Live stream of our 2024 Team Launch
0:00 – Intro
0:50 – Short Film from @bluestrawberryelephant
2:30 – Partner thank you
3:35 – 2024 Team Intro
– Sam Chaplin
– Alex Foster
– James Hartley
– Jack Hartley
– David Hird
– Max Krasinski
– Matt Warhurst
– James Wordsworth
14:55 – Q&A Pannel
1:02:20 – Thank you from Dave Coulson, Team Manager
[Applause] Uh thanks everyone for coming today it’s great to have all our partners here guests and Friends of the team um as said going to be introducing all our Riders shortly uh then we got a a Q&A with a panel uh and we’ll be inviting questions from you guys if you’ve got
Anything you want to bring up um firstly we’ve got a short film for you uh produced by our creative Partners blue strawberry elephant hope you enjoy It He Oh N Sam is uh one of five new riders for this year he’s actually 19 today um Sam had some real success last year nationally in this country and internationally um we sure is going to be a real asset to the team and make good use of the opportunity um what attracted you to
Wanting to ride for cycling Chef time well as I was looking through for teams for 24 I was sort of thinking about um sort of development and watch Team can give me that best sort of ability to develop My Race Craft CU I’m fairly new
To Cy hav been doing it for about a year year and a half now um so yeah it was sort of which team would support me best in My Race Craft development and I looked the other teams I just thought this was the best team for it Che thank
You Sam Alex along with with Sam Alex is our second first year under 23 he’s 18 years old and again showed some real promise uh with some good results at National level and in Europe last year um how’s it been with the team so far I know we’re just about to start racing
Although you did have a bit of a false start last last week Alex Alex raced fairly locally last week um and I think probably was on for decent result but managed to fall down a huge pot all smashed his way to Pieces how has it been with the team so
Far was we spent as much time as has been possible together through the winter how you found it so yeah it’s uh my first impressions of cycl Sheffield is is extremely well organized and professional but but yeah in all seriousness uh you know it’s been great
Fun with the boys had some good humor and uh yeah hope it they’ll be up Downs trust me oh yeah James this is James heartley hello everyone James is 20 years old this is his third year with the team um the last two his results and his development has
Had steady progress I still think there’s there’s a lot to come this year I hope so I hope so how do you think this year is going to differ from from last or or even the last two with the team I think the small my experience I
Have with the British races is going to be helpful toward of the lads I also want to win obviously um but or did you not watch I think my my desire is almost greater this year after you know missing opportunities last year in France because I’ve seen riders that I was
Beating week in week out go and get opportunities in front that I didn’t get last year and that almost fueled me even more so to do bigger and better races this year and better in those races you know I make uh better uses some of the opportunities in races so James a really
Real tough racer but some sometimes a little bit too active you know and he’ll finish somewhere in the top five when you know if it’ have been a little bit more experienced you know that might have been a win but that’s one but that’s experience yeah and uh yeah thank you D
And remembering your kit forgot his shorts fortunately they had a spare jack this is Jack heartley James’s brother um Jack’s another one of the Riders uh new to the team this year uh he’s a big Talent uh some solid results last year and recently really made a big
Impression on the track after riding the V drone for the very first time mid January um we had seven weeks to national champs yeah isn’t a lot of experience against Olympians yeah yeah um so with the opportunity you’re going to get this year where would you like to be for next year well
Being sort of a bigger guy with his kick at the end I think Belgian and terrain suits me best some some French Terin might suit me as well so with the opportunities available to race abroad to race for a European team next year sort of where
My intentions Li we we’ll do our best to help him make that step that’s very much what we’re about Jack thank you David David herd is another one of our new Riders uh for this year David’s 21 um David had some great results last year including including winning the final
Event in the National under 23 series um that race was at the end of last season this year it’s in a little over a month um it’s actually a very local race to David down in the southwest I’m guessing you’re pretty motivated for that yeah
Yeah I mean I’m looking for to it and yeah the series as a whole really the under 23 series will be a good aim for yeah yeah I looking forward to it and yeah I’m sure it’s a a name for the a lot of the rest of the team as well the
National under 23 series is I think this will be its third year um we managed to win it overall last year including winning one of the races and I think we were in the top three or top five in every race so it’s it’s a bit of a
Feather in the cap for for this team so yeah yeah thank you cheers David Max Max was with the team last year but wow had a season blighted by by bad luck managed to pick up some injuries that sort of well I won’t say ended your season
Because you may to August yeah you started it and ended it and managed to you know put in a couple of you know solid rides at the end of the season so that you felt like you finished the season which for me uh was important so that you went into the winter feeling
Like you finished the season yeah um what are you looking forward to for next year this year um I think just providing a bit more for the team and also getting a bit more out of myself like um managed well started link and then it’ just be nice
To I guess be be more of a part of racing and helping out like consistent season yeah and it was nice last year being able to help out in some races and then come and watch and support but maybe doing more of that on the road instead of standing at the side and
