Ryan Bayley

Ryan Neville Bayley OAM (born 9 March 1982) is an Australian professional track cyclist and double Olympic gold medallist.

Ryan Bayley
Personal information
Full nameRyan Neville Bayley
Born (1982-03-09) 9 March 1982
Perth, Western Australia, Australia
Height182 cm (6 ft 0 in)
Weight90 kg (198 lb)
Team information
DisciplineTrack
RoleRider
Rider typeSprinter
Professional team
-Team Toshiba
Major wins
Keirin, UCI Track Cycling World Championships

Sprint, 2004 Summer Olympic Games, Athens

Keirin, 2004 Summer Olympic Games, Athens

Biography

Born in Perth, Western Australia, Bayley started competitive cycling in 1997 at fifteen years of age. He is a member of the Albany Cycling Club and employed by the Australian Institute of Sport.

Bayley won gold medals for the Sprint and Team Sprint track cycling events at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester.

His greatest success as a track cyclist came in the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, where he won gold medals in the sprint and Keirin events.[1]

Following Bayley's failure to win a medal at the World Cup round in Sydney in December 2007, he was criticized by Martin Barras, the national coach, for not developing his tactics. He was still employing the same final kick which achieved success in Athens, the opposition had learnt to attack early to counter this.[2][3]

In February 2008, tension was brewing between Bayley and his rival for Olympic selection, Shane Perkins. Both were deemed by the judges to be riding improperly at the Australian National Track Championships. Bayley crashed when Perkins moved down on him during a race, burning a hole in the back of his skinsuit. The relationship between the two riders was given another dimension, when Perkins announced his engagement to Bayley's younger sister, Kristine Bayley.[4]

Bayley was finally selected to ride at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, as Perkins had not competed in any Team Sprint events.[5][6] Bayley qualified in 12th place in the sprint event and eventually finished 11th, he was eliminated from the Keirin in the second round, placing 8th overall; he blamed himself for poor tactics. Bayley was also a member of the Team Sprint squad along with Daniel Ellis and Mark French, they qualified for the final ride-off for the bronze medal. After a strong start, they faded and finished fourth, missing out on a medal by 0.008 of a second.[7]

Bayley now lives in Brisbane with his wife and their two children.

Awards and honours

Bayley was awarded the Order of Australia Medal (OAM) in the 2005 Australia Day Honours List. Other awards include:

Major results
2000
1st Sprint, World Track Championships - Junior
1st Team Sprint, World Track Championships - Junior
2001
1st Keirin, UCI Track Cycling World Championships
2nd Team Sprint, UCI Track Cycling World Championships
2nd Keirin, Moscow (RUS)
2nd Team Sprint, Moscow (RUS)
2002
1st Sprint, Commonwealth Games, Manchester
1st Team Sprint, Commonwealth Games, Manchester
2003
3rd Team Sprint, Cape Town (RSA)
2nd Kilo, Australian National Track Championships, Sydney
3rd Keirin, Sydney (AUS)
2nd Team Sprint, Sydney (AUS)
2004
3rd Sprint, World Track Championships
Sprint, Olympic Games
Keirin, Olympic Games
2005
1st Sprint, Oceania Games, Wanganui
1st Keirin, Oceania Games, Wanganui
2006
3rd Team Sprint, Los Angeles (US)
3rd Sprint, Australian National Track Championships, Adelaide
1st Keirin, Commonwealth Games, Melbourne
1st Sprint, Commonwealth Games, Melbourne
3rd Team Sprint, Commonwealth Games, Melbourne
3rd Team Sprint, World Track Championships, Bordeaux
2nd Keirin, World Cup, Sydney
2007
1st Sprint, Australian National Track Championships, Sydney
3rd Team Sprint, Australian National Track Championships, Sydney
3rd Team Sprint, World Cup, Manchester
1st Sprint, Oceania Cycling Championships, Invercargill
2nd Keirin, European Track Championships, Invercargill
1st Team Sprint, Oceania Cycling Championships, Invercargill
1st Team Sprint, Sydney (AUS)
2008
3rd Keirin, World Cup, Los Angeles

References
  1. Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Ryan Bayley". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 24 September 2020.
  2. Rupert Guinness (3 December 2007). "New tactics needed by Olympic star". The Age. Archived from the original on 2 November 2012. Retrieved 23 January 2009.
  3. Leo Schlink (3 December 2007). "Barras warns sprint king to modify tactics". Herald Sun. Archived from the original on 3 December 2007. Retrieved 23 January 2009.
  4. "Tension between Bayley and Perkins spills on to the track". The Sydney Morning Herald. 8 February 2008. Archived from the original on 13 April 2008. Retrieved 23 January 2009.
  5. "Shane Perkins update". shaneperkins.com. 5 July 2008. Archived from the original on 6 October 2008. Retrieved 23 January 2009.
  6. "Aussies Kelly and O'Grady Line Up For Record Fifth Olympics in Beijing". 27 June 2008. Archived from the original on 6 September 2008. Retrieved 23 January 2009.
  7. "Results: Men's Team Sprint Finals". Beijing Olympics official website. Archived from the original on 18 August 2008.
  8. "Daredevil Bayley makes his move into Hall of Fame". Sport Australia Hall of Fame. 20 October 2015. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
  9. "CYCLING AUSTRALIA HALL OF FAME CLASS FOR 2016 ANNOUNCED". Cycling Australia News. 19 October 2016. Archived from the original on 24 September 2020. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
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