Josh G | Social Media & Content Lead
What's ultrafast with a splash of Yellow? No, it's not full fibre broadband from Cuckoo (although that is ridiculously fast) it's Team Baird the Cuckoo sponsored GB Bobsleigh team
The best way I can describe it is…It’s like going on a roller coaster, whilst crashing a car
- Brakeman, Austin Milward
On the ultimate adrenaline rush
The nation may be preparing to cheer on Team GB at the Paris Olympics, but we have our sites set on glory of a frostier nature as one of the principal sponsors of Team Baird GB Bobsleigh team.
Bobsleigh remains our most successful Winter Olympic sport. It’s fast, daring, super cool and a sport where hundredths of a second are the difference between success and failure, and everything has to be pinpoint accurate …just like running a broadband company.
We caught up with brakeman, Austin Milward during his offseason training in Bath to hear how about the season so far and what lies ahead on their quest to qualify for the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics.
We’re led by Adam (Baird), he’s the pilot and team manager, he’s a real leader and is still active as a marine commando. I think he's about to do 14 years.
The team has been competing at the Europa Cup and World Championships this season but we’re one of a number of Team GB teams, all vying for a place at the Winter Olympics.
I was finishing up university at Bath and Ads (Adam Baird) found me in the gym, tapped me on the shoulder and said, "you're a big lump, do you want to come do bobsleigh? And I was like, what?"
I attended the trials and absolutely loved it and ever since then, it's been my whole life. I've completely flipped my entire life to be Bobsleigh. It's the best decision I ever made. I get to travel the world with great people and compete against the World's best.
I've done a lot of sports. I've done rugby, I've played football in America, judo, kickboxing, jiu-jitsu, swimming, rowing... everything. But nothing is like the intensity of Bobsleigh.
The best way I can describe it is…It’s like going on a roller coaster, whilst crashing a car.
We debuted at the World Championships in Germany, World Cup in Norway, Latvia, and the USA, and achieved personal bests in the Europa Cup (EC) . We’ve had one of the longest, most gruelling, yet highest-achieving seasons.
After 2 months on ice in preseason between Lillehammer, Norway and Sigulda, Latvia, our first race of the season in Norway was no small order. A frozen December week of EC racing, in both the 2-man and 4-man events, saw 04:00 am daily wake-ups and racing at deadly -20°C under the northern lights.
Adam expertly drove his way to his first wider podium position in the 2-man sled.
He then led the team forward and rocketed us in the 4-man sled to a top 3 push start time, firmly stamping his and our name collectively as real contenders this season. Adam is an incredible athlete and he continues to showcase the immense work it takes to compete.
In January we had a great time competing in some more EC races in the stunning St. Moritz, Switzerland and the aggressive Altenberg, Germany before heading to the World Cup in Lillehammer, Norway.
This was followed by Team Baird’s World Championship debut in February where Adam guided the 4-man across the finish line across 2 days of racing.
The aim of the game is to qualify for the Winter Olympics., but to do that we need to remain focussed and think about the next season. Right now, we’re back on the dry, training in Bath. For me everything is sprinting - lifting heavy weights really, really fast and working as hard as you can for the minimal amount of time.
If we make it to the Olympics, the track is new for all of the teams. I think it’s going to really shake things up. So, driver skill and all the work we put in at the gym is going to make the difference.
Adam has to fund everything. Time on ice is absolutely pivotal to chasing our Olympic dreams, and this season has been the biggest boost in the right direction. As Team Baird’s Platinum Sponsor, Cuckoo’s involvement has allowed for the most successful season yet giving us the opportunity to put the tools and the training in place to do what we need to.
I crashed with Ads on our first ever run down Sigulda in Latvia, and if I'm honest, I absolutely loved it. It was brilliant, 'cause, you know, you suffer more in the imagination than you do in real life. So people who haven't crashed get really, really worried about it. I needed to have a crash just to get one under the belt. So, I know what it feels like and actually when it happened, I was totally calm.
It's about how you get back up.
The eero Pro 6E router is built for speed. And security. And reliability. And simplicity. And, well, everything you ever wanted your router to be. It can keep over 100 devices connected without breaking a sweat. So you can stream, game and WFH at the same time.
The great thing about streaming is you can watch films or listen to music or podcasts all day long without having to download and store big files. The only thing you need (apart from an understanding partner) is plenty of broadband speed.