Although your season was massively impacted due to injury what what were the highlights last year probably getting the chance to go out to Germany for ashborne Frankfurt the under 23 race that was pretty good being able to do a proper big European under 23 race big
UCI under 23 race yeah and then like Dave said um bont trophy at the end of year the last the last National Series race that was good to just kind of have an aim to go towards and then seeing that yeah not just being useless in that
Getting around it was was quite nice you contributed yeah contributed and we got a result there so yeah for me it was a good way for you to end the season give you a bit of morale carry into the winter yes hope we do more of that again this year more B racing
Matt Matt is uh another of our new Riders this year Matt’s probably well undoubtedly I’d say the most experienced rider on the team so sort of unofficial Road Captain be only only 23 yeah no um that’s a proven race winner you know uh capable of getting
Results in all the RAC in the UK and in Europe um are there any race in particular you’re looking forward to this year uh well this year um I really want to do well at the national series obviously there only four or five rounds and last year for various reasons
Crashing injuries etc etc just didn’t get any good results there and I knew I was capable of it from my other results like cuz I won a couple of races of similar level like in Ireland and stuff and so really hope to get some good top
10 top fives even podiums maybe in the national series yeah the the talent’s definitely there and you put the work in I think it’s just you know a little less or no bad luck and a bit more luck as as all of you need yeah cheers Matt cheers word now
Last last but not least James Wordsworth or or word yeah we can do we can do like little arm a nice it’s nice don’t don’t get cornered on your own with this guy I want to cuddle him honestly um you throwing me now I can’t even
Sorry um yeah Wy um had a quiet start to the season last year sort of impacted with a bit of illness and injury but from sort of June onwards it just got better and better every week and ended on a real high with a top 10 result at
The last big race of the year which which for me um I think should have given you some confidence um to sort of believe in yourself a bit more he’s he’s a real generous guy and I think he’s he’s in his head his go-to is helped the other
Guy you know but he’s he’s an enormous engine so he’s very very capable so and along those lines how do you think you’ve sort of developed over the last year with the team oh massively Dave no it’s it’s yeah I start I’ve been Racing for myself as a sort of lowly
Student and the minute you put a cycling sheffeld Jersey you trat differently in the bunch um and you either step up or sort of fall yeah but um yeah the the attitude we have being able to race sort of um after a few weeks of racing you almost a cohesive
Team unit it’s quite it’s quite special really because there are not every team in the UK races like a team and I think as my legs sort of came and matured throughout the season it felt like we could really do that and really profit on it and it’s
It’s lovely to share some team results as well as uh trying to nail it for yourself as well thank you yeah cheers J all right thank you Riders um so we’ve got an opportunity um this year to uh have a bit of a Q&A with
Um an esteemed uh panel um I’m going to um I’m not going to make the gag about they couldn’t turn up so we’ve got you in said but um uh if I could ask you all just to introduce yourselves some of you um will be familiar but just to
Introduce yourselves say a little bit about who you are and um and maybe what your relationship with uh with with cycling is um so I guess Dave I should probably start with you um so in and what’s your kind of you know relationship with cycling and um a bit about your
Background um so I yeah I think everybody’s aware I I’ve run the team um I was an okay rider for quite a long time love the sport ridden bikes you know the day after I you know could walk I think you know so that’s that’s where racing just kind
Of happened you you know in my sort of mid teams I think um and then I I guess I kind of finished racing and then got pulled into managing a team under JS and that kind of uh where this this began I guess you know and this is the 11th year with this
Team what was the motivation I mean why you probably ask yourself that question then yeah definitely yeah um I don’t know partly you know I feel I’ve got a lot of knowledge and experience and um whilst I was never under the illusion that you know I could have won the Tour
To France and I was ever going to be a big deal but on reflection I think you know I could have been better uh more successful more consistent than I was and I thought maybe maybe I can help other riders with that you know and so that that’s what
This team is working hard to do really yeah and when when it’s good it’s really rewarding you know we I I acknowledge that if we had Riders if the average age was five or seven years older we’d win a lot more races but it wouldn’t be as satisfying for me personally
And and and I think if that’s the team we were we’re just another team that’s you know if you not the team with the most money in the country or you’re not any us you’re just another team that’s just there whereas you know we we’re looking for another Conor Swift story
You know and maybe maybe one of one of them’s here today maybe yeah James we’ve heard a bit about about you and and how did you get into cycling like um I initially was a runner and began to get injured too much so as a form of rehab for running I took up
Cycling went out with my brother who was also taking it up at the time and my dad who was a triathlete I know um um emphasis on was um and I began to find that cycling was just a much more enjoyable sport it was injury free which
Helped and I felt a real sense of freedom and just much more enjoyment and happiness came from it and then obviously the passion for it grew and I wanted to try and be the best at it and naturally went to racing um missed out my first year as
A junior because of that pandemic and then uh raced nationally managed to top 10 at the junior national champs which is a feel a big contributor to getting on this team and then found Dave and we’ll leave that there great Max um Maxine Gregory I know my name’s
