Michael Brian Cookson[1] OBE is a road racing cyclist from Lancashire, and the president of British Cycling since 1997 after becoming a member of an 'Emergency Committee' to rescue the organisation from insolvency in 1996. The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British Order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. Road bicycle racing is a popular Bicycle racing Sport held on roads (following the Geography of the area using Racing bicycles The Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England, bounded to the west by the Irish Sea British Cycling (shortened to BC, formerly known as the British Cycling Federation or BCF) is the national governing body for cycle [2][3] He has been credited for turning the sport around since taking on his unpaid role as president, he was awarded the Gold Badge of Honour by British Cycling in December 2006[3] and honoured with an OBE in the Queens New Year Honours in 2008. The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British Order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. [4][2] Cookson first became involved in the administration of the sport in the 1980s. [5]
Outspoken and dedicated to his sport, Cookson made a statement following the doping scandals of the 2007 Tour de France, urging the organisers not to give up the fight for a clean sport. The 2007 Tour de France, the 94th running of the race, took place from July 7 to July 29 2007 He also said that "At British Cycling, we have always taken a very strong anti-doping stance throughout all our structures, from the elite Podium level, right the way through to our coaching and development programmes for youngsters. "[6][7] Cookson is working to develop the sport of cycling from grass roots to the top level, and firmly believes that this approach will be successful long term. As if to back up his conviction, in 2006, he stated that he believed a British cyclist could win the Tour de France within the next 25 years. History See also:CategoryTour de France by year The dominant sports newspaper in France [8]
Cookson was elected a member of the British Olympic Association's Executive Committee for a third term in October 2005, and again re-elected in November 2007. The British Olympic Association ( BOA) is responsible for the United Kingdom 's participation in the Olympic Games. [9][10]