Dave Brailsford collects his CBE

Pic: Press Association Images

Seven members of British Cycling, ranging from Elite riders to a volunteer, had the privilege of attending the Investiture Ceremony at Buckingham Palace today to personally collect their honours from Prince Charles.

Four-times Olympic gold medallist Sir Chris Hoy received his knighthood from Prince Charles for his services to the sport of cycling. Chris made history when he won three gold medals in Beijing, earning him the title of the most successful Olympic male cyclist of all time.

British Cycling’s Performance Director Dave Brailsford was made Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) after leading his team to worldwide success and bringing home 34 medals from the Beijing Olympic and Paralympic Games last year.

Also awarded with a CBE was Bradley Wiggins, who won Olympic gold in both the Individual Pursuit and the Team Pursuit in Beijing.

Current Olympic and World Sprint Champion Victoria Pendleton collected an MBE, as did Jason Kenny, who competed alongside Chris Hoy to win gold in the Team Sprint.

Ellen Hunter, who won two gold medals at the Paralympics in her role as a tandem pilot, was also awarded an MBE for her service to disabled sport.

Along with members of the GB Cycling Team, Eddie Wingrave, a long-standing cycling volunteer, received an MBE for his invaluable lifelong contribution to the sport over the past five decades.

Dave Brailsford commented on the day: “This is a truly special occasion and a real privilege for all of us here today who represent our sport.

“I am extremely proud of the success of the GB Cycling Team in Beijing and we are already fully focused on training for London 2012 to secure a strong result on home soil.

“These honours are very much a recognition of an individual; however, none of us would be here today without the support of the entire British Cycling team and I would like to take this opportunity to thank all our colleagues for their hard work and commitment.

“I am also personally delighted to be here with Eddie Wingrave, whose efforts to develop cycling at the grass-roots level are so important to growing our sport and fuelling Elite success.”

A number of other GB cycling gold medalists had already collected their Honours from Buckingham Palace earlier in the year. These include Rebecca Romero MBE, Mark Bristow MBE, Jody Cundy MBE, Anthony Kappes MBE, Darren Kenny MBE, Simon Richardson MBE, David Stone MBE, Barney Storey MBE and Sarah Storey OBE.

Jamie Staff, Ed Clancy, Paul Manning, Geraint Thomas, Nicole Cooke and Aileen McGlynn will also receive awards at a later date.