Not on that screen but I would like you to think I’m a last minute replacement I’m just someone better that came so I bumped somebody off yeah Max GRE I work um for Sheffield Hall University part of Rob team here at the AWC um looking after one of our research themes um um
With a colleague Kath which is all about healthy active 100 so trying to um help everybody from birth right up to a 100 years to keep healthy and active throughout the the whole of their their life course really I also um co-lead a research group that is all focused on um
Active travel so part of my job is quite often saying Cy is not just all about men in L but today like it is um I I do quite a lot of sports but I’m not I have no talent in any of them at all um I do
Cycle a bit and my husband and son Super King Mountain bik is on their way to Wales in a couple of hours as well so cycling in many formats is a big part of my life and holidays as well so thanks Ma and then if I can come over to
The side uh Mark yeah I’m a a partner at Blue strawberry elephant which you’ll see on the on the jerseys and we’re quite proud to have that on on there um primarily in my day job um is uh graphic design agency so we do branding web design exhibition Graphics vehicle
Livage you name it so we basically apply cycling shop your brand across uh everything you see uh social media all the planning uh with with Dave um and also we just helped launch the support packages that you’ve seen the QR codes out there just to try and boost the uh
Um the income for Dave uh so we come up with all the creative ideas and uh on a on a regular basis we sit down in the office with Dave and and thrash stuff out of him because it’s just all a a collaborative partnership really and we’ve done that
For about eight years I think um so from envelope well envelope Master when that went to bite box as soon as it became cycling shefer we saw that as an opportunity to be able to support the team in terms of their web presence um and uh from there it’s just really grown
Um and we were quite proud to support Dave you know I’ve known Dave from when I was racing so it was nice to be able to put something back into the sport um and then from their outside of the day job that does run into the day job uh as
Charlotte probably knows um I’m all the well Secretary of Sher Cycling Club um which is based in Sheffield um I’m the vice chair of British cycling Yorkshire uh I’m a member of Road Commission um the organizer of Sheffield Grand Prix monsel Hill Climb and the vice chair sorry the uh yeah sorry the
Chair of the white no youth league so we kind of started yeah uh we started basically organizing events over at onewell um we used to run sessions on a Monday night and Russ and Dean Dow in an actual sort of um come out of that um so
They there with Trevor so I used to help coach um and from there then God knows why I started organizing races was quite good at it and then before I know it I’ve got cheffer Grand Prix that takes three months of my life up without getting paid and and you’ve been a longtime
Supporter of the what is it about teams like s and Sheffield you know why are they so important to the domestic scene see we we’ve seen a massive shift in in cycling over the last 10 years you know we had the Alan days Russ and Dean sat
There and know full well the the years of nfto um Madison Genesis those big I mean I think team Sky kicked it all off that had a massive impact on the UK scene because they saw all these Blue Chip you know all the fancy coaches coming along and and then before you
Know it nfto a tip you note with John Wood pouring million pound plus into the sport which for me I saw that as a as a great opportunity for everyone but it was never going to last you know those budgets could fuel Dave’s team for 10 years so and then eventually that that
Bubble did burst and and now we’re left with teams like cycling Sheffield that um are punching well above the we because you you got teams like St pan now UCI there’s different levels so the UCI Cony teams are still allowed to race against Elite development teams in the
UK and uh it’s I mean these guys all know it’s it’s hard to compete because they’re pretty much full-timers so but now obviously seeing James Mai last year punching above his weight beating Alexander Richardson down at the Timmy James Memorial that was the first like
Hang on a minute this is a year that maybe D hard work was going to pull you know pull off um and James to his credit said that last year was going to be a big year because he he wanted to put something back and and he owed it back
To Dave um and and you will as well know that James he transformed himself um to become an absolute you know Elite level athlete um whereas you know I saw on stra a couple weeks ago he done 128 miles and in 8 hours 15,000 ft on the Friday and on the Saturday
Morning I’m going over strines and who pops up behind me and it’s James again on another eight hour ride and you know he shouldn’t have even been on his bike but he’s you know he’s just that level of athlete where he’s absolutely committed so um and it’s been nice to
See Dave get the the EDT status which is Elite development team so British cycling look at the team as a whole um they look at all the background today’s team make sure it’s you know sturdy viable safeguarded um so I’m your safeguarding officer by the way as well so if you have any
Problems yeah to list so the the kind of the growth obviously has been largely partly driven by investment but it also is about data and kind of the use of data and I might just as Ben to kind of introduce yourself and talk a little bit
About Val View and uh and what that does that’s okay yeah I’m Ben low I am the coder behind B viewer so B initially was for people with their own stra data and still is a big part of the business um and then back in 2017 um Team Sky were
The first team to start using it I built a bespoke package working with a couple of their DS’s der ke and um and ni portal and we work together to build a package uh that was used for the team and um and then other teams wanted to
Use it and uh so over the years since then um there’s more and more teams using it about 130 teams now and then race some race organizers some UCI commissaires use it um so that that package itself has grown to be used quite widely now um the uh Eurosport
