Olympic cyclists get city freedom

The team picked up 34 medals at the Olympic and Paralympic Games

Great Britain's Olympic cycling team have received the freedom of the City of Manchester.

The 37-strong team were selected for the honour to mark their "outstanding performances" at the Beijing Olympics and Paralympics in 2008.

They were given the accolade at a ceremony at Manchester Town Hall.

The cyclists are based at the National Cycling Centre at Manchester Velodrome. The team picked up 14 Olympic and 20 Paralympic medals.

Sir Richard Leese, 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."

Previous recipients of the honour include Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson, the crew of HMS Manchester and Sir Winston Churchill.

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