Making racing happen
We speak to five women behind the scenes of the professional peloton to find out how they got to where they are today
CHERIE PRIDHAM
Sports director, Israel Start-up Nation
“I never ever imagined myself being a sports director. You know, as a kid, I didn’t wake up going, ‘When I grow up, one day I want to be a sports director.’ It kind of evolved.
“For any sports director the key is people management. You need to be able to listen, be diplomatic and understand everybody’s personalities. But you also have to be aware that we have a bigger team picture, we have mechanics, media, swannies and everybody needs to be on the same page to be successful.
“It’s always been my philosophy that you have to go into a meeting with a plan. When you get into the race that can be turned upside down within five kilometres, or even on the start line, but you have to have a strategy. That said, you also have to be able to think quickly and outside the box and keep calm.
“A lot of the work we did early December was working very hard with the other sports directors on the race programme. And I guess that’s where I first realised the mammoth task that Worldtour teams have, to almost run three teams in different parts of the world. Nailing that was a massive job.
“Then there’s the preparation we have to do nowadays for performance plans and presentations and strategies and tactics and that sort of thing. And depending on your programme, that takes up a fair part of your day.
“I was asked what I’m most proud of... I think the first one is being offered that position as team manager at Raleigh. I realise it wasn’t the old Peter Post days but nonetheless, I was team manager of an iconic brand. And I believe that we did a bloody good job. The second thing is having the balls to reach out to Worldtour teams and progress without even thinking that that’s different. I just thought,
‘Well, why can’t I?’ I think I’ve realised, since the team announced my position, how significant my role has been. Still to this day, the number of personal messages I’m getting from girls and women of all ages, saying thank you, thank you for showing us the way. One said, ‘My dream is to be a sports director at Movistar,’ and the girl was 14 years old.
“The advice I would give is just to keep learning, and keep pushing the boundaries.”
AINHOA PRIETO
Nutritionist, Ineos Grenadiers
“I started with the team in February last year, so pre-covid. My first race was Strade Bianche in March, that’s when this Covid nightmare started!
“But then when the lockdowns started to finish and the races started, I was able to really get into the real life of the team. I had the opportunity to do some races, including the Giro d’italia. That was an excellent experience.
“The nutritionist role is really complex. We’re kind of in the middle of everyone in the team. We need the scientific background and to understand how the body works. But it’s also essential to have a good relationship with the riders, to have lots of empathy with them and build that trust. We also work closely with the coaches, and also with the chefs and the caregivers because they are the ones that are going to deliver our nutritional plans.
“The actual plan that we put in place for a rider can be very specific or more. Sometimes that’s because of their cooking skills or the context of their life, like if they are on their own, or they’ve got kids. It’s not just about the nutrition.
“I really appreciate the first women that started working in this sport – they have made a path and opened the door for the rest of us.”
MONICA GREENWOOD
Podium women’s endurance coach at British Cycling
“I worked systemically through British Cycling, first with youths then juniors and then I joined the Podium programme in December last year.
“The most important thing for a coach is to listen. What’s important is that you have belief in the riders that you work with, I think, people know when you’ve got belief in them or not. Just treat them like humans as much as anything else. It’s a hard game that we’re working in, trying to perform at such a peak level. Everyone has feelings and emotions as well.
As well as looking at physiology and, and that sort of stuff, just making sure that you look after the human in people as well, because I think when people are happy and confident they perform better.
“You need that technical and tactical knowledge too though. When I was younger I worked with coaches who had great people skills that maybe didn’t have the best technical knowledge.
“To be good you basically try and steal the good bits of lots of different people and put them together, and you learn from the bits that you don’t think people are doing so well, when you don’t take those bits.
“My husband [Ben Greenwood] is a coach with the U23 men; we probably have a massive impact on each other. We spend a lot of time talking about bike riding, which is really naff. I would like to say I’ve taught him more than he’s taught me though.
“I probably get up at about half six and jump on the turbo. Then I’ll go to the track for a session with the riders. Then I’m in meetings because at podium level there’s a much bigger support team around the riders and that takes a lot of time, work and effort just to keep everyone moving forward in the same direction and to coordinate.
“When Paul Manning left I wasn’t expecting to get this job. I obviously put myself forward for it because it’s a dream job. I think
“I obviously put myself forward for this position because it’s the dream job”
I’m the first female Podium coach that we’ve had and I hope me being here highlights other opportunities and avenues for people, whether they’ve come from being an athlete seeing they can have an impact in other areas of the sport, it’s exciting when something’s a first or it changes the norm, so why wouldn’t you want to be a part of that?”
DR DEBORAH NEWTON
Senior biomechanist for the English Institute of Sport at British Cycling
“A biomechanist – my mum and dad still can’t say that right – looks at the underlying movements or looking at the pedalling mechanics or pedalling style, looking at bike set-up, that kind of thing.
“A typical day would be some testing in the morning using the velodrome. One of the best things about the job is that we get to do testing in-house, it can be part of a training session, it doesn’t need to be in a lab, it doesn’t need to be super-sciency, we can integrate it into the training. Then the afternoon will be spent creating the report feeding that back to the coaches and athletes and making a decision.
“One of the most important things that’s overlooked sometimes is actually the soft skills and being able to communicate with coaches and athletes. You can know all the science in the world, but actually then being able to put that into language that a coach can understand and an athlete can actually act on is key.
“My greatest achievement wasn’t in the biomechanics stuff, it was performance analysis for Mark Cavendish in the omnium at Rio. We had the question of, of all the six events in the omnium, which was the best one to target so if he makes an improvement it can actually elevate him higher up the points. To work with him and Heiko [Salzwedel] on that and come away with a silver medal was pretty cool.”
HANNAH WALKER
Commentator
“Back in 2016 I was actually out on a ride at a coffee shop in Wilmslow, close to where I was living, and I had a phone call from another commentator. He asked how well I knew the women’s peloton and I said, ‘Well, yeah, quite well…’
“It was for the World Championships for Eurosport, when it was held in Qatar. That was my first taste of commentary. No pressure!
“It was hugely rewarding to be asked to do the Vuelta a España last year, to be a female commentating on a Grand Tour. I’ve always watched the Grand Tours and for me to be on that race was just incredible.
“Preparation is key. On the Vuelta most of the stages started around midday. If we were allowed we’d drive the final few kilometres of the race route. We’d take note of the wind direction, the weather, the road surface. I’d always walk the last kilometre as well.
“If you want to get into it watch lots of races and look at what’s going on. When you start to do that there’s so much happening that you don’t see when you’re just spectating on the sofa as a fan. And maybe put it on mute and commentate over it yourself. Give it a go, and you never know.”