{"id":35,"date":"2025-01-08T11:15:07","date_gmt":"2025-01-08T11:15:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/sidelines\/?p=35"},"modified":"2025-06-06T13:57:40","modified_gmt":"2025-06-06T12:57:40","slug":"cycling-hoy-wiggins-sandy-gilchrist-mechanic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/sidelines\/2025\/01\/08\/cycling-hoy-wiggins-sandy-gilchrist-mechanic\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Olympics and counting? The cycling mechanic who has seen it all"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>You have seen cyclists on the road and on the track, but how do they get there? No cyclist is the same, so how do mechanics sort it all out? Sidelines goes into the cycling workroom to find out.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Sandy Gilchrist, 80, born in Peebles, Edinburgh, has been cycling and performing cycling mechanics for over 60 years. Fixing wheels, adjusting saddles, and tuning gears at 10 different Olympics for over five different countries, Gilchrist is a master at his trade.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:33.33%\">\n<p>Thinking ahead is key to being a great mechanic at tournaments, there is no point turning up on the day without a plan, although there are definitely more laid-back athletes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I had the privilege of working with some cycling greats such as Sir Bradley Wiggins, Sir Chris Hoy, and one of the most laid-back people I have known, Chris Boardman CBE.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, Chris was riding a prototype bike with newly released electronic gears. They were working perfectly until the morning of his time trials.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We went into the back to look for some spares, and there were none to be found. I was running around panicking, trying to sort the problem before he arrived.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Forty-five minutes before the race was set to start, he had the option of his weather bike, which was much heavier, or a bike with no brakes.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:66.66%\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"978\" height=\"644\" data-src=\"https:\/\/sidelinesmag.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2025\/01\/Screenshot-2025-05-19-at-16.45.31.png\" alt=\"Sandy Gilchrist tinkers with the rear of a black framed bike, with no wheels on  suspended in front of him, whilst four cycling fans watch on. \" class=\"wp-image-832 lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/sidelinesmag.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2025\/01\/Screenshot-2025-05-19-at-16.45.31.png 978w, https:\/\/sidelinesmag.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2025\/01\/Screenshot-2025-05-19-at-16.45.31-480x316.png 480w\" data-sizes=\"(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) 978px, 100vw\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 978px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 978\/644;\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Sandy Gilchrist fixes a bike frame with eager fans of cycling watching on, <em>Photo courtesy of Kathy Gilchrist<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>He calmly said, \u201cDon\u2019t worry, I have some spares back at the village.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I worked tirelessly to the last minute before the race, taping the extra cables onto the top of his bike, and if you watch the replay, you can see the bike looked a mess.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Other athletes would have been thrown off by the stress, but Chris ended up finishing third.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"564\" height=\"579\" data-src=\"https:\/\/sidelinesmag.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2025\/01\/Sandy.jpg\" alt=\"A young Sandy Gilchrist wearing a white and red cycling hat and blue white and red jersey stares forward in the middle of a road cycling race. \" class=\"wp-image-835 lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/sidelinesmag.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2025\/01\/Sandy.jpg 564w, https:\/\/sidelinesmag.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2025\/01\/Sandy-480x493.jpg 480w\" data-sizes=\"(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) 564px, 100vw\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 564px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 564\/579;\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A young Sandy Gilchrist aims to cycle to victory, <em>Photo courtesy of Kathy Gilchrist<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>I grew up loving cycling from a young age because I used to visit a local cycling club, go to youth hostels, and ride with them, and it snowballed from there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Having been chosen to represent Scotland internationally for a few different events, after living in France for a prolonged period, I got to ride for GB at the World Championships, and I thoroughly enjoyed that part of my life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Although looking back at that time, I do have regrets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When I moved across the border, I had the chance to go from domestic to professional, but I had that belief that I wasn&#8217;t good enough. But now, having worked in mechanics for so long, I realised I probably could\u2019ve been, and ultimately I probably was!