Commentators like to use it as well which is always very nice when they they mention it um me personally I’ve always cycled since I was like 12 13 years old trying to keep up with my older brother who was always better than me um so I
Think my clown crowning Glory was was my the Vets Champs at mon Hill clim when I got the Vets record as well until Russ took about 20 seconds off should have stayed 39 R then I would have9 and Ben and V view are another of our great
Sponsors you didn’t men I’ll come I’ll come back to you then in a bit about bit more about dat and then our final panelist uh joined at the last minute thank with um just want to introduce yourself you probably don’t need any introduction in this context but yeah hi
Everybody um thanks for inviting me and and U you know it’s great to be here it’s really nice I haven’t been sort of been part of the briti team for quite a while but it’s really nice to sort of see what’s happening and we’ve known
Each other go we go back a long time from them racing days you know and I think like you a little bit that’s how I sort of got into coaching and it was you know I felt like I wasn’t racing at any of the top level but I did feel like I
Could offer something to young people and that’s where I started in British cycling um back in the early 2000s um very fortunate with the way that the funding model worked with British C at the time we we were able to go into schools and talent ID and I was part of
That for a couple of years um in the in the early 2000s and then sort of went into the central program of British cycling um working across uh the under 23 national team um and then was part of a fourman group who created team Sky uh
We started that in 2008 and and the team got un undergoing um in 2010 and sort of you know we went on and went on that Journey with with Dave bford and the likes um for all that time I mean some brilliant memories but you know mainly background for me is is
Cycling from a from grantom Lincolnshire um a small Cycling Club my dad organizing bike races in the local Club there’s two Memorial trophies one for me great Grandad one for me Granddad so cycling is at the heart of what I’ve always done and I just love uh you know
Just love everything about it to be honest I’m not currently working at the minute um but still watch all the bik races and like I say it’s great to be here so thanks for the invite ni pleas pleas to you um so I’ve got a couple of um additional questions but I’d be
Encouraging you to think about um things you might want to ask um this panel um Dave it’s 10 years um I think this year celebrating your um relationship with cycling Sheffield and what what have you learned over those uh over those 10 years and um and the second part of that is um
Today’s International women’s day any plans for a uh you know a women’s cycl in Sheffield um T and if so how how might that happen I’ll answer that first um no there’s no plans but but not for any other reason than I’m already up against it running this team you know
And I’ve been asked that before you know and I I would love to it’s a great thing to do but it’s it’s just money really you know it’s down down to money running a bike team in this country is never not going to be very challenging and to then
Say right let times that by two you know I’m daff but I’m not stupid um what have I learned over the last 10 years um I don’t know probably a lot of transferable skills you know my wife said you’d be really employable if you
You know if you if you ever wake up and stop doing what you’re doing joking as should very supportive I just get there um I think um I think one of the things I I’ve learned that that I think I always knew is that I think the the most important
Thing with the relationship from my perspective with riders is is that relationship it’s the emotional part of it particularly Young Riders but you know um and I think Rod would probably agree irrelevant of their age it’s the sport is very very tough and when you’re when you’re doing it at
The age these Lads are it’s extra tough um so my focus is predominantly and always kind of first and foremost is is their kind of well-being and developing that relationship you know the the sport has become more complex and scientific but the reality of that is that kind of
Makes all that stuff easier you know but it doesn’t it doesn’t equate for you know everything is analyzed and so much is quantify but so the stuff that makes the difference is the stuff that’s n on impossible to quantify and and I think that’s what I I like to try and work
Hard at that you know so I think I’ve I’ve learned that or kind of confirm to myself that that’s probably yeah the most important thing and um just trying to be consistent and having Integrity in what you do and one of I mean quoting James McKay
That was on the team last year and the two previous years he he he said to me which was which was very nice he said being on this team you get a lot more than you see at face value you learn a lot more which was a nice thing to say
And I think that’s what um all teams should be like you know I mean I remember years ago reading an article about sky and hearing the term rder Centric quoted and I thought well all teams should be like that so yeah the the human being is
Is the important thing R do you want to say a bit more about what rder centri meant at that that time is that um term that you used yeah yeah we I think we sort of turned right like R being at the center of the program so I think um for
The years that I’d raced and and experience that we’d had and and then studying so 2007 8 N I sort of went out around all the world tour teams I was coaching c and a few of the guys at the time and um what what I noticed was it
Was all about it was manager Le it wasn’t it was nothing about bik Riders the bik Riders was like uh well we just pay you you just turn up but it was all sort of as long as the managers were all happy and and had a good sort of time
That’s what it seemed to be and I felt like we could get a real Head Start here but the Riders right in the center of it make them the most important people because they are the athletes are are everything you know it’s the value there
Um and that’s what we were doing so we were doing that in British cycling very much so in the mid 2000s you know then really sort of push that into into team Sky we just kept exactly the same concept and put that into team Sky which
