The ANC-Halfords team lead the way for the Sky/INEOS Grenadiers to be where they are now. In the end it all went wrong, but they broke the ice for a team to come out of Britain. Ed Hood spoke to Paul Kilbourne who was there from the start.

Behind every top rider, there is a team of helpers and one of the tough jobs is the mechanic... especially 30 years ago before air conditioned trucks and half a dozen mechanics per team. Steve Taylor was on the 1987 Tour de France with the ANC team, Ed Hood heard his story.

There are some riders who love to tell you how good they are/were, and then there are guys like Steve Jones who just got on with it. Steve came through the 'Dutch school' of hard and fast racing to forge a name for himself on the continent before returning to the British pro scene and ANC.

After talking to Nathan Dahlberg, Ed Hood got to thinking of other top riders from New Zealand, and of course the name Stephen Swart immediately came to mind. Swart told the truth about Lance Armstrong when it wasn't fashionable, but he also had a successful career before the LA controversy.

In part 2, Adrian Timmis talks of his career after the break up of the ANC team and a less than perfect year with Z-Peugeot and a return to Britain. Adrian brings Ed Hood up to the present and his undying love of riding a bike.

Adrain Timmis has been in the bike game for a long time, from schoolboy to Olympian and on to be a continental professional and a Tour de France rider. Thanks to Adrian for giving Ed Hood the opportunity for a good chat about his career and life in two parts.

Interview: Before the likes of Sky and Ineos, there was a British Pro team in the Tour de France. There had been National teams in the French Grand Tour, but when the organisers returned to sponsored teams, it looked like the dream of a 'British' équipe had gone. Then came along Tony Capper and ANC. Mickey Morrison was in there at the start of the 1987 Tour Journey.