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That transition into mechanics from my career as a cyclist sort of naturally happened; it was great because I could strive to be the best I could be, but also help others perform to their best, having opened a bike shop in Edinburgh in 1968.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It was 20 years later that I worked my first Olympics, 1988 in Seoul. It was long days, but it was one of the best and funniest experiences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The team and I were working in the workshop, and Princess Anne came to visit the GB Olympic camp.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>On that day, a mechanic was helping me out on an issue and he explained to her that we were so busy we hadn\u2019t had a chance to get lunch or even dinner sometimes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She looked him up and down and said, \u201cYou seem to be doing okay,\u201d and walked off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>From that day on, we christened him \u2018BFM\u2019 (big fat mechanic). We called him \u2018BFM\u2019 so many years after that, we ended up forgetting his actual first name. But it isn\u2019t all laughs and jokes; a lot of grafting goes on to prepare the bikes and the athletes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-divi-layout\">[et_pb_section fb_built=&#8221;1&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.24.2&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; background_color=&#8221;#09300B&#8221; custom_margin=&#8221;|-60px||-3px||&#8221; custom_padding=&#8221;3px||5px|5px||&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_row column_structure=&#8221;1_5,1_5,3_5&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.24.2&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; custom_margin=&#8221;-21px|auto||auto||&#8221; custom_padding=&#8221;38px|||||&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_column type=&#8221;1_5&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.24.2&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_image src=&#8221;https:\/\/sidelinesmag.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2025\/06\/John-Powell-Featured-photo.png&#8221; title_text=&#8221;John Powell Featured photo&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.24.2&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; hover_enabled=&#8221;0&#8243; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221; alt=&#8221;John Powell with David Olarinwa&#8221; sticky_enabled=&#8221;0&#8243;][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=&#8221;1_5&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.24.2&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_heading title=&#8221;Read More: &#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.24.2&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; custom_margin=&#8221;||-4px|||&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][\/et_pb_heading][et_pb_text _builder_version=&#8221;4.24.2&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; custom_margin=&#8221;-3px|-281px||||&#8221; hover_enabled=&#8221;0&#8243; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221; sticky_enabled=&#8221;0&#8243;]<h2 class=\"entry-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/sidelinesmag.co.uk\/2025\/06\/05\/athletics-coach-john-powell-mbe\/\">\u201cI was given four to six months to live\u201d: athletics coach John Powell\u2019s story<\/a><\/h2>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=&#8221;3_5&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.24.2&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>What a lot of people don\u2019t realise is that the track is the most difficult discipline at a major event because you have different wheels and tire pressures for different events, so a lot of planning has to be done prior to the race.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The wheels, gears, frames, and tire pressure vary a lot from cyclist to cyclist, technology has moved on greatly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Nowadays, everyone uses electronic gears and Bluetooth shifting for the front and rear mechanisms, disc brakes, and other parts of the bikes, which are more aerodynamic and clean.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Normal carbon brakes used to slow you down, but brakes these days are much more efficient, hence the speed at which these athletes are going, because time and training have increased dramatically, but in large part, bikes have gotten a lot better.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>I was fortunate enough that when I first started &#8211; and I\u2019ve got three of four books full of these &#8211; to keep a list at the major events for which athlete used which gears, which wheels, which tyre pressure \u2013 so it&#8217;s really nice to look back and have that history of legends such as Chris Hoy and Bradley Wiggins.