Was you know Riders being at the center of the program um and everything was built around them yeah and and again the count you mentioned there Dave about you monitoring and date and things but I mean where where do you see the sort of future of technology or data going
What’s your kind of I think it’s still from the outside everyone probably imagines it’s like Formula One where everyone’s like we’re all using the L Tech all the time but there’s a lot of like Rod was saying there’s a lot of old school people in cycling with the team
Managers and and and over the years I’ve gone through the process of trying to get the director sport using my system and um and it’s been much easier with some that are much more particularly ex time trialists they all seem to be really keen on that level of detail you
Have whereas some of the more old school DS’s will they just want paper map and they’re still used to having that and the their handwritten notes stuck to the steering wheel and so trying to get them from from that stage and use embracing the technology and and um and usually
Once they’ve sat at a car with someone who’s using it properly they can understand the benefit and then it it comes on board um so I think teams now know that they have to embrace technology like like Bel there’s certainly um room for improvement with the r organizers and potentially concer yourself excluded
Um but in terms of being able to also use that sort of information and and it’s this wider safer um Group which the UCI has been setting up that that that has the stakeholders of of the Riders and the teams and the race organizers to
Try and um come up with a way to make riding safer um so with all those stakeholders using a tool like Val to know that the road gets narrow in 2 kmers time so don’t start sending cars past you know that simple things like that um if the
Commer because sometimes the the DS in the car knows it’s going to get narrow but the comm’s waving them by and they’re say if we don’t want to go by we won’t get past you know and so if all that information is then embraced by everyone then there’s certainly lots of
Things like that that would help the whole situation thanks and and and for you James data kind of typical week are you driven by data it’s all on a scale of 1 Z to 100 yeah I tell us about your typical we and do you use
Data during that to for the training uh yeah yeah I think it’s data is not something I obsess about in what you’d imagine as a normal cyclus myage would I think because you get Juniors now with Gins the size of iPads and like they’ll finish a race and just going stare it
For an hour or some or you know open training Peaks and it it upsets me to some degree because it’s like you’re doing it because you want to see how good you are you’re doing it because you enjoy it and my opinion is that you should do it because you enjoy it
And uh I think morale is really important that’s the the data I go off um and the the data I do use and have is mainly for my coach and it’s obviously nice to see like you do a ride got a new 5 minute power Wicked but is that I’d
Rather I don’t know go on a 8 hour ride with Jimmy the blade and do it do it at like snails pace or something because that’s just more fun long as you get the balance right you win races it’s not snails P though it no well it’s
Like data is important and you can’t just get rid of it and when you say when you ask about Z to 100 I think I’m probably pretty in the middle and I think like Dave says you have to be balance CU if you become too obsessive
It takes enjoyment out of it yeah um but things like Val I use Val quite regularly before races Etc and I value things like that but I value put more value in whether or not I’m going to enjoy the race yeah that’s great and that that sense of enjoyment max if I
Come to you just before I open it up to to all the questions it’s one of the things that we talk about how do we get the population more physically active how do we make make it kind of enjoyable I mean what what’s your view on the sort
Of active travel um agenda and how we might get more people moving yeah it’s it’s really difficult to if you are a cyclist and you’ve grown up being a cyclist from you know the the day after you could walk and you’ve always been on your back it’s kind of Your World Isn’t
It it’s what you know it’s your identity it’s it’s a habit that that you do you don’t even think about what you’re going to do know on your bike but so it is really difficult to put yourself in other people’s shoes where cycling is just something the idea of making a journey
And going to a from A to B somewhere on a bike is just a really alien concept to to some people they’ve got I had someone mention it yesterday as as a car brain but you’re almost automatically wired to you know I’m going somewhere open the door get get
Straight in the car it’s the most convenient way but all the data would suggest there that is that the most enjoyable way to travel obviously if you’re going you know a couple hundred miles um you might need to or you might need train if you’re just going like down the
Road you know or a little short Journey walking or going on your bikes um you know often a much more sensible option and often a lot quicker and a lot less bad but if you’ve not done it and you’re not in that mindset it’s really difficult to to get there really and the
Barriers we doing um some work at the minute for active travel England looking at uh reviewing all the evidence that’s out there and taking really complicated scientific evidence and really understanding so what what does that mean to Everyday People in in their worlds U but the barriers and enablers
To cyclin are hugely different depending on on who you are so drawing the obvious one on um International women’s day again but the the motivations and the reasons for men cycling women’s cycl really different women make really different kinds of trips to men so it’s really it’s really diff really diff
Different for for men and women but also people from different backgrounds ethnic backgrounds people with disabilities there are a whole of um factors in play there so it’s all from a it’s all about kind of understanding that behavioral change process and then trying to build the infrastructure out there that makes
