We Talk Team Ownership

Thinking Christmas would be a quiet time for the team, we sat down with Team Owner Rick Lister to ask him what managing a cycling team involves and what he does throughout the year.

Team management is much more than just booking race entries

The season’s over and it’s a few months until the first race of the 2024 season, are you enjoying a well earned break? No, far from it!
November to February is the time when I am busy ensuring the team is equipped for the upcoming season, bikes, wheels, tyres, cycling clothing, leisurewear, etc all needs to be here on time so its a period of making sure we have everything in place along with finalising sponsorship to help us fund the team.
During this time we also have a couple of trips to Spain for training before the official team camp where I try to ride with the riders as much as possible, this allows me to get to know the new riders better in a relaxed atmosphere.

The team will race as a UCI Women’s Continental Team in 2024, has that been a straightforward process?

The team UCI application is a lengthy process, we had to ensure the budget will see us through the season ahead and had to have everything in place with the UCI, including the team jersey design, for approval by the UCI by January 1st. 

Does that mean more races for the team in 2024?

The UCI calendar is usually published before the UK’s calendar which means we have to apply to international races in the hope there aren’t too many clashes. We then have the hotels to book, I try to book for the whole season before Christmas to ensure the best possible prices and availability. 

 Do you have a team camp organised?

Yes, we arrange a camp each year.
The last few years have seen us go to Calpe in Spain however this year we will be in Girona, which is really exciting as our sponsor, Palau Cycling, is based there.
Whilst most of the girls will have individual trips to Europe to train in the sun, our annual camp is one of the few times during the year that all of the team will be together as a group. We usually have some sponsors join us in the team car and our social media team will be along this year to catch all the action and team images.

I work with our team advisers to plan out the structure of the camp so the team come away ready to race, and plan routes based upon the required training for each day.

We also have workshops from our title sponsor Pro-Noctis, to help the riders understand each other and their way of thinking. We are all different so this really helps the riders.
The teams for the first couple of races are decided here, based on what we see and rider’s individual goals for the year.

When does the racing season begin and how do you prepare?

March is the start of the race season, 2024 will be our first season as a UCI Team so we will have a mixture of racing in the UK and in mainland Europe. The first few races will be on home roads to get the legs ready for the season ahead, starting officially at the famous Cicle Womens race. 
I share Sports Director duties with the very experienced Alan Gornall, we work with our road captain Amy Gornall and Jo Tindley to plan our race strategy. Amy and Jo are two of the most experienced riders in the UK, as a team we are very lucky to have this wealth of experience within the team to help both management and to mentor our younger riders.  

Whilst often unseen, the riders are always supported by a team of helpers in the background

What about the rest of the ‘non-racing’ team?

Our team of helpers are extremely important to our success, we have two team welfare officers, both are extremely experienced and something most teams don’t utilise. 
Two of the team are rider/management liaisons so they are a point of contact for the riders if they need a fellow rider to help with any concerns.
Our feed team are the unsung heroes of the team, they stand roadside in all weathers, passing bottles and information to the riders mid race, luckily we have them kitted out in Helly Hansen Workwear courtesy of MI Supplies to ensure they are protected from the elements.

Finally the person that we always hope isn’t needed is our race mechanic who sits in the back of the car during the races, ready to sprint down the road with wheels in hand if there is a mid race incident!

So the racing season gets really hectic early summer?

Yes, April, May and June are when we start to venture overseas for racing and we have races planned in our calendar to bring the riders into form, ready for the National Championships at the end of June. 
It’s also a time when I start looking at partnerships for the next season, potential sponsors and equipment partners, as well as riders who are of interest for the following season.

There’s time for the whole team to celebrate at the end of a successful year

July, August and September are months where we start to see the team racing a mixture of events. Our criterium specialists will target the National Circuit Series in July whilst our road specialists stay on the road in preparation for the late season stage races. There is more sponsorship hunting during this period and of course more talking to potential riders for the following season.

This is also the time of year when we talk to our current group riders to see if they want to stay with the team or move on.
In the previous three seasons we have not had a single rider inform us they wish to leave, this is something I am extremely proud of, it proves our athletes are in a happy environment, which is key to our success.

Happy bike riders are fast bike riders as they say!

So time for a break at the end of the season? 

I wish.
Seeking sponsors, organising equipment and speaking to new riders throughout October & November, then the whole process starts again…..

Thanks to Rick Lister for sitting down with us and spending time taking us through his year.