From cycling to kick a football over at Hackney Marshes to crossing the line first in the Giro D’Italia, Tao Geoghegan Hart reveals how he got into the sport by chance.
The-25-year-old, who grew up in London Fields, outclassed Australia’s Team Sunweb Jai Hindley in a dramatic final stage Individual Time Trial shootout in Milan last month to claim his maiden Grand Tour title, making him the second British rider to win the Giro d’Italia after Chris Froome’s achievement in 2018.
All this from a young lad who just loved playing football after randomly getting a new bike from a local shop at the age of 14.
“We always rode our bikes as kids, rode to school, and rode to football training as well as all of the rest of it,” Geoghegan Hart admitted.
“I think when I was about 14 I started going on longer bike rides, and I just happened to get a different bike from the local shop in London Fields, and they encouraged me as they told about people going for different rides, so it was just by chance really.
“It just went from there, I really enjoyed everything about the sport, and here we are now.”
The rising star cyclist believes growing up around a number of sports has helped him reach the heights he now has and it all started when he played for Hackney’s district football team.
“I played for Hackney District when I was 10 years old. I think that was my first time in the Hackney Gazette and I’ve still got a copy of it somewhere!” he added.
“It’s so informative to be involved in sport like that growing up and loving it. I am a massive football fan and I think that was a big part of what led to be here.
“Sport in general, Thierry Henry, later on people like Anthony Joshua and various cyclists. There is so much inspiration you can take from those sports.
“When you’re into a lot of different sports you take a lot of different inspiration from different places.
“There is always something to take from every walk of life, not just sport, but outside life also.”
The former Stoke Newington School student did also reveal that since his win that he bumped into his old teacher, much to his delight.
“I bumped into my old head teacher in the street and she is now head of the learning trust, and it’s so special to see people like that, who supported you through the majority of your life and especially in such important years like when you’re at secondary school,” he added.
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