Cycl better and easier for for all of thisk Thanks Max so I’m going to open it up any anyone got any questions for our for our panel yeah sure I’ve got a question for you Dave um I love that you started by asking the writers what their intentions
Were um what are you looking forward to this season a month ago I one said the end of it um you say the winds now it’s all about the enjoy Mo yeah well with regard to that I I the Riders the riders that were on the team
Last year and James the last two years will all will confirm that you know they’re never going to hear me say right win it’s all just about the process you do this this this and this this don’t do that that that that and maybe something good happens because there’s all these
Other blocks that we’re not in control um I guess I guess the just the development it’s really rewarding you know it’s it’s always you know no disrespect Lads but it’s always a little bit two steps forward one back and some conversations we revisit um it’s always
The same but on the whole the by the end of the season I see that the Riders have made good use of the opportunity and you can see that where wherever they go in whether it’s staying here for another year or moving on um they’re in
A better place and the next year they can start to build on what they what they’ve done this year I have a question for Rob um where where Did you sort of get the idea from or have the Epiphany with regards to project rainbow uh I think
Um well first of all I mean one of the first interviews I did with Mark aish he was 16 and I think he said to me um I was like very you know what’s your dreams and Ambitions and and he he said I want to be World Road Ras Champion so
I I sort of kept that as a bit okay he was like maybe 20 kilos heavier than he was when he won the worlds um uh and you know I think just working with them young guys at that point you started to see that I always believed as as a British bik Rider
Um why can’t we win you know and I I I remember going back when um when I was 16 I WOTE the junior worlds in Moscow and I remember feeling like we were at the bottom of the pile you know and all these Italians and everybody else Armstrong was there racing everybody’s
Talking about him being the next big hero and I remember just feeling like we were completely inadequate and what we could do but I hang on a minute we’re not you know we’re pretty we’re Fighters I think from the UK we fight well and and and I think we’ve got bit of balls
About us so it it was all these sort of things that you know over the time of just um been out in France racing myself and thinking hang on a minute we we we’re a lot better than we’re showing and I had this great opportunity with
These young Lads you know and we were again it was at that start of really the funding and British cycling Bri cycling was very much focused on the track um but when but well well the thing is I mean what what what got me was they were
Very focused on the track and I and I was like hang on but you got to go a bit deeper than that and if you asked the lads what they want to do they all wanted to ride P Bay or win or ride the tour or whatever and I was like the
British liking journey is all good and I I I got it the funding model but the the Ambitions of these Lads are more and Mark Gish was the classic one who said I want to be World road race champion so you know again I just kept working with
That you know and um it it came quite evident pretty soon that these guys were good enough they were world class and what what I did do was very much from a young with the young Lads and I think you you Lads are all in in this category
You’re all under 23 when you go ride under 23 going to be the best of the under 23 yeah okay when you go right Elite then you can work very much on process goals and everything else but I would very much say right if we’re
Riding under 23 well how do you win you got to go through all the processes but you your outcome has got to be it’s all about winning it’s all about getting the performances right how do you win and that’s what I did all the time with them
Lads all the way through so was going Thomas said Clancy all of these guys who are now you know all done pretty well out out of cycling and it was you know under 23 how do you win Elite level the process goals and again through all that
Process you know it we could we could put this together yeah yeah and and Brit cycling at the time didn’t have the ambition to be World roadways champion and I I I just kept driving driving it home and I was very fortunate I think Dave bford was listening and and he also
Had an ambition to eventually have a road team and and so forth so it was it was 2007 when we put that together uh in my knowing that at some point there will be a a course at suav and then it came I think I think it was end of 2008 when we
Got the behind the scenes a little bit was told it’s going to be in Copenhagen I said right game on here you know so so he rode his first world Road Champs in 2007 in I where I think it was stuck out I think can’t remember I’m looking at R
Maybe R was I’m sure um and the whole goal for C was just ride and feel and see how the national teams work it’s very different to the pro teams you know he’ already ridden the tour and he he you know was in his first years as a
Full-time Pro but it was all about like gain the experience because the national teams work different and you got all the different sort of scenarios of you know a Belgian guy working for the Italians underhanded and all this going off you need to understand the game so that was
That was that’s how it all started you know and that we wrote that program together basically yeah I say thanks good question James any any other questions from the audience thank yeah okay so we’ll come to you um DAV how do you use uh data like B viewer in
Your team briefings and can they go on too long get too technical for the Riders now well you know I think everybody uses things quite different I mean certainly within inos at the moment they have a pretty standard what they you know don’t matter what bite race you’re at they’ll
They’ll deliver a very similar um presentation every morning and and of course the you know there’s this whole safety aspect but also just where they going to tactically use their energy and everything else it all comes back from your Recons and it all comes back from
