Define redemption? Let’s talk about Charlie Tanfield.

A personal post as a team owner of Saint Piran Professional Cycling Team. They often say don’t publish your feelings in the media!!

As a team owner I think we have the right too.

Charlie Tanfield
He had a ‘down’ in the velodrome ( last year ) at the time he was almost vilified by many on social media, the accident in the team pursuit was at a cost to him, British Cycling and all in the cycling ecosystem.
He suffered terribly as a result, immediately we at the Saint Piran family put our arm around him he was the first to be named for 2024 for a contract extension in our team, months before that process normally takes place. We did this because he needed support, there was no certainty for us he would return but did that really matter? Our values are their to be seen by one and all.

He has returned and for me there are so many people to thank and acknowledge Stephen Park, CBE who has head of performance recently pointed out “The real big for me ( at the European Championships) was seeing Charlie Tanfield coming back. He’s had six months of wondering whether he would be able to make it back into the team having had that terrible fall in Glasgow. He’s come back and delivred a performance when it mattered. The pursuit team won gold!

Thank you Steve and all the team behind the team British Cycling

We try in a small way to provide the smallest of margins for our team GB in our set up but the biggest thank you and acknowledgement is to Charlie himself.
He never moved from his conviction, he dug very deep, his family friends all played their part.

Define Redemption
“an act of redeeming or atoning for a fault or mistake, or a state of being redeemed“

Charlie was being blamed for non performance this is entirely wrong and it was so tempting at the time to go on the offensive to the criticisms he faced. We didn’t as an organisation and yet I wanted too!

He returned home from the European Championships with a gold medal in the team pursuit and a silver in the individual pursuit. Time I think to stop and say well done young man.