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Shanaze Reade

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Shanaze Reade
Reade in 2008
Personal information
Full nameShanaze Danielle Reade
Born (1988-09-23) 23 September 1988 (age 36)
Crewe, Cheshire, United Kingdom
Height1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)[1]
Weight70 kg (154 lb)[1]
Team information
DisciplineBicycle Motocross (BMX)
Track
RoleRacer
Rider typeBMX: Off Road
Track: Sprinter
Amateur teams
2001–2003Bulldog Bikes UK
2004–2005Team Persil BMX
2005–2006SIS/Adidas
2006Koxx Racing
Professional teams
2007–2008Redline Bicycles
2008–2013Team Sky+ HD
2015 – 2017Madison Genesis
Medal record
Representing  Great Britain
Women's track cycling
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2007 Palma de Mallorca Team sprint
Gold medal – first place 2008 Manchester Team sprint
Silver medal – second place 2009 Pruszków Team sprint
Women's BMX
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2007 Victoria Elite Women
Gold medal – first place 2008 Taiyuan Elite Women
Gold medal – first place 2010 Adelaide Elite Women
Gold medal – first place 2011 Copenhagen Elite Women Time Trial
Silver medal – second place 2012 Birmingham Elite Women Time Trial
Gold medal – first place 2006 São Paulo Junior Women

Shanaze Danielle Reade (born 23 September 1988 in Crewe, Cheshire, United Kingdom)[2] is a British former bicycle motocross (BMX) racer and track cyclist whose prime competitive years began in 2002. She has won the UCI BMX World Championships three times.[3] Reade is the daughter of a Jamaican father and an Irish mother.[citation needed]

Early years

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Reade was primarily raised by her grandparents after her mother gave birth to her at the age of 17. She has credited her grandfather with giving her the self-confidence to achieve success in her cycling career.[4] Reade began racing in 1998 at the age of 10, at Tipkinder Park in Crewe. A local track operator named Bob Field, whose son also raced at the time, became her mentor.[5] She was previously a Track & Field enthusiast but apparently got bored with 100-metre sprint running and the Shot Put after five years in those sports before discovering BMX.[6][7]

BMX career to 2007

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In 2005, she raced the National series with the men all year, despite being only 17 years old.[8][9] She commented on racing against men in a Descent World interview:

I am usually always top 3 when racing the guys. I have been racing them now for 2 years and I was almost the National Champion last year though had to settle for the No 2 spot. The boys in BMX are all cool, some spit their dummies out but I just let them get on with it! It's really quite fun to watch when I kick their booties.[10]

Reade fractured her knee two weeks before the UCI World Championships in July 2005 at a national event in England. She raced the World Championships with her knee wrapped up and on pain killers but crashed in the quarter-finals.[11]

Known for her power, she developed her strength racing against boys and older amateurs, including men up to the present time. She won her first professional race in the Girls Pro at the American Bicycle Association (ABA) Winternationals in Phoenix, Arizona on 1 April 2006. She also won the following day.[12] In 2006, she became British National No.1 in 19 & Over Elite Men after racing the National series with men all year, despite being only 17 at the time, 1.72 metres tall and 76 kg.

In June 2006, Reade broke a metatarsal bone in practice. Her first race back was the 2006 European Championships where she competed only in the last two race events before the final Event. The cast came off four days before the European Championships Final Event.[13]

She won the World Championships in Brazil in August 2006 despite an earlier injury to her foot.

Her BMX victories at junior level include three World, eight European and five British BMX championships. Reade is also a champion track racer, riding on Velodromes. In July 2007 she became the Women's Senior UCI BMX World Champion and at the 2007 UCI Track World Championships,[14] she won the gold in the women's team sprint with Victoria Pendleton. It was only her second track race ever.[15] Not only was she the first ever to win a track championship in her rookie year, she completed the feat after only six weeks of training.[16] She had originally taken up the sport to keep her fit for BMX competition.

