Gary Sutton

Sutton developed as a versatile road and track cyclist during the 1970s. His international career included appearances at two Olympic Games and two Commonwealth Games.

Commonwealth Games and Olympics

Sutton represented Australia at the 1974 British Commonwealth Games in Christchurch, where he won silver in the men's team pursuit and bronze in the individual pursuit.

He subsequently represented Australia at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, competing in the individual pursuit and team pursuit.

At the 1978 Commonwealth Games in Edmonton, Sutton won gold in the men's team pursuit. He also won bronze in the 10-mile scratch race. His team pursuit teammates included Colin Fitzgerald, Kevin Nichols and his younger brother, Shane Sutton.

Sutton returned to Olympic competition at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, again representing Australia in track cycling.

World championships

In 1980, Sutton won the amateur points race at the 1980 UCI Track Cycling World Championships, becoming world champion.

After turning professional, Sutton continued to achieve international success on the track. He finished second in the professional points race at the 1982 UCI Track Cycling World Championships and third in the same event in 1983.

Across his career, Sutton won 43 Australian national cycling titles. A 2010 retrospective by Cyclingnews noted the breadth of his racing career, which encompassed road and track competition and events ranging from short-distance track racing to long road races.

Professional road and track career

Sutton competed professionally during the 1980s. In 1982, he won the Goulburn to Sydney Classic.

In 1983, Sutton won the Bendigo International Madison with his brother Shane Sutton.

Sutton won the Herald Sun Tour in 1984, also winning four stages of the race.

Following his competitive career, Sutton became a cycling coach and spent more than two decades within Australia's high-performance cycling system.

Australian national program

Sutton spent 26 years as a national coach with Cycling Australia. His roles included coaching Australia's track endurance riders and working within the Australian national and state institute systems.

Sutton was head cycling coach at the New South Wales Institute of Sport and worked with numerous Australian cyclists during their development and elite careers. Among the riders associated with Sutton's coaching programs was world champion Kate Bates. In reflecting on her career, Bates credited Sutton's patience and belief in her as an important part of her development.

In a 2010 retrospective, Cyclingnews described Sutton as having developed more world champions than any other coach in Australian cycling at that time.

Sutton later served as senior coach of Australia's women's track endurance program. At the 2017 UCI Track Cycling World Championships, the Australian women's endurance squad won silver medals in the team pursuit and individual pursuit and bronze in the omnium.

Sutton's tenure with Cycling Australia concluded on 30 June 2017 after 26 years with the national program.

USA Cycling

In August 2017, USA Cycling appointed Sutton as its track endurance head coach. His initial responsibilities included developing the United States men's team pursuit program and working with the country's track endurance riders.

Sutton subsequently became coach of the United States women's track endurance program. At the 2018 UCI Track Cycling World Championships in Apeldoorn, the United States won the women's team pursuit, while Chloé Dygert won the individual pursuit.

Sutton remained the United States women's track endurance coach through the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.

At the Paris Olympics, the United States women's team pursuit squad won the gold medal. Sutton coached the team during the competition.

Sutton retired from his USA Cycling coaching position following the Paris Games. In April 2025, USA Cycling announced Paul Manning as its new women's track endurance coach, succeeding Sutton.

Sutton is part of a prominent cycling family. His younger brother, Shane Sutton, represented Australia as a cyclist before becoming an international cycling coach. Gary's son, Christopher Sutton, also became a professional cyclist and represented Australia internationally.

1974

2nd  Silver Team pursuit, British Commonwealth Games

3rd  Bronze Individual pursuit, British Commonwealth Games

1978

1st  Gold Team pursuit, Commonwealth Games

3rd  Bronze 10-mile scratch race, Commonwealth Games

1980

1st Points race, UCI Amateur Track World Championships

1st Prologue, GP Wilhelm Tell

1982

1st Goulburn to Sydney Classic

2nd  Silver Points race, UCI Professional Track World Championships

8th Ronde van Midden-Zeeland

1983

1st Bendigo International Madison, with Shane Sutton

3rd  Bronze Points race, UCI Professional Track World Championships

1984

1st Overall Herald Sun Tour

1st Stages 3, 6, 9 and 18

1st Stage 3, Yorkshire Classic

1st Whitby

4th Newport, East Riding of Yorkshire

5th Yorkshire Classic

1990

9th Overall Herald Sun Tour

1st Stage 14