Jonathan Tiernan-Locke

Last updated

Jonathan Tiernan-Locke
JTL Tour Of Britain 2011 (cropped).jpg
Tiernan-Locke at the 2011 Tour of Britain
Personal information
Full nameJonathan Tiernan-Locke
NicknameJTL
Born (1984-12-26) 26 December 1984 (age 39)
Plymouth, Devon, England
Height1.74 m (5 ft 9 in)
Team information
Current teamRetired
DisciplineRoad
RoleRider
Rider type Puncheur
Amateur teams
2003U.V. Aube
2004British U-23 National team
2004CC Étupes
2016Saint Piran
Professional teams
2009 Plowman Craven-Madison
2010–2011 Rapha Condor–Sharp
2012 Endura Racing
2013–2014 Team Sky
Major wins
Stage races
Tour Méditerranéen (2012)
Tour du Haut Var (2012)

Jonathan Tiernan-Locke (born 26 December 1984) is a British former professional road racing cyclist who last raced for UCI ProTeam Team Sky in 2013. [1] Tiernan-Locke's major breakthrough came from winning four stage races during the 2012 UCI Europe Tour, including the Tour of Britain, while riding for Endura Racing. In 2014, his 2012 Tour of Britain win was stripped following the identification of anomalies in his biological passport data from around the time of that race, and he was banned from competition until the end of 2015. [2]

Contents

Amateur career

Tiernan-Locke started mountain bike racing at the age of 15 before taking up road racing in 2003 when he was 18. [3] He progressed rapidly from 4th Category to 1st Category in a matter of months and for 2004 was offered the chance to ride for the French Amateur team U.V. Aube. Within 18 months he was selected for the British U23 National team, competing in the Under-23 road race at the 2004 UCI Road World Championships in Verona, Italy, [4] and joined the French team CC Étupes for 2005. His impact was immediate, with a win in GP de Rocheville, and podiums on all ten of his first ten races.

Months later his health deteriorated and he was diagnosed with Epstein–Barr virus. Forced to stop racing altogether, he spent the next three years studying for a degree in product design at the University of the West of England, but did not graduate. After recovering his health he started racing again in 2008 but his season was once more disrupted after he was knocked off his bike by a horse while competing in a Surrey League race and suffered injuries including a broken collarbone and nose. [5] In 2009 he finally got the chance to return to the pro ranks with the Plowman Craven-Madison team, but once again misfortune struck as the team folded mid season and Jonathan returned to working in a bike shop. [6]

Professional career

2011: Rapha Condor-Sharp

In 2010 he was offered the opportunity to ride with Rapha Condor–Sharp for the 2011 season. He won the mountains classification and finished fifth in the general classification in the Tour of Britain. [7] [8]

2012: Endura Racing

Tiernan-Locke in the leader's jersey at the 2012 Tour of Britain. He was later stripped of the title over bio-passport irregularities JTL TOB (cropped).jpg
Tiernan-Locke in the leader's jersey at the 2012 Tour of Britain. He was later stripped of the title over bio-passport irregularities

Tiernan-Locke moved to Endura Racing for the 2012 season. At the start of the year he won the Tour Méditerranéen, [9] and the Tour du Haut Var, [10] with those results gaining him the lead of the UCI Europe Tour. [11] Tiernan-Locke later placed second to Movistar Team's Nairo Quintana in the Vuelta a Murcia. [12] He suffered a fractured collarbone at the Lincoln Grand Prix in May, [13] but returned to cycling at June's Route du Sud, finishing 22nd overall. In July he won the Tour Alsace overall as well as two stages during the event. [14] Tiernan-Locke led Endura at his home race, the Tour of Britain. He finished second on stage six, to Caerphilly mountain, to take the lead of the race. He held the lead until the end of the race, becoming the first British rider to win a British cycling tour since 1993. [15] [16]

Tiernan-Locke represented Great Britain at the road world championships finishing 19th. He further enhanced his reputation by staying in contention with the world class field until the final climb. [17] [18]

