Brother UK Cycling Podcast – Episode 48
Timothy John
“If your passion lies in elite British road racing and you want an inside line on the teams, riders, organisers and sponsors that make this sport such a compelling spectacle, you’re in the right place.
“I’m Timothy John and joining me for every episode is my co-host, the Managing Director of Brother UK, Phil Jones.”
Phil Jones
“Thanks, Tim. It’s great to be here. We’re going to use this platform to talk about all the key issues surrounding the sport. With special guests, deep dives into hot topics and plenty of chat, we’ll keep you informed about all things UK racing. Stay tuned!”
Timothy John
“Hello and welcome to this new edition of the Brother UK Cycling Podcast where our guest today is a familiar face and a successful graduate.
OnForm, when she won the Scottish road title and finished second on her debut at the gruelling Ryedale Grand Prix.
“A year later, after adding the Lincoln Grand Prix to her palmares and proving herself against the world’s best on the queen stage of the 2022 Women’s Tour, Becky completed her meteoric rise by earning a place alongside British road race champion Pfeiffer Georgi in the Dutch WorldTour team.
“Now, with races of another magnitude under her belt - Liége-Bastogne-Liége, the Giro Donné and the Tour de Romandie, to name only three - the former triathlete and psychology graduate is ready to go again.
“Becky, thank-you very much indeed for joining us.”
Becky Storrie
‘Hello. Nice to be here.”
Timothy John
“I think it was the 2021 Women’s Tour where you had your breakthrough, not the 2021. I might have had that wrong.”
Becky Storrie
“No, I did the 2021 Women’s Tour. That wows in October, so I think it 2022 in May, when it was much sunnier.”
Timothy John
“I remember you slugging it out against the world’s best in the mountains of Wales and that felt like crystallising moment. Did it to you?”
Becky Storrie
“Yeah, definitely. That was probably the moment where I thought, ‘This is something that I really want to do and can see myself doing longer term.'”
INTERLUDE
Timothy John
“Here we are in Calpe in January. Are you starting to feel like and old hand at this now?”
Becky Storrie
“No, definitely not. I’m still learning a lot every single day, being on this team. I still have to pinch myself on a number of occasions.”
Timothy John
“You’re living the dream.”
Becky Storrie
“Yeah, absolutely. I’m very grateful to be here.”
Timothy John
“Were you here in Calpe for pre-season training last year?”
Becky Storrie
“Yeah, we came in December and January. I was here in December last year.”
Timothy John
“And last year was your first year with the team?”
Becky Storrie
“Yeah, it was.”
Timothy John
“How do you reflect on that first year? How further on, how further developed are you as a rider from even 12 months ago?”
Becky Storrie
“Yeah, I’ve changed massively over those 12 months. How I came into the team was very fast-tracked. I only signed my contract at the end of November 2022, and then a week later I was flown out to the first training camp to meet everyone and then moved to The Netherlands in January to be really part of the team and in on the process.
found my. place within the team, and it really feels like home now.”
Timothy John
“Would that period have adaptation have been easier had you been longer in the sport? Pfeiffer, [whom] I was speaking to yesterday, raced a bike from the age of four. Her brother was a bike racer, her father was a Masters champion; they went to bike races every weekend in the UK.
“You came to the sport comparatively late. Would that have helped: a history in the sport? Or is there no shortcut for finding yourself in a professional team?”
Becky Storrie
“I think it definitely would have helped. I think that was my biggest problem. I started cycling properly in 2019, and only in 2021 did I realistically start to chase that pro contract. It was something I actively wanted at that point. I hadn’t wanted to be a professional cyclist from five years old.
I thought, ‘Oh, goodness. I’m not sure if I’m meant to be here.”
Timothy John
“Your talent has carried you here. It was obvious in the OnForm days that you had a level of talent beyond most riders in the domestic scene, and you took that onto CAMS-Basso and then into the Women’s Tour.
“Has your talent run ahead of your experience?"
Becky Storrie
“Yeah, I would say so. When I look back to how much has changed in the last two or three years especially, I think what has got me there is pure love of the sport. The domestic scene was thriving when I came into it, and there were so many races and such a strong quality of field that the women put together. Sometimes, the women would outnumber the men on a number of occasions.
“It was just great fun to be a part of, and I never thought too deeply into it. That passion and love was always the driving force, and with that comes success, I guess.”
Timothy John
“As you say, you’re not familiar with the history of the sport or anting like that. With all that said, are there certain things about being a pro cyclist that you can only learn by being a pro cyclist? Have you discovered things about the sport, about the nature of bike racing that you simply wouldn’t have discovered [in] any other way than riding for a WorldTour team?”
Becky Storrie
“Yeah. It’s not necessarily riding for a WorldTour team. It’s just getting that racing experience. I had no racing experience when I went into a lot of the national series races. It was, ‘Well, let’s just gp in here, with no expectation and see how it goes.’ I’d come away having learned so much.
“Being in a peloton is not necessary the most comfortable experience, but it’s just one of those things that you become more and morse used to being in those groups. I don’t think it matters if it’s WorldTour or nt. You can learn from any race.”
