Robert John Hayles (born 21 January 1973) is a former track and road racing cyclist, who rode for Great Britain and England on the track and several professional teams on the road. Hayles competed in the team pursuit and Madison events, until his retirement in 2011.[3] He now occasionally provides studio-based analysis of cycle races for British Eurosport.[4]
Career
He first represented Great Britain in the Olympic Games in Atlanta in 1996, where he rode the team pursuit. Hayles represented England in the points race and team pursuit at the 1998 Commonwealth Games. At the 2000 Summer Olympics, he won silver in the individual pursuit. He was a member of the pursuit team that came third, and rode the Madison with Bradley Wiggins, finishing fourth.[1]
From 2001 to 2003 Hayles rode for the Cofidis team in France.
During this time Hayles rode the Paris–Roubaix classic, one of cycling's five 'monuments', three times but was unable to finish the race on any occasion. Hayles still reports to love the paved classic despite his own poor fortune.[citation needed]
In March 2008 he was withdrawn from the Great Britain team at the world track championships in Manchester,[5] and was suspended for 14 days after a blood test showed a haematocrit 0.3% above the limit. His licence was restored after two weeks.[6] The rules regarding haematocrit testing for track cycling were subsequently changed as the resting period before an event can cause the red cell volume to exceed 50%, with subsequent blood tests often proving the riders to be clean.[citation needed]
On 1 November 2008 he returned to the team pursuit for the Manchester round of the World Cup series.
Personal life
As a child, Hayles lived in Cowplain, Hampshire and attended Padnell Junior School. Hayles' father John Hayles, who died in 2016, was an amateur racing cyclist who became a professional wrestler in his twenties.[8]
Hayles lives in Hayfield, Derbyshire, with his wife, former Olympic swimmer Vicky Horner, and their daughter, born 23 January 2006.[9][10]
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