Track racing

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Reade started track racing on 24 February 2007, her first ever competition on the velodrome was in the Manchester round of the 2006–2007 UCI Track Cycling World Cup Classics. She took second place with Anna Blyth in the Team Sprint in a time of 34.294 seconds. The Gold Medal-winning Dutch team of Yvonne Hijgenaar and Willy Kanis' time was 33.966 seconds. Like Reade, Kanis is also a champion BMX racer. Reade and Blyth's qualifying time was the fastest of the event at 33.802 seconds. In the final round, the Dutch team made a false start, however, Reade didn't notice the call back to the start and completed a lap at full sprint. In a post race interview, Reade said:

"...The first run in the final (the false start) definitely took a lot out of me because I got halfway down the back straight the second time and my legs were burning bad. I could never have dreamed I'd come away with a Silver medal in my first World Cup though."[17]

Reade and Victoria Pendleton in 2008

A month later, on 29 March, Reade went on to take first place in Team Sprint at the UCI Track Cycling World Championships in Palma de Mallorca along with Victoria Pendleton.[18] It was also the first ever Women's Team Sprint Gold Medal title in that event. Their winning time was 33.631 seconds.[19] Reade was a last minute replacement for Anna Blyth,[20] Reade's partner at her first track racing event a month prior.

This success in Velodrome racing follows the example of the former professional BMX racer, Jamie Staff, who had a successful career both in Velodrome track racing and BMX racing. At the 2008 UCI Track Cycling World Championships in Manchester, she again won the gold in the women's team sprint with Pendleton. On 20 November 2007 Reade was named The Sunday Times Young Sportswoman of the Year.[21]

Olympic Games

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Reade is still active in track racing but concentrated on BMX for the event's first inclusion in the Olympic Games in 2008. Having successfully defended her crown at the 2008 world championships,[22] Reade was named the sole woman member of the United Kingdom BMX Olympic team by British Cycling on 9 July 2008.[23] She was the favourite to win the gold medal in the women's BMX event.

She crashed in the first qualifying heat time trial, but the second heat saw Reade set second fastest time. As the best of both times was counted; she advanced to the semi-finals. They were run in three heats, with riders accumulating points dependent on placings. Despite crashing in the first heat, Reade gained enough points to put her through to the final. The final round saw Reade ride slightly more conservatively conceding the lead to Anne-Caroline Chausson on the first berm. She crashed again on the final berm when she clipped Chausson's rear wheel, conceding the chance of a medal. She did not finish the race.[24][25]

Return to the track

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On 16 March 2009, Reade was selected in the British squad for the World Track Cycling Championships in Pruszków, Poland, where she once again competed alongside Victoria Pendleton in the Women's Sprint and Team Sprint events.[26] In 2009 however Reade and Pendleton failed to retain their team crown, winning only a silver after losing out to Kaarle McCulloch and Anna Meares of Australia.[27] Reade was philosophical after this setback telling BBC Sport "I did the best possible ride I could do on the day so I'm really happy."

In April 2015 it was announced that Reade was re-joining the Great Britain track squad after a period based in the United States competing in BMX.[28] Subsequently, in August 2015 the Madison Genesis team announced that Reade would ride for them during the 2015–16 track cycling season as part of her preparation for the 2016 Summer Olympics.[29]

Olympics 2012

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Reade again represented Great Britain in the women's BMX event for the London 2012 Olympics. Having placed second, first and second in the three heat semi-final she finished a disappointing sixth in the final.[30]

Retirement and comeback

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In April 2017 Reade announced her retirement from competition,[31] after she had been dropped from British Cycling's elite squad: in a 2021 interview she said this had forced her into retirement as British Cycling's medical team believed that she would not be able to compete at the Tokyo Olympics as she had had her shoulder operated on five times.[4]