The knowledge of the roads you know the roads are absolutely fundamental to what we do so I think when we started working with you what what year did you say it was I think it was 2017 season first season you know and and and you’re talking about Nicholas portal you know
Niko was a he he he grew up very much from a the old French system as a DS he was taught by Sha Yates who was very much a Matman and I would say sha if he’s now working in the team he’s still using Maps however Nico was a was right
Into his Tech and he could see the benefit here Dario Jon as well very much could see the the benefit of like you said just knowing exactly what’s going on it’s one of the best tools in the world I would say I think I think you you know You’ you’re a great partner
Here writing that down yeah you know I do honestly believe it’s it’s a fantastic tool and it’s changed the face of racing you know I think a lot of the style of racing at the moment and um the intensity of racing is because now people have got much more
Knowledge you know I mean just one thing on the data thing well I would always say I think everybody’s different you know some people are just enjoyment some people are total Tech nerds what what I think you got to always do with with technology use it as a it informs
Decisions it shouldn’t it doesn’t tell you what to do do it just should inform better decisions going forward for the next day or so forth so I think that’s a big one technology yeah yeah and Dave have anything to add around your particular um use of it if not it’s fine
But no I don’t think so uh I mean what what I always try and do and you know the is kind of simplify um the race the Riders have ahead of them it’s for some Riders it’s really easy for to overthink and worry too much about detail so I think using
Some of the tech will take some of that worry away so they can just focus on the stuff that’s worth focusing on yeah that’s a so ja to you for your question and then maybe time for one more from from the AUD before we my question was for Dave and
It’s um why do you only have eight Riders it’s enough mate it’s not a day it’s just a question we talk about seven weren you [Laughter] yeah um yeah I I think I don’t know I it’s hard to say there’s there’s a right number um but I think the teams like
Like ours um I think if you have many more Riders than we’ve got I personally think it’s probably a little bit cynical in that you can’t give them all enough opportunity and you could argue that the guy running the team is just making his life easier
By having Riders on the bench for when someone’s not going well sick or injured is someone else but you know until that happens that guy might be sat on the bench for a long time he he swings him roundabouts when I’m when I’m proved right it’s really good and you’re all
Working well and you’re all getting opportunities when we have to go to a big race and there’s only three Riders because we’ve only got eight to start with that’s when it’s a bit you know but it’s ups and downs is you know B racing in it B racing in
It I think on our side of that question as well is that we get a lot from DAV side in terms of nurtury uh and that would be difficult with more Riders yeah that that I didn’t want to really say that yeah there’s only one of me and you know
Um yeah yeah the more Riders I’m I’m spread thinner yeah any other questions from the audience you tell us about the link between Sheffield other than just a name um yeah I think yeah so I i’ I’d run the team for three years and then we were
Losing the title sponsor as alter atoms in cycling um and in spite of trying and and getting very close to um a replacement title sponsor we sort of got very late in the in the year of 2016 and we were probably going to fold and then I started thinking about this
Idea to have a team that was all about Sheffield and backed by Sheffield sponsors and and making a load of noise about Sheffield and um spoke to my wife about it and and it was a little bit well now or never and and I spoke to the sponsors that we
Did have and they were all very supportive um and that that the support from the sponsors really gave me the confidence to do it cuz you know I I know I know something about bike racing but I’m not a businessman you know and all our sponsors were said yeah that’s great
Dave you know so so that kind of support and encouragement gave me the you know confidence to have a go it really and and so for the last um seven years we’ve just um worked to promote everything that Sheffield’s got to offer we’ve got a lot of Link with all kinds of stuff
Going on in the city and the surrounding area that are nothing to do with bike racing and and part of that is is driven by potentially has commercial value for the team but also you know thinking as a a proud bloke from Sheffield the city’s
Got a lot to offer you know and I think it there’s there’s no shortcuts and it’s not easy but you know it might my lofty ambition for the team is is to be something of value to the city you you know something to be proud of in terms
Of our sporting success and developing but also you know what it can potentially do um we’ve got strong links to the um Sheffield youth CC Cycling Club um and I already see which which has only been in existence a couple of years um of which I’m I’m the chairman I
Don’t really do a lot but um I’m kind of the figurehead but the I I see the team has been the shiny thing thing that the kids that turn up to training on Monday evenings a few miles down the road see and they think oh yeah I might like to
Get into racing and if they get into it they see that the team is is maybe a route to get into you know working with someone like rod in in a few years time so and I think that’s evident in last year we had five Riders on the team from
Sheffield which whilst we’re we’re not World Tour but the criteria that I have to work to to rec recruit Riders means that the Riders aren’t 10 a penny and to get five of them from the city it’s a big city but um it it showed to me that
The team was already having that effect we’re three Riders based in Sheffield this year and we don’t know what that’s going to be like next year but I do think um it’s working in that in that respect um and and the profile within the city and the Sheffield City region
