GB Cycling team given Freedom of Manchester

The GB Cycling team has been given the Freedom of the City, at a special ceremony at Manchester Town Hall.

The honour was conferred on the team by Manchester City Council, in recognition of their outstanding performances at the Beijing Olympics and Paralympics 2008.

Between them the cyclists brought home 14 Olympic and 20 Paralympic medals and put both England and Manchester on the map with their phenomenal and unstoppable cycling team.

The team's performance demonstrated a renaissance in British Sporting achievement and was a proud moment for Manchester who witnessed the success of athletes closely connected with the city.

Sir Richard Leese, the Leader of Manchester City Council said: "The Great Britain Cycling Team are fantastic ambassadors for the city and are the epitome of everything that makes Manchester great. The Freedom of Manchester is the highest honour that can be bestowed by the city to demonstrate how proud we are of the team and all their achievements."

The members of the GB Cycling team to receive the Freedom of the City are:

Track: Steven Burke, Mark Cavendish, Edward Clancy, Ross Edgar, Wendy Houvenaghel, Sir Chris Hoy, Jason Kenny, Paul Manning, Chris Newton, Victoria Pendleton, Rebecca Romero, Jamie Staff, Geraint Thomas, Bradley Wiggins

Road: Jonny Bellis, Nicole Cooke, Steve Cummings, Roger Hammond, Sharon Laws, Emma Pooley, Ben Swift

BMX: Liam Phillips, Shanaze Reade

Cross Country: Oliver Beckinsale, Liam Killeen

Paralympic Cycling team: Mark Bristow, Jody Cundy, Ellen Hunter, Anthony Kappes, Darren Kenny, Aileen McGlynn, Rachel Morris, Simon Richardson, David Stone, Barney Storey, Sarah Storey, Rik Waddon

The decision to grant the Freedom of the City to the GB Cycling team was made at a special meeting of the Council held on 3 December 2008.

The GB Cycling team is based at the National Cycling Centre, Manchester Velodrome and the majority of the Olympic and Paralympic cyclists live and/or train in the city.