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Bradley, Chris, and many more of the athletes I worked with are great behind closed doors, and it was just like chatting with a friend with them. Before training camps, we used to play around in the back and have a laugh because they tended to perform better if they were happy.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, the lead-up to the World Championships was much more serious&nbsp; (The Nations Cups and The World Cups) because the athletes have to do everything to get selected, and then they have to perform there to go to the Olympics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s a ladder situation where they have to keep climbing, and the team around them at the major events is essential to that.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Will I get to an eleventh Olympics? Oh, I don\u2019t know. I didn&#8217;t think I would get to the tenth one! It depends, if my body holds up and I am still enjoying it, if so, then bring on 2026.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1296\" height=\"1296\" data-src=\"https:\/\/sidelinesmag.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2025\/05\/scan0018-1-edited.jpg\" alt=\"A young Sandy Gilchrist strains his face as approaching a hill of a road cycling event. He is wearing a blue white and red jersey, and the bike is an old fashioned set of wheels with curved handlebars.\" class=\"wp-image-842 lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/sidelinesmag.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2025\/05\/scan0018-1-edited.jpg 1296w, https:\/\/sidelinesmag.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2025\/05\/scan0018-1-edited-1280x1280.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/sidelinesmag.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2025\/05\/scan0018-1-edited-980x980.jpg 980w, https:\/\/sidelinesmag.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2025\/05\/scan0018-1-edited-480x480.jpg 480w\" data-sizes=\"(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) and (max-width: 980px) 980px, (min-width: 981px) and (max-width: 1280px) 1280px, (min-width: 1281px) 1296px, 100vw\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 1296px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 1296\/1296;\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A young Sandy Gilchrist aims for victory in a road cycling race, <em>Photo courtesy of Kathy Gilchrist <\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>For decades, Sandy Gilchrist has been the mechanic to cycling&#8217;s biggest stars. This is the extraordinary story of his career.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":162,"featured_media":829,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[66,45],"class_list":["post-35","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-performance","tag-cycling","tag-performance"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>10 Olympics and counting? The cycling mechanic who has seen it all - Sidelines<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"For decades, Sandy Gilchrist has been the mechanic to the biggest cycling stars. This is the extraordinary story of his career.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/sidelines\/2025\/01\/08\/cycling-hoy-wiggins-sandy-gilchrist-mechanic\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"10 Olympics and counting? The cycling mechanic who has seen it all - Sidelines\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"For decades, Sandy Gilchrist has been the mechanic to the biggest cycling stars. This is the extraordinary story of his career.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/sidelines\/2025\/01\/08\/cycling-hoy-wiggins-sandy-gilchrist-mechanic\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Sidelines\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-01-08T11:15:07+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-06-06T12:57:40+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/sidelines\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2025\/01\/CFF1A856-BAB2-4E0C-87B7-D43F51C3AC58@home.jpeg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"640\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"427\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"James Morgan-Wynne\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"James Morgan-Wynne\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jusmedia.co.uk\\\/sidelines\\\/2025\\\/01\\\/08\\\/cycling-hoy-wiggins-sandy-gilchrist-mechanic\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jusmedia.co.uk\\\/sidelines\\\/2025\\\/01\\\/08\\\/cycling-hoy-wiggins-sandy-gilchrist-mechanic\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"James Morgan-Wynne\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jusmedia.co.uk\\\/sidelines\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/9b7ba3ec876f493b6d10a3623f7f3a22\"},\"headline\":\"10 Olympics and counting? The cycling mechanic who has seen it