On 4 October 2012, it was announced that Tiernan-Locke would join UCI ProTeam Team Sky on a two-year contract from the 2013 season onwards. [1]

2013–2014: Team Sky

Tiernan-Locke riding for Team Sky at the 2013 Paris-Nice J TiernanLocke.jpg
Tiernan-Locke riding for Team Sky at the 2013 Paris–Nice

Tiernan-Locke withdrew from the road world championships on 29 September 2013 because of a potential discrepancy in his biological passport data. [19] He was suspended from racing for Team Sky or taking part in any training activities until he had faced an anti-doping hearing. [20] In July 2014, his ban was announced by the UCI, banning him until 31 December 2015 and stripping his 2012 Tour of Britain and World Championship results. [21] Team Sky immediately terminated his contract. [22] In August 2014, UK Anti-Doping upheld the ban, accepting Tiernan-Locke's claim that he had indulged in binge drinking two days before the positive test but rejecting his contention that he had not rehydrated by the time of the test, given that he was tested on the eve of the 2012 World Championship road race, where he finished 19th. [23] Tiernan-Locke subsequently expressed an interest in returning to professional cycling after the end of his ban. [24]

2016: return to competition

In January 2016, following the end of his ban, Tiernan-Locke indicated that he would return to racing as an independent, rather than with a team. [25] He subsequently expressed dissatisfaction with being awarded a second-category racing licence for his return to competition, after having raced with an elite-level licence from 2003 until his ban. [26] Tiernan-Locke later confirmed that he would ride for the Saint Piran team, which he had co-founded. [27] He finished second on his return to racing in the Primavera Road Race in February 2016, [28] and subsequently won the Modbury Spring Road Race in March. [29] In April 2016, he told Cycling Weekly that "I'm realistic that it's a hobby these days, I'm getting by on 10 hours a week training. Realistically, I'm riding at a good level and I'm happy with that". [30]

Major results

2005
1st GP de Rocheville
3rd Des Boucles Catalanes
2008
1st Jersey yellow.svg Overall Totnes–Vire
1st Stage 3
2009
6th Severn Bridge Road Race [31]
2010
5th Overall FBD Insurance Ras
1st Stage 5
2011
2nd Overall Vuelta Ciclista a León
1st Jersey red.svg Mountains classification [32]
1st Stage 4
1st Ryedale Grand Prix [33]
2nd Jock Wadley Memorial [34]
4th Overall Tour de Korea
5th Overall Tour of Britain
1st Jersey polkadot.svg Mountains classification
8th Overall Tour of South Africa
8th East Yorkshire Classic [35]
2012
1st Jersey whiteyellow.svg Overall Tour Alsace
1st Jersey whitegreen.svg Points classification
1st Jersey whitered.svg Mountains classification
1st Stages 2 & 4
1st Jersey yellow.svg Overall Tour Méditerranéen
1st Jersey green.svg Points classification
1st Stages 1 & 4
1st Jersey yellow.svg Overall Tour du Haut Var
1st Jersey green.svg Points classification
1st Stage 2
Voided Result. [21]
1st Jersey gold.svg Overall Tour of Britain
2nd Overall Vuelta a Murcia
3rd Overall UCI Europe Tour
6th Overall Vuelta Ciclista a León

Personal life

On 24 April 2015 Tiernan-Locke was arrested and charged for drunk driving. Analysis of a blood sample found 204 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood. He was sentenced at a magistrates court to a 17-month driving ban. [36]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Rogers (cyclist)</span> Australian cyclist (born 1979)

Michael Rogers is an Australian retired professional road bicycle racer who competed professionally between 1999 and 2016, for the Mapei–Quick-Step, Quick-Step–Innergetic, Team HTC–Columbia, Team Sky and Tinkoff teams. He is a three-time World Time Trial Champion, winning consecutively in 2003, 2004 and 2005, and won Grand Tour stages at the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bradley Wiggins</span> British former professional road and track racing cyclist

