve never shied from a challenge and whether this fails miserably or succeeds brilliantly, I'll know at least I tried. And bobsleigh, I'll see you in 2020,” he concluded.

 

 

 

 

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BIG IMPORTANT THING! Ok so here's the 'announcement' ha a few of you know but many don't that I've decided to set myself another monster challenge by trying to make it in a third sport, track sprint cycling! We found during my time at bobsleigh that I had a high power to weight ratio on the bike and this piqued a curiosity for me about giving this sport a go. A few of the bobsleigh boys had talked about trying it previously and I'm now the one who's hit the fuck it button and is going for it. So im stepping away from bobsleigh for a couple years to see what happens... • • So im announcing it because my insta page is basically going to become a social media diary of the journey! All the fails, falls, wins, losses, training, first races, you name it it'll be here. Hopefully the training content will be interesting for those of you who don't know me and for the ones that do I hope you continue to enjoy the rollercoaster that is my sporting career. So please share, follow (or unfollow!) And lets see if I can become the first olympic champion to win on stabilisers. I know there are probably cyclists up and down the land who will laugh at the notion of this. Probably similar to the individuals who laughed at the 11.5sec 100m chef who said he wanted to be an Olympian. Ive never shied from a challenge and whether this fails miserably or succeeds brilliantly, I'll know at least I tried. And bobsleigh, I'll see you in 2020. • • #herewego #olympian #transfer #sport #dream #challenge #learning #wobbly #essay #bobsleigh #olympics #teamgb #cycling #watts #training #transformation #ridingbikes #seriousshoot #shoutout @performanceelitegym @tom_archer_performance @woolley_man @dolanbikesuk @picotdesignstudio

A post shared by Greg Cackett OLY (@gregcackett1) on Oct 19, 2018 at 5:01am PDT