Timothy John
“Let’s close with an optimistic take. We’ve talked about the challenges that the sport is facing at the moment, but we’ve also talked about the incredible depth of talent that there is at the moment in British cycle sport, and you in your way, Dean, are helping it to achieve its potential. What is it in 2020 that you’re most looking forward to?”
Dean Downing
“Personally, seeing how Ben Tullett does in the pro ranks. He’s probably the youngest Pro Continental rider that there’s been for a few years - he’s still only 18 - so that’s pretty exciting for me, personally.
“But then also, from the riders that I work with, it’s just seeing them progress: whether they're racing in Belgium, Italy or doing the Ride London sportive, for example.
“I’ve got one guy who started riding a bike one year ago. He’s 50-years-old. He started riding because one of his mate’s rode. He went a did l’Etape du Tour last year. He said he nearly died, it’s the worst thing he’d ever done, etc. etc.
“But he’s a friend of one of my friends, who put me in contact. I’ve planned his training around work-life, his own business. He’s really great to work with because he’s so enthusiastic.
He’s learning about the history of cycling, and he’s going to watch a race in France in the summer. That’s pretty cool to work with.
“On the pro scene, Matthieu van der Poel is exciting to watch race. So big, big WorldTour races in 2020, it’s going to be exciting just to watch him. He was so exciting at the Tour of Britain last year. So, yeah, he’s the new rider.”
Larry Hickmott
“But there’s a few of them though, isn’t there?”
Dean Downing
“Oh, yeah, there’s a few of them. Remco [Evenepoel] as well. It’s exciting times in the world of pro cycling There are a lot of young and talented bike riders who are coming through and winning big races.”
Timothy John
“So thanks, Dean. There are clearly some very interesting developments coming up at WorldTour level. You mention Ben Tulett, and it’s interesting that Ben is on the same team as Mathieu van der Poel.
“Phil, give us your take. What are the exciting things you’re looking forward to in the world of cycling from a Brother perspective and from a personal perspective in 2020?”
Phil Jones
“Yeah, I’m just becoming very passionate about seeing this sport succeed in the UK. I just think it deserves to. One thing I can bring from business that’s really simple: sometimes the hardest times mean that a sport restructure itself positively. You can say: ‘Ok, there’s not so much money around at the moment, so what happens?’ And you can say: ‘It means putting together a better business model for the future.' Perhaps a more sustainable cost model, for example, can emerge.
“I always remember talking to your brother Russ about this podcast and some other things. He said something fascinating to me. He said: ‘ Look, this has happened before. The sport has been here before, and it’ll be here again.’ I thought: ‘Those are wise words from someone who’s been around a long time, saying let’s not panic.’
“We’ve got Erick Rowsell now gone into BC, and I met Erick the other week, and I’ve convinced him to come onto the podcast, which is great. He’s going to be a future guest. He’s got a
big job, but he’s arrived, and he looks like he’s passionate about sorting things out. We need to give him that space to try and do that.
“There’s lots that he needs to fix. I looked at it and thought what he needs is a critical friend, someone who can put an arm around him and be constructive. So I think for 2020, one thing that I will be trying to do is to be constructive about the sport, not just moan about things, but go: ‘We are where we are. Where can we be in a year? Where can we be in two years?’ So in 2020, I’m excited to see the sport come through the slightly more difficult time now with someone who has the responsibility to sort it all out.
“Personally, of course, I’m just looking forward to riding my brand new Cherubim bike which I had made in Japan. It’s here now. I’m going to buried with it, so I need to get out on it more, once this wind stops blowing - I’m fed up with it. But, yeah, I think I’m looking forward to getting some miles in on the bike this year.”
Timothy John
“Laz, give us your professional and personal hopes for 2020, and when I say professional, of course, I’m talking about the sport. How are you hoping that it will develop in 2020?”
Larry Hickmott
“At the moment, we have a situation where the organisers of our major races are not happy with the way the transformation of British Cycling is going at the moment. There are have been a lot of changes. A lot of people have come and gone, so the appointment of someone like Erick, who Deano has said knows what a race looks like and what it should be like, hopefully has a great influence on keeping these organisers happy with what they are doing, because, at the end of the day, teams, riders, whoever, without organisers like the Lincoln organisers, the Tour of the Reservoir, Peter Harrison for the Beaumont Trophy: these people put in a lot of time, and I don’t think they get the recognition that they deserve.
“I’d like to see people recognise them more for what they do, because it’s the old saying: ‘You don’t realise what you’ve got until it’s gone.’ I think Dean will agree with me on this. There were a lot of races back in the 2000s that we no longer see: the Archer GP, the Havant GP, etc. Races that Dean would have ridden. That’s all because the organisers have gone.”
Timothy John
“And on a personal level? It surely can’t be to cover more races, because that can’t be possible!"
Larry Hickmott
“On a personal level, the way the sport is covered is changing. Now, everything has to be done immediately, so everything is done live. For example, we had the national cyclo-cross championships, which weren’t broadcast live on TV, so that made my job a lot harder in trying to get the information out to everyone who follows me on social media to promote the race. The race needed promotion, because, again, I respect, in the case of the national cyclo-cross championships, people like Dave Mellor and his team, who'd put in a huge amount of work and had some horrible obstacles to overcome. And the riders, too, like Ben Tulett, like Tom Pidcock, etc. etc. It’s all about respect in my book. I want the organisers respected and, hopefully, people respect what I do too.”
Timothy John
“Great. Well, Larry, thanks very much indeed. Phil, thank-you for joining us, and, most importantly, Dean. Thank-you very much indeed for joining us and telling us about your career.”
Dean Downing
“Thank-you very much.”