all\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-01-08T11:15:07+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-06-06T12:57:40+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jusmedia.co.uk\\\/sidelines\\\/2025\\\/01\\\/08\\\/cycling-hoy-wiggins-sandy-gilchrist-mechanic\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1226,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jusmedia.co.uk\\\/sidelines\\\/2025\\\/01\\\/08\\\/cycling-hoy-wiggins-sandy-gilchrist-mechanic\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jusmedia.co.uk\\\/sidelines\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/37\\\/2025\\\/01\\\/CFF1A856-BAB2-4E0C-87B7-D43F51C3AC58@home.jpeg\",\"keywords\":[\"cycling\",\"Performance\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Performance\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jusmedia.co.uk\\\/sidelines\\\/2025\\\/01\\\/08\\\/cycling-hoy-wiggins-sandy-gilchrist-mechanic\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jusmedia.co.uk\\\/sidelines\\\/2025\\\/01\\\/08\\\/cycling-hoy-wiggins-sandy-gilchrist-mechanic\\\/\",\"name\":\"10 Olympics and counting? The cycling mechanic who has seen it all - Sidelines\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jusmedia.co.uk\\\/sidelines\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jusmedia.co.uk\\\/sidelines\\\/2025\\\/01\\\/08\\\/cycling-hoy-wiggins-sandy-gilchrist-mechanic\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jusmedia.co.uk\\\/sidelines\\\/2025\\\/01\\\/08\\\/cycling-hoy-wiggins-sandy-gilchrist-mechanic\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jusmedia.co.uk\\\/sidelines\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/37\\\/2025\\\/01\\\/CFF1A856-BAB2-4E0C-87B7-D43F51C3AC58@home.jpeg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-01-08T11:15:07+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-06-06T12:57:40+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jusmedia.co.uk\\\/sidelines\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/9b7ba3ec876f493b6d10a3623f7f3a22\"},\"description\":\"For decades, Sandy Gilchrist has been the mechanic to the biggest cycling stars. This is the extraordinary story of his career.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jusmedia.co.uk\\\/sidelines\\\/2025\\\/01\\\/08\\\/cycling-hoy-wiggins-sandy-gilchrist-mechanic\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/jusmedia.co.uk\\\/sidelines\\\/2025\\\/01\\\/08\\\/cycling-hoy-wiggins-sandy-gilchrist-mechanic\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jusmedia.co.uk\\\/sidelines\\\/2025\\\/01\\\/08\\\/cycling-hoy-wiggins-sandy-gilchrist-mechanic\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jusmedia.co.uk\\\/sidelines\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/37\\\/2025\\\/01\\\/CFF1A856-BAB2-4E0C-87B7-D43F51C3AC58@home.jpeg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jusmedia.co.uk\\\/sidelines\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/37\\\/2025\\\/01\\\/CFF1A856-BAB2-4E0C-87B7-D43F51C3AC58@home.jpeg\",\"width\":640,\"height\":427,\"caption\":\"Sandy Gilchrist, works on a bike.\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jusmedia.co.uk\\\/sidelines\\\/2025\\\/01\\\/08\\\/cycling-hoy-wiggins-sandy-gilchrist-mechanic\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jusmedia.co.uk\\\/sidelines\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"10 Olympics and counting? The cycling mechanic who has seen it all\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jusmedia.co.uk\\\/sidelines\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jusmedia.co.uk\\\/sidelines\\\/\",\"name\":\"Sidelines\",\"description\":\"The People Who Make Sport Happen\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jusmedia.co.uk\\\/sidelines\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jusmedia.co.uk\\\/sidelines\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/9b7ba3ec876f493b6d10a3623f7f3a22\",\"name\":\"James Morgan-Wynne\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/37928241e56c8e3f1ffa68d67875d030b05b36eed24aa854299d03e0ff9546a1?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/37928241e56c8e3f1ffa68d67875d030b05b36eed24aa854299d03e0ff9546a1?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/37928241e56c8e3f1ffa68d67875d030b05b36eed24aa854299d03e0ff9546a1?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"James Morgan-Wynne\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jusmedia.co.uk\\\/sidelines\\\/author\\\/joa22jm\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"10 Olympics and counting? The cycling mechanic who has seen it all - Sidelines","description":"For decades, Sandy Gilchrist has been the mechanic to the biggest cycling stars. This is the extraordinary story of his career.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/sidelines\/2025\/01\/08\/cycling-hoy-wiggins-sandy-gilchrist-mechanic\/","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"10 Olympics and counting? The cycling mechanic who has seen it all - Sidelines","og_description":"For decades, Sandy Gilchrist has been the mechanic to the biggest cycling stars. This is the extraordinary story of his career.","og_url":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/sidelines\/2025\/01\/08\/cycling-hoy-wiggins-sandy-gilchrist-mechanic\/","og_site_name":"Sidelines","article_published_time":"2025-01-08T11:15:07+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-06-06T12:57:40+00:00","og_image":[{"width":640,"height":427,"url":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/sidelines\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2025\/01\/CFF1A856-BAB2-4E0C-87B7-D43F51C3AC58@home.jpeg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"James