Sir Bradley Marc Wiggins, CBE is a British former professional road and track racing cyclist, who competed professionally between 2001 and 2016. He began his cycling career on the track, but later made the transition to road cycling. He won world titles in four disciplines, and Olympic gold in three. He is the only rider to have won both World and Olympic championships on both the track and the road as well as winning the Tour de France. He has worn the leader's jersey in each of the three Grand Tours of cycling and held the world record in team pursuit on multiple occasions. He won a gold medal at four successive Olympic Games from 2004 to 2016, and held the record as Great Britain's most decorated Olympian with 8 medals until Jason Kenny won his 9th in 2021. He is the only rider to win both the Tour de France and Olympic Gold in the same year, winning them a week apart in 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tour of Britain</span> Cycling race

The Tour of Britain is a multi-stage cycling race, conducted on British roads, in which participants race across Great Britain to complete the race in the fastest time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve Cummings</span> British racing cyclist

Stephen Philip Cummings is an English former racing cyclist, who rode professionally between 2005 and 2019 for the Landbouwkrediet–Colnago, Discovery Channel, Barloworld, Team Sky, BMC Racing Team and Team Dimension Data squads, and rode for Great Britain at the Summer Olympic Games, the UCI Road World Championships, and the UCI Track Cycling World Championships.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kanstantsin Sivtsov</span> Belarusian road bicycle racer

Kanstantsin Sivtsov (or Siutsou is a Belarusian former professional road bicycle racer, who rode professionally between 2001 and 2018 for the Itera, Lokomotiv, Fassa Bortolo, Acqua & Sapone, Barloworld, HTC–Highroad, Team Sky, Team Dimension Data and Bahrain–Merida squads. He retired after provisionally being suspended from the sport following an adverse analytical finding for erythropoietin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joaquim Rodríguez</span> Spanish road bicycle racer

Joaquim Rodríguez Oliver is a Spanish cyclist, who competed in road bicycle racing between 2001 and 2016 for the ONCE–Eroski, Saunier Duval–Prodir, Caisse d'Epargne and Team Katusha teams. Following his retirement from road racing, Rodríguez has competed in mountain bike racing and formed his own mountain bike racing team, Andbank–La Purito.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ben Swift</span> British racing cyclist

Benjamin Ian Swift is a British professional track and road racing cyclist, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam Ineos Grenadiers. Swift won the scratch race at the 2012 UCI Track Cycling World Championships and the men's elite road race at the 2019 and 2021 British National Road Race Championships. His cousin, Connor Swift, is also an English professional road racing cyclist, and the 2018 British champion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Froome</span> British cyclist (born 1985)

Christopher Clive Froome [kɹɪs fɹuːm], is a Kenyan-British professional road racing cyclist who currently rides for UCI ProTeam Israel–Premier Tech. He has won seven Grand Tours: four editions of the Tour de France, one Giro d'Italia (2018) and the Vuelta a España twice. He has also won several other stage races, and the Vélo d'Or three times. Froome has also won two Olympic bronze medals in road time trials, in 2012 and 2016, and took bronze in the 2017 World Championships.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Kennaugh</span> British road bicycle racer

Peter Robert Kennaugh MBE is a Manx former professional racing cyclist, who rode professionally between 2010 and 2019 for Team Sky and Bora–Hansgrohe. In 2012 he won the gold medal as part of the Great Britain Team Pursuit team at the 2012 Summer Olympics, becoming the first Manxman in 100 years to win gold. On 5 April 2019, he announced that he was taking an indefinite break from professional cycling to focus on his mental health.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lars Petter Nordhaug</span> Norwegian road bicycle racer

Lars Petter Nordhaug is a Norwegian former road bicycle racer, who competed professionally between 2005 and 2017 for the Joker–Bianchi, Belkin Pro Cycling, Team Sky and Aqua Blue Sport teams.

JLT–Condor was a British UCI continental cycling team. They were previously Rapha Condor–recycling.co.uk following a merger between the recycling.co.uk Pro Cycling Team and the original RaphaCondor team at the end of 2007.

