As Tao Geoghegan Hart began the last stage of this year’s Giro d’Italia he was already part of some pretty impressive history, but he will have had hopes of making more by the time the day was done.
Geoghegan Hart shared the lead with Australian Jai Hindley, before coming into his element in the time trial and finishing 39 seconds ahead and securing his first tour win.
This was the second win in the Italian Grand Tour by a British rider, the other being Chris Froome in 2018, not bad company at all.
So who is Britain’s latest cycling sensation?
Tao Geoghegan Hart was born in London in 1995 and grew up in Hackney.
This was where the cycling bug took hold, at a young age he joined the local cycling club and his athletic prowess and drive did not stop there.
When he was just 13 years old he was a member of a swimming relay team who swam the English Channel – quite the feat for someone so young – an experience he described as, “feeling like a lifetime ago” in an interview with Cyclist.
The love of cycling continued as a 15 year old Geoghegan Hart watched the Team Sky unveiling event in 2010, a team containing future British cycling icons Chris Froome, Bradley Wiggins and Geraint Thomas.
It was a dream come true then when, in 2017, he featured in a line-up containing Froome and Thomas again but also leading European talents Mikel Landa, Michal Kwiatowski, Wout Poels and Elia Viviani.
Throughout the next few years, he bided his time with impressive showings in the National Under-23 Road Championships, winning the tournament once.
Other encouraging signs followed with strong showings in the youth iterations of various big-name competitions such as the Paris-Roubaix and the Liège–Bastogne–Liège.
When Geraint Thomas won the Criterium du Dauphiné in 2018 Geoghegan Hart was a member of his supporting cast, just another example of how highly he has been thought of throughout his formative years.
Geoghegan Hart stayed a member of the team when it became Ineos last year completing the Vuelta a España in the same year and finishing 20th, his best Grand Tour finish at the time.
Thomas misfortune and Geoghegan Hart seizes his chance
Elite level sport can be brutal, and opportunities can be sparse so success really can depend on situation and how well you seize your chance.
One such chance presented itself early in the Giro in unfortunate circumstances as team leader Geraint Thomas crashed out with a broken hip early on and other contenders, Simon Yates among them withdrawing with Covid-19.
Do not be fooled however, plenty of experienced and world class riders still remained, the strongest of these in recent years being Vincenzo Nibali. Jakob Fuglsang and Rafal Majka.
Stage 15 was the beginning of something special with Geoghegan Hart winning his first stage in a Grand Tour, still with three minutes needed to be gained.
His climbing prowess then shone through along the mountain stages, dragging himself into contention heading into the final stage tied with Jai Hindley and finished as the first rider to win the Giro having not lead after a single stage until the finish.
So the 25 year old from Hackney has come a long way from humble beginnings working in a bike repair shop and cycling round London as a kid, watching the unveiling of his heroes, to riding among them and even outshining them this week.
Dave Brailsford has hailed him as a leader for the new generation of British cyclists and Ineos can hope that they can build on the success of the previous decade with fresh faces.
Make no mistake, Tao Geoghegan Hart is here to stay and along with Jai Hindley of Australia, Joao Almeida of Portugal – all coming in the top 4 at the age of less than 25 – can usher in a new era of elite cycling.
By Michael Vince