After her retirement she became a fitness coach. However, the period after her retirement was marked by a bout of alcoholism and weight gain, which she was able to recover from after joining Alcoholics Anonymous.[4] In August 2018 she returned to training at British Cycling, after being invited several times by performance director Stephen Park. In a January 2019 interview, Reade explained that she was returning to competition for "closure" after feeling that her physical and mental condition were sub-optimal at the time of her retirement, adding that she was now treating the sport as a hobby and not accepting funding for her cycling.[32] That month she won the British National Team Sprint Championships alongside Blaine Ridge-Davis - her first national title in any discipline.[33] However, a few days afterwards she was ruled out of selection for the 2019 UCI Track Cycling World Championships due to a rule changed which required competitors at the world championships to have competed in that season's World Cup: the team sprint squad that Team GB sent to the world championships was unable to secure qualification for the Olympics in the event. Reade subsequently retired from competition for a second time. She has stated that she was subsequently approached by the British Bobsleigh and Skeleton Association to enquire whether she would consider competing in bobsleigh with a view to being part of the British squad at the 2022 Winter Olympics, but that she had turned them down.[4]

Aside from fitness coaching, she also serves as West Midlands cycling and walking ambassador, and also acts as a brand ambassador for a number of companies including HSBC.[4] In 2020 she was appointed as a co-opted member of the board of directors for the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships in Glasgow[34] and in June 2021 she was also announced as an ambassador for the 2023 Worlds.[35]

Titles and awards

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BMX titles

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Amateur

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British Cycling

2000
11–12 Girls and 12 Girls Cruiser BCFBMX National Champion. She also came in 4th in 12 cruiser against the boys that year
2001
Senior Women's Champion
13 Girls European Champion
2003
15 Girls European Champion
2004
16 Girls European Champion
16 Girls and 18 & Under Women's Cruiser World Champion
2005
18 & Under Women's Cruiser European Champion
17 Expert European Champion
2006
Junior Elite Women European Champion

Professional

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British Cycling

2002
Superclass girl National Champion
2003
Superclass girl National Champion
2006
19 & Over Elite Men British National No.1

Union Cycliste Internationale

2006
Junior Women World Champion
2007
Elite Women World Champion
Elite Women European Champion
Elite Women Supercross World Cup Champion – This was the "Good Luck, Beijing" race held on 22 August 2007 on the Olympic track in Beijing, China exactly 362 days before BMX Olympic competition started in Beijing.[36]
2008
Elite Women World Champion
Elite Women Supercross World Cup Champion
2010
Elite Women World Champion
2013
1st UCI BMX Supercross World Cup – Round 1
1st UCI BMX Supercross World Cup – Round 2

Track results

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2007
1st Team Sprint, World Championships, with Victoria Pendleton
2nd Team Sprint, UCI Track Cycling World Cup, with Anna Blyth
5th 500 m TT, World Championships
2008
1st Team Sprint, World Championships, with Victoria Pendleton
2015
2nd British National Team Sprint Championships, with Victoria Williamson[37]
2019
1st British National Team Sprint Championships, with Blaine Ridge-Davis

