I'm using an updated real name database, with the 2016 squads loaded, beginning on the 01/01/15
I'm an ex pro rider, who had his career cut a few years short with a nasty knee injury. I've worked as a coach for British cycling, and a host of British and American continental teams.
I've recently been asked by Dave Brailsford to take on a role of Head Sports Director on the Senior Management board.
I will along with my other Sport Directors I will be charged with over seeing, training (liaising with team guru Rod Ellingsworth), and planning the race calendar (for the team and individual riders), along with some general Sports Director duties at races.
About me
I am 33 years old, born in Paisley just outside of Glasgow Scotland. I trained with Robert Millar, after he had stopped cycling. He taught me everything I know. I quickly moved on and raced in Belgium.This suited me, I loved the cold hard races. Many of my victories came when the majority of the peloton couldn't survive the conditions. I very nearly signed for Team Sky in their debut year but at the end of the previous season I already knew I wouldn't be able to continue riding due to an injury I had been carrying for sometime.
My biggest wins included E3 Harelbeke, Tour of Britain GC, 2 Giro stages, 1 Vuelta stage, U23 road race champion.
I always felt I had bigger wins in me, truthfully I knew 2 years before I quit that I shouldn't have been riding. I had worn away all the cartilage in my knee, to the extent of actually reducing the thickness of my knee cap by half.
01/01/2015
I sat at my desk in the teams service course in the north of Belgium. In the office with me were the rest of the sports directors team, we broke our day down in to the key tasks we would have to fulfill in the first few days of the year to meet the requirements of the UCI and the teams sponsors.
Firstly we confirmed a series of training camps for the first few weeks of the year at the teams favored base on Mount Tiede. Next up was to confirm the calendar we would be racing for the first 3 months of the year. This task was vital, it was the most important part of the year (maybe excluding the Tour). Riders needed training camps to refine skills, race miles to prep for upcoming targets and we would also have goals that both riders and the sponsor has set for this period. Races in Spoiler
Spoiler
Tour Down Under
Vuelta Mallorca
Cadel Evans Road Race
Herald Sun Tour
Dubai Tour
Columbia TT
Tour of Qatar
Columbia RR
Tour of Algarve
Omloop
K-B-K
Strade Bianchi
Paris Nice
Terrieno Adriatico
GP Nobili
Milan San Remo
Volta a Catalunya
Corsica Classic
E3
Critirium International
Gent Wevelgem
The second task would be to evaluate the team and decide on squads for the first 2 grand tours. It's no surprise that Team Sky focus on the Tour, we've won it 2 times in the last 3 years, so picking the team early on would allow us to focus on the riders being fully prepared for the race. I've always favored the Giro (I rode it 3 times, completing it twice), so I would be spearheading the teams focus on this race.
I felt this was a fair and balanced team, with a strong Italian core to it, I was confident that Viviani would be able to nick some stage wins (maybe competing for the red points Jersey), and Landa would be able to go for Pink. I am looking to agree with the sponsor that we will aim for a podium place, but with Landa's strength going up hill I would be looking for him to go one better.
This team will race and train together at various points of the year, in the build up to the race. This story will now cover the charge for the Giro, and I will drop some key information in from other races at some points.