Morgan-Wynne","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"James Morgan-Wynne","Estimated reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/sidelines\/2025\/01\/08\/cycling-hoy-wiggins-sandy-gilchrist-mechanic\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/sidelines\/2025\/01\/08\/cycling-hoy-wiggins-sandy-gilchrist-mechanic\/"},"author":{"name":"James Morgan-Wynne","@id":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/sidelines\/#\/schema\/person\/9b7ba3ec876f493b6d10a3623f7f3a22"},"headline":"10 Olympics and counting? The cycling mechanic who has seen it all","datePublished":"2025-01-08T11:15:07+00:00","dateModified":"2025-06-06T12:57:40+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/sidelines\/2025\/01\/08\/cycling-hoy-wiggins-sandy-gilchrist-mechanic\/"},"wordCount":1226,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/sidelines\/2025\/01\/08\/cycling-hoy-wiggins-sandy-gilchrist-mechanic\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/sidelines\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2025\/01\/CFF1A856-BAB2-4E0C-87B7-D43F51C3AC58@home.jpeg","keywords":["cycling","Performance"],"articleSection":["Performance"],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/sidelines\/2025\/01\/08\/cycling-hoy-wiggins-sandy-gilchrist-mechanic\/","url":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/sidelines\/2025\/01\/08\/cycling-hoy-wiggins-sandy-gilchrist-mechanic\/","name":"10 Olympics and counting? The cycling mechanic who has seen it all - Sidelines","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/sidelines\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/sidelines\/2025\/01\/08\/cycling-hoy-wiggins-sandy-gilchrist-mechanic\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/sidelines\/2025\/01\/08\/cycling-hoy-wiggins-sandy-gilchrist-mechanic\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/sidelines\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2025\/01\/CFF1A856-BAB2-4E0C-87B7-D43F51C3AC58@home.jpeg","datePublished":"2025-01-08T11:15:07+00:00","dateModified":"2025-06-06T12:57:40+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/sidelines\/#\/schema\/person\/9b7ba3ec876f493b6d10a3623f7f3a22"},"description":"For decades, Sandy Gilchrist has been the mechanic to the biggest cycling stars. This is the extraordinary story of his career.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/sidelines\/2025\/01\/08\/cycling-hoy-wiggins-sandy-gilchrist-mechanic\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/sidelines\/2025\/01\/08\/cycling-hoy-wiggins-sandy-gilchrist-mechanic\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/sidelines\/2025\/01\/08\/cycling-hoy-wiggins-sandy-gilchrist-mechanic\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/sidelines\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2025\/01\/CFF1A856-BAB2-4E0C-87B7-D43F51C3AC58@home.jpeg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/sidelines\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2025\/01\/CFF1A856-BAB2-4E0C-87B7-D43F51C3AC58@home.jpeg","width":640,"height":427,"caption":"Sandy Gilchrist, works on a bike."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/sidelines\/2025\/01\/08\/cycling-hoy-wiggins-sandy-gilchrist-mechanic\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/sidelines\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"10 Olympics and counting? The cycling mechanic who has seen it all"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/sidelines\/#website","url":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/sidelines\/","name":"Sidelines","description":"The People Who Make Sport Happen","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/sidelines\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/sidelines\/#\/schema\/person\/9b7ba3ec876f493b6d10a3623f7f3a22","name":"James Morgan-Wynne","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/37928241e56c8e3f1ffa68d67875d030b05b36eed24aa854299d03e0ff9546a1?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/37928241e56c8e3f1ffa68d67875d030b05b36eed24aa854299d03e0ff9546a1?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/37928241e56c8e3f1ffa68d67875d030b05b36eed24aa854299d03e0ff9546a1?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"James Morgan-Wynne"},"url":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/sidelines\/author\/joa22jm\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/sidelines\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/sidelines\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/sidelines\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/sidelines\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/162"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/sidelines\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/sidelines\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2586,"href":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/sidelines\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35\/revisions\/2586"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/sidelines\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/829"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/sidelines\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/sidelines\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/sidelines\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}