References

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  1. ^ a b "Athletes: Shanaze Reade". London 2012 Olympics. London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Archived from the original on 28 August 2012. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
  2. ^ "Olympic Dreams – Shanaze Reade". BBC Sport. 3 October 2007.
  3. ^ Shanaze Reade crowned BMX world champion for third time
  4. ^ a b c d e Cleverly, Ian (8 April 2021). ""I know what it's like to be at rock bottom": Shanaze Reade Profile". Rouleur. Retrieved 15 April 2021.
  5. ^ Andrew Longmore (23 March 2008). "Shanaze Reade, pedalling to Beijing". London: The Times. Archived from the original on 29 August 2008.
  6. ^ "Wheel deal: BMX racing makes its Olympic debut". The Independent. London. 5 January 2008. Archived from the original on 5 December 2008. Retrieved 23 May 2010.
  7. ^ Roger Ajogbe (13 February 2002). "Two Wheels Good…Shanaze Reade PREVIEW". Touch. Archived from the original on 3 May 2008.
  8. ^ "Brightest hopes primed to make a big noise in 2007". London: The Guardian Online, Sport Blog. 30 December 2006. Retrieved 23 May 2010.
  9. ^ "BC BMX National Series Rnd 6 – Event Report". British Cycling. 14 August 2006. Archived from the original on 22 September 2008.
  10. ^ Si Paton (2005). "Interview: Shanaze Reade". Descent World.
  11. ^ Gareth A Davies (25 March 2008). "My Sport: Shanaze Reade". London: Telegraph. Archived from the original on 25 March 2008.
  12. ^ BMX Plus! July 2006 Vol.29 No.7 pg.69 (results)
  13. ^ Laura Deeley (28 July 2007). "Wheel trail blazer". London: times.online.co.uk. Archived from the original on 15 June 2011.
  14. ^ Baskett, Simon (3 April 2007). "British track team set the gold standard". Reuters. Archived from the original on 17 July 2012. Retrieved 3 April 2007.
  15. ^ Whittle, Jeremy (30 March 2007). "Women sprinters quick to follow gold standard of Wiggins". The Times. London. Retrieved 3 April 2007.[dead link]
  16. ^ "In pictures (click blue box for 9th image)". BBC Sport. 30 May 2008.
  17. ^ Phil Ingham (24 February 2007). "Manchester UCI Track World Cup 2007, event report". British Cycling. Archived from the original on 3 December 2008.
  18. ^ "Olympic Countdown: Shanaze Reade". bmxcommunity.com. 6 March 2008.
  19. ^ Andrew Hood (29 March 2007). "Huff scores bronze in omnium as Wiggins takes pursuit final". Velonews.com. Archived from the original on 31 May 2008. Retrieved 9 July 2008.
  20. ^ Shane Stokes (27 April 2007). "An interview with Shanaze Reade: Dream Debut on Track". cyclingnews.com.
  21. ^ Maul, Rob (20 November 2007). "MCC Young Sportswoman of the Year". London: Times Online. Archived from the original on 2 December 2008. Retrieved 13 December 2007.
  22. ^ Jessica Whitehorn (2 June 2008). "Shanaze Reade defends world BMX title". UK Sport.
  23. ^ "Great Britain names strong Olympic squad". cyclingnews.com. 9 July 2008.
  24. ^ Gallagher, Brendan (22 August 2008). "Shanaze Reade crashes out of BMX final in bid for golden glory at Beijing Olympics". London: telegraph.co.uk. Archived from the original on 22 August 2008. Retrieved 23 May 2010.
  25. ^ "Reade crashes out of BMX medals". BBC Sport. 22 August 2008. Retrieved 22 August 2008.
  26. ^ "Cavendish named in GB track team". BBC Sport. 16 March 2009.
  27. ^ "GB women win world pursuit gold". BBC Sport. 27 March 2009.
  28. ^ Wynn, Nigel (13 April 2015). "Shanaze Reade returns to Great Britain's track team". Cycling Weekly. Retrieved 9 August 2015.
  29. ^ Clarke, Stuart (5 August 2015). "Shanaze Reade joins Madison Genesis for 2015/16 track season". Cycling Weekly. Retrieved 9 August 2015.
  30. ^ "London 2012: Shanaze Reade misses out again as GB fail in BMX finals". guardian.co.uk. 10 August 2012. Retrieved 4 September 2012.
  31. ^ "BMX and track world champion Shanaze Reade retires from cycling". bbc.co.uk. 21 April 2017. Retrieved 25 April 2017.
  32. ^ Pitt, Vern (28 January 2019). "'It's about closure' – Former track and BMX star Shanaze Reade returns to racing after retirement". Cycling Weekly. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
  33. ^ "National Track Championships: Reade wins first British title, Kenny takes keirin". bbc.co.uk. 28 January 2019. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
  34. ^ Houston, Michael (21 October 2020). "Chief executive appointed for 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships". Inside the Games. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
  35. ^ "Reade appointed ambassador for 2021 UCI Cycling World Championships". VisitScotland. 1 June 2021. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
  36. ^ "Shanaze Reade – U.K". redlinebicycles.com. Archived from the original on 22 August 2008.
  37. ^ "British National Track Championships 25th–27th September 2015: Results – Team Female" (PDF). British Cycling. Retrieved 28 September 2015.
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