Trevor Gadd
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born |
16 April 1952 Wolverhampton, England |
| Team information | |
| Discipline | track cycling |
Trevor Gadd (born 16 April 1952) is a former English track cycling champion, representing Great Britain and England at the 1976 Olympic Games, 1977 World Championships and 1978 Commonwealth Games. 1975. Bronze Medal. British National Championships.(first year of competition) 1976. Silver Medal. British National Championships.
12th Montreal Olympic Games, Canada.
1977. British White Hope winner, Herne Hill London.
5th in the Kilometer Time Trial . World Championships. Venezuela.
British National Championships. Gold Sprint, Gold Kilometer time trial, Gold Tandem with Steve Cronshaw.
1978 European Indoor Championships East Berlin. Second in sprint.
Winner, Champion of Champions Sprint event Herne Hill London. (first British rider to win in 20 years)
British National Championships. Gold Sprint, Gold Kilometer time trial, Gold Tandem with Steve Cronshaw. (two years in succession).
Commonwealth Games Edmonton Canada. Two Silver, Silver Individual Sprint, Silver Tandem Sprint and Fifth in the 1000 Meter Time Trial.
1987. Canadian National Championships. Silver, Sprint. Silver, 1000 meter time trial. Both events won by Curt Harnett. Gadd had been retired for 9 years at this time and was coaching elite track cyclists in at the Edmonton Velodrome, He was convinced by Joe Zombar the owner of Velocity cycling club to compete in the Canadian Nationals. At the last minute Gadd purchased a license and was loaned the latest high end equipment by Joe to compete. These events being ridden with only mountain bike and commuting for the past several years and considering the very respectable second to Curt Harnett made Gadd think seriously about training for the upcoming 1988 Seoul Olympics. However, after the event Gadd was informed by Canadian National Coach Des Dickie not to even think about representing Canada as according to Dickie Gadd was too old at 36.
1975 His very first year racing, Gadd won Bronze in 1000 metre the British Nation Championships, his first ever attempt at the riding the kilo. The event was won by Ian Hallam . After which Gadd was added to the British Olympic shortlist. 1976. His second year of competition, Gadd competed in various Olympic selection events and was consequently added to the Official Olympic Track Team. At this particular time Gadd was fast but very much inexperienced in tactical maneuvers and therefore chosen to ride his race of choice, the Kilo. The fastest man against the clock, best man wins. However, once at the games, Gadd was not allowed to ride Kilo event at the Olympics due to a decision made by Bob Bicknal the team coach. Bicknal switched events on Gadd and made him ride the Sprint and not the Kilo, the Kilo was ridden by Kiwi Paul Medhurst who finished 19th with a time of 1:10.167. Gadd felt he was robbed of a lifetime opportunity to compete in the Kilo and was very sure he would have ranked much higher than Medhurst. Gadd finished 12th in the sprint, a very commendable accomplishment considering it was only Gadd's second year of racing. He was up against formidable competition.
Gadd was injured badly during the Olympic heats when he was brought down by an illegal maneuver committed by USA sprinter Lee Barczewski. Gadd had to have large African Hardwood Splints removed from his back with pliers before competing in the next heats.
After the Olympics Gadd was invited by US coach Jack Simes to ride a NBC televised rematch against Barczewski. During the second heat of the best of 3 sprint Gadd's front tire punctured at top speed and he was shaken up and covered with road rash. Barczewski won the event after which he and Gadd became friends. Gadd won the Silver in the British National Track Championships during 1976.
Gadd Learned after the World Championships that cycling at this level is not a level playing field and that he would have to take steroids or other enhancements to achieve his sought after goal of World Champion. Upon learning this Gadd decided he would settle for gold at the 1978 Commonwealth Games and said he would be happy with a non enhanced World Championship Bronze In Munich right after the Commonwealth Games and then quit. He never made it to Munich due to his tandem crash with LeGrys. Gadd's career suffered due to poor decisions by Tom Pinnington the England Manager and Bob Bicknal, Coach at the 1976 Olympic Games and Commonwealth Games in Edmonton.
Gadd competed in various Olympic selection events and was added to the Official Olympic Track Team. At this particular time Gadd was fast but very much inexperienced in tactical maneuvers and therefore chosen to ride his race of choice, the Kilo. The fastest man against the clock, best man wins.
However, once at the games, Gadd was not allowed to ride Kilo event at the Olympics due to a decision made by Bob Bicknal the team coach. Bicknal switched events on Gadd and made him ride the Sprint and not the Kilo, the Kilo was ridden by Kiwi Paul Medhurst who finished 19th with a time of 1:10.167. Gadd felt he was robbed of a lifetime opportunity to compete in the Kilo and was very sure he would have ranked much higher than Medhurst. Gadd finished 12th in the sprint, a very commendable accomplishment considering it was only Gadd's second year of racing. He was up against formidable competition.
Gadd was injured badly during the Olympic heats when he was brought down by an illegal maneuver committed by USA sprinter Lee Barczewski. Gadd had to have large African Hardwood Splints removed from his back with pliers before competing in the next heats.
After the Olympics Gadd was invited by US coach Jack Simes to ride a NBC televised rematch against Barczewski. During the second heat of the best of 3 sprint Gadd's front tire punctured at top speed and he was shaken up and covered with road rash. Barczewski won the event after which he and Gadd became friends. Gadd won the Silver in the British National Track Championships during 1976.
Seeded number one at the Commonwealth games Gadd was last to ride in the 1000 metre time trial after 30 plus riders. By the time he was to ride a thunder storm had blown in, the flags were flapping hard, large rain drops were on the track and Gadd pleaded with Pinnington to call off the event. Pinnington refused and told Gadd he must compete as there was a new Commonwealth record set by Kendrick Tucker of Australia. Gadd believed that Pinnington had the power to call the event off due to weather conditions. Against his better judgement Gadd rode into the first turn running over sandbags and having to correct his line on the track. Despite the wet track and strong winds Gadd finished fifth in the event. Pinnington made another fatal mistake as far as Gadd was concerned and that was to put Dave LeGrys on the front of the tandem. Gadd was at the time two time British National Champion on the tandem teamed up with the formidable stoker Steve Cronshaw. . Gadd being the frontman. However Pinnington in his wisdom decided to put Gadd on the back as stoker to LeGrys. Pinnington figured Gadd was not aggressive enough to pilot the tandem and LeGrys, in his mind, was. Gadd kicked with all his might on the final turn in the heat against the Canadian team of Jocelyn Lovell and Gordon Singleton and the British tandem back tire burst, LeGrys and Gadd were injured and unable to ride the third and final best of 3 and were awarded the silver medal as runners up. Years later Gadd was watching the CBC footage of the cycling crash and at that point realized that the burst back tire was not a malfunction but was due to LeGrys not being able to control the bike allowing the back end to swing around and cause the tire burst. Although Trevor is eternally grateful for the support from the British Telephone, for whom he worked, the Politics of British Cycling, Drug use and lack of funding for training, equipment and travelling were what convinced Gadd to quit after the tamdem crash at the commonwealth games.
Gadd was later convinced that he could have made World Champion with the type of support modern riders enjoy. Who knows, If he was born twenty years later you may have been calling him Sir Gadd.