ContinueAbout this time eight years ago, British Cycling held their pre-Olympic Games training camp at the Wales National Velodrome, Newport, before heading to Athens.
During that week, they invited the media along to interview the track riders at the Celtic Manor Resort, where they were staying. Just a handful of journalists and TV crews attended. In fact, so low key was the media event that it was held in a tiny meeting room with a small balcony so that cameras could look out towards the countryside beyond.
Every pre-Olympic training camp has been held in Newport since then so fast forward four years to the same media event prior to Beijing. All the stars including Sir Chris Hoy and Victoria Pendleton were available to speak about their hopes and dreams in China.
The small gathering in the Celtic Manor turned into a mass media scrum at Track Central (the middle of the arena) in the Newport Velodrome as cycling's profile rose to new heights.
All high-profile sports, such as football, rugby and cricket, have media scrums like this but the difference between Britain's cyclists and the managers and players of those other disciplines is their attitude to the competition ahead.
Many sportsmen and teams are prone to play-up the opposition. You know what it is like. Managers say 'It's going to be a tough challenge' to beat teams who should not be on the same pitch as them. They are just trying to be respectful to the opposition.
For cycling, though, this is just rubbish. Why talk up the opposition when you know you are the best?
Before those Beijing Olympics, Bradley Wiggins was aiming for gold in the men's Team Pursuit and was one of those riders who were at the preview press conference in Newport. One phrase he uttered has stuck in my mind ever since.
The British track team were so dominant and expectations within the squad were so large that Wiggins said: "If we don't win nine gold medals, we need to be shot!"
Wiggins was not being arrogant but telling it like it was. Ultimately, Britain won eight golds - four times more than their nearest rivals, France, who won just two golds. Wiggins was totally justified.
Now the Londoner has claimed cycling's ultimate prize and become the first Brit to win the Tour de France.
But before the final competitive stage of Le Tour on Saturday, a time trial in which Wiggins not only won but increased his overall lead, he was as blunt and realistic about winning the big prize as he was back in 2008, saying: "You can bet your house that I won't lose".
British Cycling have been lucky to have a leading team of incredible coaches, statisticians and a leading sports psychologist on board during their rise from obscurity to an international phenomenon. Every one of the national cycling team riders, on track or on the road, knows they are capable of not just achieving a medal in London, at the very least, but making it gold.
They talk up themselves rather than raising the opposition to their level.
Wouldn't it be good if all sportsmen and women had that same attitude? Forget fearing that you would be giving the opposition's team talk for them, as coaches and managers often fear. Pay them respect but put the fear of God into their souls by telling them they will need to reach their ultimate to be within a whiff of you or your team. That's what Wiggins and Britain's cyclists think - and look where that has got them!
How many football, rugby and cricket World Cups would England have won if they told the opposition 'come and get us' rather than fearing failure? Of course, you can't win all the time. Losing is part of the deal but surely that then means it is up to you to raise the stakes and put renewed fear into the opposition's minds?
Other sports need to watch and learn from Britain's cycling superstars during the Olympics. It is not saying how good the opposition are, and being 'generous' and 'kind'. That is the British mentality. We have always been 'good losers' and if teams cannot physically win, then fair enough.
However, at least be positive about yourself, lay down that challenge and, like the cyclists, success will follow somewhere along the line. Then Britain can rightly put the 'Great' in front of their name in the sporting arena.
Gary Baker is Editor of Wales and West Media in Cardiff and Bristol. He has been a sports journalist for 25 years and has covered the Rugby World Cup, Commonwealth Games and many major sports events for every national newspaper in the UK.
Follow the London Olympic Games with Gary's blogs here on Sportsvibe, at www.walesandwest.com and also on Facebook (Gary Baker) and Twitter @wwmedia.
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