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Rio Olympics 2016: Ed Clancy admits Team GB’s golden team pursuit bid was nearly scuppered by a food poisoning scare

ED CLANCY has admitted GB’s team pursuit aces golden tilt was almost scuppered by dodgy food in Rio’s athletes’ village.

Riders have complained after getting back from Brazil about the quality of the grub at the Olympics. Mark Cavendish branded the fare “terrible”.

Ed Clancy won team pursuit gold despite picking up a food poisoning scare just days before the Games
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Ed Clancy won team pursuit gold despite picking up a food poisoning scare just days before the GamesCredit: PA:Press Association
Ed Clancy and Owain Doull share a jubilant hug after winning team pursuit gold
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Ed Clancy and Owain Doull share a jubilant hug after winning team pursuit goldCredit: Reuters
Ed Clancy arrives back in Manchester with his gold medal
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Ed Clancy arrives back in Manchester with his gold medalCredit: PA:Press Association
Ed Clancy is back in the UK having triumphed in Rio with Bradley Wiggins and Co
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Ed Clancy is back in the UK having triumphed in Rio with Bradley Wiggins and CoCredit: Matt Alexander

But Clancy, 31, admitted that he got a tummy bug just days before he was due to compete in the biggest competition of his career.

He said: “It was three or four days before we started racing. I wasn’t too bad, a bit of a dodgy stomach, I got over it pretty quick.

“The village in the food hall wasn’t quite as polished as London but it was OK. The locals were great in Rio, they put on a really good show, the village was great, the velodrome was fantastic.

“Every athlete really appreciates what those guys sacrificed to put on a good show.

None of us died out there, we’re still walking, none of us had any issues when we were racing.

“Owain Doull had a little bit more serious food poisoning a couple of days after we finished, although his was probably alcohol-induced.”

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The four team pursuit aces including Doull, Bradley Wiggins and Steven Burke ended up beating the Aussies in the final and smashing the world record in a best of 3min 50.265sec - before celebrating with some nights out for the next few days.

Luckily it was after the Games had finished that new Team Sky signing Doull got food poisoning after a few nights on the tiles.

Doull added: “The one thing I planned on going to watch was the triathlon, but I got food poisoning. One of the things that didn’t help mine was three days on the p**s, so my immune system was a bit run down.

“The food was one of the frustrating points of the Olympics to be honest.

The cyclists enjoyed a few well-earned nights out after they won gold
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The cyclists enjoyed a few well-earned nights out after they won goldCredit: Tim Stewart
Bradley Wiggins won gold in his last race at an Olympic Games as the Brits also smashed the world record
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Bradley Wiggins won gold in his last race at an Olympic Games as the Brits also smashed the world recordCredit: Getty Images
Team GB smashed the world record in the team pursuit final in Rio
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Team GB smashed the world record in the team pursuit final in RioCredit: Getty Images
Owain Doull won Olympic gold in the 4km team pursuit in Rio
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Owain Doull won Olympic gold in the 4km team pursuit in RioCredit: Matt Alexander

“I never did London, but I rode in Glasgow at the Commonwealth Games.  There it was really good, everything was well catered.

“In Rio it just wasn’t great. It is frustrating when you dedicate four years of your life towards that one goal and you become at someone else’s mercy when it comes to food.”

ED CLANCY and Owain Doull are racing back on the track in the UK at Revolution in Manchester on September 17. Tickets are available now:

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