- Sir Bradley Wiggins and Victoria Pendleton launch 2015 Jaguar Land Rover Academy of Sport mentoring programme
- British cycling icons inspire future British Olympic cycling hopefuls at the London Velodrome days before Wiggins takes on UCI Hour Record
- The Jaguar Land Rover Academy of Sport, in partnership with SportsAid, will feature 50 of the UK's top 12‑18 year‑old, able‑bodied and non‑disabled athletes, as part of a world class sports mentoring programme
- Click here to view film.
Whitley, UK, Friday 5th June 2015: British sporting icons, Sir Bradley Wiggins and Victoria Pendleton, mentored some of Britain's most talented young cyclists at the London Velodrome this week. The mentoring session marked an important step in the development of Jaguar Land Rover's Academy of Sport programme.
Sir Bradley Wiggins, Olympic gold medal winner and Britain's first Tour de France champion was joined by Victoria Pendleton, Jaguar Land Rover Academy of Sport Ambassador and the UK's most successful female track cyclist of all‑time to mentor these 'rising stars' of their sport. The cycling icons shared personal stories from their record‑breaking careers, offered insights into the challenges of performing at elite level and discussed the importance of setting goals.
Wiggins, who aims to break the UCI Hour Record at the same venue on Sunday, said: "This is a great initiative; I'm committed to encouraging kids to get out and onto their bikes and so any type of scheme that brings new talent on has got to be a good thing. The access to world class facilities, coaching and mentoring through programmes like the Jaguar Land Rover Academy of Sport gives them a great chance to go on and realise their ambitions."
Since its inception in 2010, the Jaguar Land Rover Academy of Sport has worked alongside charitable partner SportsAid to recognise, celebrate and inspire the very best of British sporting talent. The unique bursary and mentoring programme has now been developed to include an even greater variety of exclusive workshops and performance focus groups tailored to the needs of each young athlete.
Victoria Pendleton said: "It's a huge honor to be a part of the Jaguar Land Rover Academy of Sport and it's an incredible opportunity for these youngsters. To be a part of a mentoring scheme and supported to follow your dreams is so important and can really make the difference for getting your foot on that ladder towards an elite career. These Academy Rising Stars could be a champions of the future."
Laura Schwab, Marketing Director at Jaguar Land Rover UK, said: "We are committed to running an exciting Academy programme in 2015, and working with SportsAid to create more inspirational opportunities for these athletes to learn from some of the most celebrated British sports stars."
Tim Lawler, Chief Executive of SportsAid, commented: "SportsAid is proud to continue its work with The Jaguar Land Rover Academy of Sport, and supporting the next generation of British sporting talent. It takes a huge amount of dedication and commitment to achieve in sport, and we are excited to be able to play a role in nurturing this young talent and helping them on their road to success. For these athletes to be able to understand some of their performance and motivational challenges were also the same of those experienced by British legends like Sir Bradley Wiggins and Victoria Pendleton is invaluable."
The 50 Rising Stars have been nominated by their governing bodies and selected following a rigorous process conducted by SportsAid. The Academy, now in its fifth year, has awarded 276 bursaries since 2010 with 30% of its Rising Stars going onto professional or world class funding, including 2012 British Olympic Gold Medal winner, Jade Jones.
For more information on the Jaguar Land Rover Academy of Sport, please visit: sportsaid.org.uk
About SportsAid:
Since 1976, SportsAid has helped many of nation's most successful sportsmen and women. Some of the best known former SportsAid recipients are Sir Chris Hoy, David Weir CBE, Mo Farah CBE, Dame Sarah Storey, Jessica Ennis‑Hill CBE, Victoria Pendleton CBE, Ellie Simmonds OBE, Sir Bradley Wiggins, Baroness Grey‑Thompson DBE, Sir Ben Ainslie, Jonnie Peacock MBE, Tom Daley, Ade Adepitan MBE and Sir Steve Redgrave. The charity's patron is Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge.
For further details please contact:
Dan Connell
Jaguar UK Manager
e. dconnel1@jagaurlandrover.com
m. 07880 177 307
Anna Jackson
Jaguar UK Press Officer
e. ajackso1@jaguarlandrover.com
m. 07880 401 103
Amanda Fox‑Pryke
Brandrapport Press Office
e. Afox‑pryke@brand‑rapport.com
m. 07947 754775
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