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Chris Sutton
Chris Sutton consistently proved himself as one of Team Sky's fastest finishers during the 2011 season and will have a key role to play in the sprints once again in 2012.
The Australian’s campaign got off to a troubled start when he crashed hard at the Tour Down Under but he battled back to form brilliantly and kick-started the team’s Spring Classics programme by romping to victory at Kuurne-Bruxelles-Kuurne .
"That was an incredible feeling," Sutton admits while recalling that triumph. “I’ve always dreamt of winning that race and the guys gave me an amazing lead-out. Having them believing in me gave my confidence a boost. I got a chance, took the bull by the horns, and won. It was incredible.”
After that Sutton spent much of the season riding in support of his team-mates but was always in the mix when chances did come his way. He proved that on the second stage of the Vuelta a Espana when he left the world’s best sprinters trailing in his wake on a tough uphill finish before powering to his first Grand Tour success.
“I was in the zone I guess and everything seemed to happen in slow motion,” he adds. “It just opened up for me. The Lotto rider [Vicente Reynes] went, I jumped on his wheel and got to the top and thought ‘whoa, that hurt the legs a little bit’ and I looked back and there was no one there and I thought ‘I’m going to win this’. So with 150 metres to go I was just sat there – it worked out perfectly.”
That triumph also yielded the green points jersey for 24 hours, which Sutton admitted was “another dream come true”.
Before the season was out ‘CJ’ tasted victory again on the second stage of the Circuit Franco-Belge and pressed on to earn himself a place on the podium.
Those results built on a hugely-encouraging 2010 campaign where he secured Team Sky's first-ever stage victory on the final day of the Tour Down Under, and emerged triumphant on the opening stage of the Brixia Tour.
The 27 year old will now be aiming for more of the same in 2012, whilst also looking to inspire the next generation of cyclists plugging away in all corners of the world.
He says: “At Team Sky we try to put out a motto about how fun it is to ride - it's a fantastic way to exercise and it keeps you healthy. We're really trying to reinforce that.
“I want to help out the young kids and show them that your dreams can come true. It’s happened to me. Nothing in life is easy and you’ve got to work hard. But you can make it. Work hard enough and you are going to succeed.”