Uh is growing year on year yeah and and finally I know Mark from your perspective of organizing races and you know developing the outdoor City brand with the city teams like sa and Sheffield are a really big part of promoting Sheffield is that kind of outdor City on there and you know with
Your marketing H where do we go next what does the yeah that’s the big question you see because you like d just mentioned now we’ve got the pathway from the the youth element of it so on a Monday night they they training at Forge Valley like I say in the outdoor City
They’ve got all wrapped around the social media that that that’s thrust upon youngsters these days they see that as a platform and they can actually see a a way to to get onto the team through training on Monday night race on Wednesday night at the White Rose youth
League and then eventually at 16 17 18 and then with a view to going on to to ride for cycling shepia so there’s there’s definitely that pathway there for them I think um you know young guys of colber is probably on that on that pathway possibly because he’s come
Through right through the system and uh that’s really nice to see that it would be a product of that I know we kind of had Conor in a way um but you know that was kind of precycling sheer you know so um it’ll be I guess where we live is absolutely
Perfect you know you know I won’t be on this panel now if I didn’t mention the strines you know so you’ve got that’s James um you know we’re surrounded by fantastic scenery Countryside that delivers a great platform to be able to train on you know Russ and Dean have
Have appr proven that really going out I don’t think uh Dean was spent too much time on the stries I did you Dean now but uh you know out to the Pak District you know it’s perfect and I think you’ve got you know we’re talking with samels
From down in lra you know he you know enthused about coming up to ride in the p district so I think uh the sooner we can get a a national a Ras back in the Peete District the better yeah and obviously the more people on
Bikes the better Max and it would be REM Miss not to finish with a a comment from you about you know cycling and your Reflections I was just going to say about the the outdoor City brand and where that goes next I’ve um had some conversation with um Mark mobs who heads
Up and Mark Sheffield and I was involved in that from from the start and the the setting up of of that brand and it’s it’s evolved quite a lot from what was like a standalone website and a brand and a way to attract um tourists into the city but a way to give
The the city um a really strong identity um not forgetting the industrial Heritage but just to appreciate the fact you know it’s one of the only city the only city in the UK with Peak District national park within boundaries the most trees the highest proportion of um Green
Space and Countryside in in any City that there is so just to to give that branding there and it was quite a separate thing and now what they what they’re trying to do for marketing at a city level it’s to bring that all together it’s not something different
It’s everything it’s part of everything else that’s going off in Sheffield so the outdoor city is kind of a brand that that not on its own but something that when we’re talking about anything to do with Sheffield the out the outdoor office should be part of that so where
We’re trying to go in terms of direction is to create like an outdoor Manifesto for the city so to go out there and say Sheffield punches above its way in terms of the outdoors in terms of what we’ve got in cycling Road cycling and mountain biking but also um
Opportunities you know from from the ground and and for everybody to cycle on you know some I’m sure we’ve all got complaints about bits of the infrastructure in the city but also some really um amazing and and unique places so it’s all about kind of putting those
Benchmarks in place and saying what do shefield do we’ve got this many Tre you’ve got professional cycling teams the events in Sheffield are absolutely outstanding for cycling and for other sports running uh walking festivals like the summit I was like yesterday trying to bring all these things together and
Go out there with kind of a statement of intent to say Sheffield is absolutely punching above its weight and if you want to be an outdoor City great but how do you measure to what we’ve got here in Sheffield because we’ve got all these things here so I I thought it might just
Be a positive to kind of wrap things together at the end Cy absolute front and center to that undoubtedly that’s why it was part ofly four Sports in the outdoor City brand uh at the onset because it’s got some really unique distinctive special things here and special people as well so yeah keep
Building on that and use that as something that can really help Place making and economic development and the profile of of Sheffield external internal thanks Ma I think Rob that as well just to back that up that it’s starting to work we’re getting as you know the club secretary hat on we’re
Getting members um joining from further a field come up from London centry Etc Simon you know I guess probably maybe why I attracted you to to come to to shaffield from uh from London was it so yeah so I think you know it’s an attractive place to be able to ride your
Bike go out at night you know there’s there’s everything there really so it’s uh it’s Testament to what’s sort of gone on in the last sort of five seven years and uh and it is starting to work now because when you you ride to work in the
Morning there’s lots of s You know despite the the the the Terrible infrastructure people are still I mean yeah I mean not going to beat about the bush there’s still people riding to work on on on bikes and and you know there’s a big shift now you see you pull up at
The Trapp lives and and two or three people pull alongside you it’s not like London but it’s a tough place to ride a bike is Sheffield but it’s uh it’s starting to flush them out as well great well thanks ever so much to the to the panel Dave can I just hand
Over to you to close um the event thank thanks um so yeah just like to thank everyone for taking the time out of the day to come along great to see uh um our partners and supporters and and people that maybe just follow us on social media just
Thanks every so much for for what you’re doing supporting us making the time to come along and um I hope we can keep you engaged and work with you great thank you and thanks to our panel