Many outsiders believe that the unsung heroes at the Tour de France or on a pro cycling team are the domestiques, but at the end of the day, all the riders get a piece of the glory. However, as a professional cyclist, I know all too well that to see the true unsung heroes of … Read more
Jumbo-Visma managed to win all three Grand Tours in the same year, with three different riders claiming victory in the Giro d’Italia, the Tour de France, and the Vuelta a España. Not even the dominant Team Sky achieved such a feat back in their heyday.
So, what exactly drives their consistent success?
The directeur sportif (sports director) of each team essentially runs the show on the sporting side of things. Analogous to the head coach in football, the directeur sportif provides insight into the current situation of the race, following the team in a car.
They also provide the team with the proper tactics they should use in each case, often updating these as such during a stage, reflecting the current situation of the race.
Each of the Tour de France teams comprises a diverse group of riders each serving a specific role in the team. If you’re new to the sport, you might think that every rider would have the same objective in a Grand Tour: to win. This would be a reasonable assumption – it is called a … Read more