Timothy John
“How do you feel at the beginning of this second season? Are you excited? Are you anxious? Do you feel more confident than you would have done 12 months ago?
“What’s your mindset, Becky, looking into this second season with DSM?”
Becky Storrie
“I’m definitely excited. I think, as I mentioned, the first six months of last season were quite difficult and challenging for me, just adapting to being part of this team living in a different country, racing at a different level, being away from family and friends, as well; and just [being] in a new training regime.
“I feel like after those six months I started to really find my place and settle and adapt to being in Women’s WorldTour races and feel like I belonged there in the end. The steps I made, particularly in the last two months of last season, were massive, and I really hope to build on that last year.”
Timothy John
“Your first sporting love was triathlon, and you pushed yourself extremely hard, almost to the point where yo had a physical collapse.
where you have professional physics, professional coaches.
“Is that night and day from what you’d learned for yourself as a triathlete?”
Becky Storrie
“Yeah, massive. I can only speak for this team, but we have experts in all areas that we can rely on: nutrition, performance, The list goes on. We’re super lucky that we have so many intelligent people that we can lean on and learn from. It’s almost that we don’t have to think about it. They tell us, and we do it, and it’s great.
anymore. I’ve graduated and can just put all my energies into cycling, and that recovery time has been night and day to my training.”
Timothy John
“The recovery has been every bit as important as the effort on the bike.”
Becky Storrie
“Yeah, definitely, because, I think, that’s where all the gains are made: in that recovery period.
those marginal gains, and that’s where those marginal gains are made: in that recovery period.”
INTERLUDE
Timothy John
“You talked about the challenges you faced in your first season: were there lots of pinch me moments as well? Can you give us an idea of the pleasure, the joy of being a professional rider?”
Becky Storrie
“Yeah, definitely. I think I had a countless pinch me moments, particularly at races like Liége and the Giro, to be there, races that I’d watched on TV and always wondered: ‘I wonder if I’ll be there one day?’ and to be there was really, really special.
“But just to be around and become friends with people who you’d watched on TV and learn from them; yeah, there were a lot of pinch me moments, and I think back to those times when I was studying and working in a supermarket, because of course everyone gets those days - ‘Oh, the weather’s not great. I don’t really want to go out for four or five hours in the rain,’ - and then I just remember how lucky I am to do what I love every single day.”
Timothy John
“Yeah, it’s quite a privileged existence, isn’t it?”
Becky Storrie
“Yeah, very privileged.”
Timothy John
“I mean, however hard you guys work, and, boy, do you work hard…
‘Is this a step even from the European races you did with CAMS-Basso? You did Settmana Valenciana, I think, two years running: once with CAMS and last year again with DSM.
“Can you quantify the difference? Is there greater expectation [with DSM]?”
Becky Storrie
“I was very fortunate when I raced with CAMS. We never went without. We always did our best on a small budget, as a small team, and I loved my time with them, It was a really great environment for me to be in.
“But then returning to that same race with DSM, there are major differences. We’ve got the bus, we’ve got showers, we’ve got food.
“I remember being with CAMS. We’d finish the stages, and on one stage, it was really cold, at the top of mountain, and it was basically hailing, and we were all there with camping chairs, looking at the buses, and thinking: “Oh, one day, I wonder if we’ll be on a bus like that?’
“It’s nice to look back and see how far you’ve come, but also to be there this year with DSM, and see CAMS-Basso, or, this year, DAS-Handsling at the race and have a lot of great friends there.”
Timothy John
“Well, hopefully this year too. Brother are on board. We’re with the team again.”
Becky Storrie
“I hope so.”
Timothy John
“DAS-Hutchinson-Brother UK.”
Timothy John
“Let’s talk more broadly about women’s cycling; about the development of the sport, which has been exponential. Do you feel that parity has been achieved or is there still a way to go?”
Becky Storrie
“I think there’s definitely still a way to go, but we’re definitely on the right track. We’re getting there, but there’s still a long way to go with that, but I think that will be achieved in the coming years.”
Timothy John
“What have been the big changes? Has it been the introduction of a minimum wage? The Tour de France Femmes? What have bene the game-changing moments?”
Becky Storrie
“I think definitely having the Tour de France Femmes was massive for women’s cycling, and, in my opinion, should have happened a long, long time ago. I think it proved in its first year just how successful it was and people loved watching women’s cycling.
“It’s very different when you watch men’s cycling; women’s cycling a lot less predictable. It’s shorter, and it’s exciting to watch. Not that the men’s cycling isn’t, obviously, but it’s just very, very different, and it showed that there was a need there for women’s sport, and I loved it.
time and focus to their training and their sport, and it just raises the level for everyone.”
Timothy John
“And on a personal note, is the Tour de France Femmes a ‘must have’? Is that something you’d like to have on your palmares?”
Becky Storrie
“Oh, absolutely, yeah. I think everyone aspires to be on that start line, whether that’s this year or in teh future, I don’t know, but it’s definitely something I’ll always be striving towards.”
Timothy John
“The Tour is the Tour!”
Becky Storrie
“Yeah, exactly! It’s one to tell the grand kids, isn’t it?"
