Jamie Staff

Olympic team sprint champion Jamie Staff has announced his retirement from cycling at the age of 36.

The former BMX star switched to the track and became the best ‘man one' in the world, mastering a highly specialised discipline and setting the fastest opening lap of all time at the Beijing Olympics. That time of 17.1 seconds for 250 metres still stands and his retirement, due in part to a persistent back injury, leaves a whole in the Great Britain team sprint trio.

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Sports journalist Lionel Birnie has written professionally for Sunday Times, Procycling and of course Cycling Weekly. He is also an author, publisher, and co-founder of The Cycling Podcast. His first experience covering the Tour de France came in 1999, and he has presented The Cycling Podcast with Richard Moore and Daniel Friebe since 2013. He founded Peloton Publishing in 2010 and has ghostwritten and published the autobiography of Sean Kelly, as well as a number of other sports icons.