Seriously? Not a single woman has been short-listed for the BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year! The nominees, who are drawn up from suggestions submitted by 27 UK media outlets, are – how should Cyclo put it? – somewhat gender biased… No Jessica Varnish or Victoria Pendleton, no Lizzie Armitstead, to name just a couple from the world of cycling that might conceivably been up there with the best. And that’s just cycling – how about the awesome Beth Tweddle if we look to the world of gymnastics or Sarah Stephenson for Judo? Cyclo’s list could go on – certainly, it would seem, far longer than the BBC’s.
Blatant sexism aside; the annual SPOTY’s are not a complete washout for cycling as a whole. Lucy Garner, the Junior Road Race World Champion, has been announced as one of the ten short-list candidates for the BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year; whilst, as had long been anticipated, Mark Cavendish finds himself up for the main award. Cavendish, winner of both the green sprinters jersey at the TdF and World Road-Race Champion, is already being touted as a favourite and if he wins will be the third cyclist to walk away with the honour following Sir Chris Hoy in 2008 and Tommy Simpson way back in 1965.