Timothy John
“You mentioned a few minutes ago, Becky, that when you were coming through the British ranks, it was an exciting time; there were lots of races, lots of teams, and, if anything, it’s even bigger now: there are six, British-registered UCI Continental women’s team for 2024.
“Do you still follow the domestic scene, or are you solely focussed now on WorldTour racing?”
Becky Storrie
“Absolutely, I have a lot of friends who race in the domestic scene, so I’m always following and supporting them, and, as you say, the women’s cycling in the domestic scene, and unfortunately for the men, that doesn’t seem to be the case, which is crazy to think, isn’t it? The women are overtaking the men in some respects, but, yeah, I still follow it.”
Timothy John
“I spoke to one of our riders, Tiffany Keep, a South African. I interviewed her last year, and she said she was becoming rather tired of people saying the British domestic scene was on its knees. She said, ‘The reason I’ve travelled 10,000 miles to race in the UK is because I think it’s thriving,;’ and, of course, she’s absolutely right. There are definite challenges for the men’s scene, but let’s hope they can be overcome.
“You must be the living proof of the strength of the British scene. You’ve come through those ranks, and you’ve turned professional.”
Becky Storrie
“Yeah, and not just me: now we have Josie [Nelson] on our team, as well; a lot of juniors coming through. Cat Ferguson, Zoe Backstedt. The amount is incredible, when you write it down: the amount of women who have come through the domestic scene. It’s really, really exciting for the future.”
Timothy John
“Is it known in the UCI Women’s WorldTour? Do your colleagues, the staff: do they talk about British women’s road racing?”
Becky Storrie
“Not really, but I think we’re always known for being quite hard racers. Britain’s a very harsh environment tot rain in and whenever everyone comes over to race in events like the Women’s Tour and RideLondon, everyone’s complaining about how harsh our training road are, so grippy, but we love it, and it makes for hard racing.”
Timothy John
“Just on the Women’s Tour. It’s under threat at the moment. How big a loss would it be if it wasn’t held again?”
Becky Storrie
“Yeah, massive. I have a lot thank for the Women’s Tour. That was the platform that springboard-ed me onto the scene in front of a number of WorldTour teams and gave me this opportunity that I have now.
“For sure, it’s one of my favourite races. As a British rider, obviously, I’m biased, but I know it’s the favourite race of a lot of the girls on my team and others in the peloton.
“It’s always been a race that’s been run very professionally, and very well organised, and that’s what it’s known for.”
Timothy John
“Yeah. We’re going back years now, but again, working alongside Cervélo-Bigla, Ashleigh Moolman saying, ‘Why can’t every race be as good as the Women’s Tour?”
Becky Storrie
“Yeah, exactly. You hear that all the time when we’re there, or it’s always one that’s compared to other races. ‘Oh, the Women’s Tour is run like this,’ or, ‘It’s not at the standard of the Women’s Tour.’ Which is really special and a credit to the organisation.”
INTERLUDE
Timothy John
“We were talking about the number of British riders on DSM, and there are a number of British people on the staff. Is it an easy team for a British person to assimilate into?”
Becky Storrie
“Yeah, definitely. English is the main language of the team. I always joke and say, despite being predominantly a Dutch team, their English is better than our standard English. There are a lot of staff and riders on this team [whom] I forget are not British because their English is so incredible, and it makes me feel extra terrible abbot my Dutch, after living in The Netherlands for a year.”
Timothy John
“That’s a hard language to master, isn’t it?”
Becky Storrie
“Yeah, absolutely. I set myself a challenge. Every time I go to a supermarket, I try and learn a new word, but as far as being able to string together a sentence, I’ve not got very far.”
Timothy John
“We’re looking forward now into 2024. Do you have any specific goals, or is it simply to continue the process of development?”
Becky Storrie
“Yeah. I think it’s simply to follow on from the development I made last year and use the experience I gained to have more confidence in myself. As I said, for the first few months, I was sinking or swimming on a number of occasions, and I was just trying to get through and be a sponge almost, as much as I could, from those more experienced members of our team, and thankfully we have a lot of them, and they’ve been super helpful and brilliant role models for me to learn from.
“I’m definitely feeling more confident about this year, but it’s going to take me a couple of years in just gaining that experience and development.”
Timothy John
“Have you found a role for yourself in this team? Are there moments in a race, are there types of races where people look to Becky Storrie?”
Becky Storrie
“I don’t think they just look to me. There are lots of strong riders with similar characteristics, but I think I thrive more on the hillier stages or hillier one-day races; mostly stage racing is where I feel most comfortable and confident.
“That sort of GC leadership role, I look to Juliette [Labous]. I’ve lost count of how many years she’s been in this team; six or seven years now. As I said, she’s such an incredible role model to me as a leader in our team, so I try and learn as much from her as possible.”
Timothy John
“Wonderful. Good stuff. Well, Becky, thank-you very much indeed for joining us today and very best of luck for 2024.”
Becky Storrie
“Thank-you. Nice to see you.”
OUTRO
Phil Jones
“If you’ve enjoyed today’s episode, please hit subscribe.”
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