Ineos Grenadiers is a British professional cycling team that competes at the UCI WorldTeam level. The team is based at the National Cycling Centre in Manchester, England, with a logistics base in Deinze, Belgium. The team is managed by British Cycling's former performance director, Sir Dave Brailsford. The company Tour Racing Ltd. is the corporate entity behind the team in all its iterations, which in line with cycling practice adopts the name of their current primary sponsor.

Endura Racing was a British UCI Continental cycling team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jonathan Castroviejo</span> Spanish racing cyclist

Jonathan Castroviejo Nicolás is a Spanish professional cyclist, who rides for UCI WorldTeam Ineos Grenadiers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nathan Haas</span> Australian racing cyclist

Nathan Peter Haas is an Australian cyclist. He competed as a professional road racer until the end of 2021. He started competing full time in gravel events 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 Tour of Britain</span> Cycling race

The 2012 Tour of Britain was the ninth running of the current Tour of Britain and the 73rd British tour in total. The race consisted of eight stages, starting on 9 September in Ipswich, and finishing on 16 September in Guildford. The race was part of the 2012 UCI Europe Tour, and was categorised by the UCI as a 2.1 category race.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boy van Poppel</span> Dutch racing cyclist

Boy van Poppel is a Dutch professional road racing cyclist, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam Intermarché–Wanty. He is the son of former cyclists Jean-Paul van Poppel and Leontine van der Lienden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Simon Yates (cyclist)</span> British road and track racing cyclist

Simon Philip Yates is a British professional road and track racing cyclist who rides for UCI WorldTeam Team Jayco–AlUla. His twin brother is Adam Yates, who is also a professional cyclist. He won the gold medal in the points race at the 2013 Track Cycling World Championships. Following a doping ban in 2016, he won the young rider classification in the 2017 Tour de France and the general classification in the 2018 Vuelta a España. Yates has taken more than thirty professional victories, including ten Grand Tour stage victories – six at the Giro d'Italia and two each at the Tour de France and the Vuelta a España.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Danny van Poppel</span> Dutch cyclist

Danny van Poppel is a Dutch professional road racing cyclist, who rides for UCI WorldTeam Bora–Hansgrohe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jonathan Caicedo</span> Ecuadorian cyclist

Jonathan Kléver Caicedo Cepeda is an Ecuadorian professional road racing cyclist, who currently rides for UCI Continental team Team Petrolike–Androni Giocatolli.

