But, according to those engaged in Britain’s sporting transformation, there was nothing surprising about Murray. It is part of a pattern. “It’s not a fluke,” said Chris Froome on Monday, as he reflected on the success of British riders on this year’s Tour. “You look how far British Cycling has come in the last few years and it is not just by chance. It has been planned, it has been structured, we’ve seen the rise of talent.”
Froome was talking about the two-wheeled revolution. But as the director of Team Sky, Sir Dave Brailsford, suggested, the methodologies that have produced three Tour victories since 2012 have now become standard practice everywhere.
“It is not just cycling, it is across sport,” Brailsford said. “That doesn’t happen overnight, that takes investment, and Britain has been brave enough to invest in sport.”