Dave Brailsford

Sir David Brailsford is team principal of British WorldTour squad Team Sky, and formerly British Cycling's performance director.

Brailsford has brought elements of his education to the role of cycling team management - he possesses a degree in sports science and a Master of Business Administration. He was also a racing cyclist in his early 20s, before concentrating on his studies.

Aside from his contribution to the resounding success of both the Great Britain and Sky teams, Brailsford is perhaps best known for his theory of 'marginal gains'. By concentrating on making a large number of small changes to improve performance, the net gain is significant.

So far, this system has netted numerous Olympic gold medals and three Tour de France victories (Bradley Wiggins in 2012, Chris Froome in 2013 and 2015) for the cyclists under Brailsford's management.

Brailsford was knighted in 2013 in recognition for his services to cycling, specifically after the 2012 London Olympic Games where British cyclists dominated the event with eight gold, two silver and two bronze medals.

Brailsford gave up his role as BC performance director in 2014 to focus solely on his role within Team Sky.