References

  1. 1 2 Wynn, Nigel (4 October 2012). "Team Sky signs Tiernan-Locke for 2013". Cycling Weekly. IPC Media Limited. Retrieved 4 October 2012.
  2. "Tiernan-Locke retires from cycling". 17 February 2017.
  3. Sidwells, Chris (3 October 2008). "South Devon with Jonathan Tiernan-Locke". Cycling World. Retrieved 20 September 2011.
  4. "Brits in the Under-23 World Road Race 1998-2007". Cycling Weekly . 23 September 2008. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
  5. MacMichael, Simon (16 January 2013). "Jonathan Tiernan-Locke video interview part 1: Sky's new signing looks back on outstanding 2012". road.cc.
  6. "Tuesdays with Wilcockson : John Teirnan Locke". Red Kite Prayer. 20 February 2012. Retrieved 20 February 2012.
  7. Fotheringham, William (18 September 2011). "Mark Cavendish warms up for Worlds with Tour of Britain stage win". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 September 2011.
  8. "Tour of Britain: Boom in gold after Cavendish win". BBC Sport. 18 September 2011. Retrieved 20 September 2011.
  9. "Tiernan-Locke wins Tour Méditerranéen". Cycling News. Future Publishing Limited. 12 February 2012. Retrieved 19 February 2012.
  10. "Tiernan-Locke wins final Haut Var stage". Cycling News. Future Publishing Limited. 19 February 2012. Retrieved 19 February 2012.
  11. "Tiernan-Locke leads UCI Europe Tour". Cycling News. Future Publishing Limited. 28 February 2012. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
  12. "Quintana secures overall Vuelta Ciclista a Murcia victory". Cycling News. Future Publishing Limited. 4 March 2012. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
  13. Abraham, Richard (16 May 2012). "Tiernan-Locke out with fractured collarbone". Cycling Weekly. IPC Media Limited. Retrieved 29 July 2012.
  14. Wynn, Nigel (29 July 2012). "Tiernan-Locke wins Tour Alsace". Cycling Weekly. IPC Media Limited. Retrieved 29 July 2012.
  15. "Jonathan Tiernan-Locke wins race". BBC Sport . BBC. 16 September 2012. Retrieved 16 September 2012.
  16. "Tiernan-Locke takes the overall win in the Tour of Britain". British Cycling . British Cycling Federation. 16 September 2012. Retrieved 16 September 2012.
  17. Wynn, Nigel (14 September 2012). "British team for World Championships confirmed". Cycling Weekly. IPC Media Limited. Retrieved 16 September 2012.
  18. Report: Tiernan Locke Impresses on Worlds Debut. Britishcycling.org.uk (23 September 2012). Retrieved on 13 August 2013.
  19. "Jonathan Tiernan-Locke: Team Sky cyclist in UCI inquiry". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2 October 2013.
  20. "Team Sky's Jonathan Tiernan-Locke to face anti-doping hearing". BBC Sport. Retrieved 17 December 2013.
  21. 1 2 "UCI statement on Jonathan Tiernan-Locke". UCI. 17 July 2014. Archived from the original on 25 July 2014.
  22. Farrelly, Tony (17 July 2014). "Team Sky's Jonathan Tiernan Locke gets 2-year ban for biological passport irregularities". road.cc.
  23. "Former Team Sky rider Jonathan Tiernan-Locke's two-year ban upheld". theguardian.com . 18 August 2014. Retrieved 22 August 2014.
  24. Windsor, Richard (27 October 2014). "Jonathan Tiernan-Locke: "I have no respect for the doping sanction"". Cycling Weekly . Retrieved 27 October 2014.
  25. Wynn, Nigel (6 January 2016). "Jonathan Tiernan-Locke to return to racing in February as doping ban expires". Cycling Weekly . Retrieved 6 March 2016.
  26. Wynn, Nigel (28 January 2016). "Jonathan Tiernan-Locke unhappy after being given second category race licence". Cycling Weekly . Retrieved 6 March 2016.
  27. "Jonathan Tiernan-Locke hoping for chance to clear name as he nears comeback". BT Sport . 22 February 2016. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
  28. Thomas, David (28 February 2016). "CYCLING: Jonathon Tiernan-Locke second to Liam Bromiley in Devon rider's Primavera comeback". Torquay Herald Express . Retrieved 6 March 2016.[ permanent dead link ]
  29. "Result: Mens Modbury Spring Road Race". VeloUK. 15 March 2016. Retrieved 26 March 2016.
  30. Marshall-Bell, Chris (15 April 2016). "Jonathan Tiernan-Locke: 'Cycling's just a hobby now'". Cycling Weekly. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
  31. "Marcin edges home in a thrilling finish". Bristol Post . 4 March 2009. Retrieved 8 March 2016.[ permanent dead link ]
  32. "Goos wins Vuelta Ciclista a Leon". Cyclingnews.com . Future plc. 6 August 2011. Retrieved 23 April 2014.
  33. "Ryedale Grand Prix". British Cycling . 5 June 2011. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
  34. Bull, Nick (17 March 2016). "Bialoblocki wins 'fastest ever' Jock Wadley Memorial". Cycling News . Retrieved 9 October 2016.
  35. Hunt, Andy (1 August 2011). "Hunt triumphs at East Yorkshire Classic". Cycling Weekly . Retrieved 9 October 2016.
  36. Clarke, Stuart (8 July 2015). "Jonathan Tiernan-Locke handed driving ban". Cycling Weekly. Retrieved 18 April 2016.