Q&A: Ed Clancy (Elite Road Racing Task Force)

In a very special Q&A, VeloUK quizes a rider who I have worked with and watched race track and road for 20 years – Ed Clancy who heads up the Elite Road Racing Task Force

Q&A: Ed Clancy (Elite Road Racing Task Force)

A rider who been there, done it and has rainbow jerseys to prove it is Ed Clancy. In between winning Olympics Golds and Rainbow jerseys, Ed also raced a lot on the road here in Britain and at one point, was the most ‘winningest’ rider in the Tour Series. He also won the classic Eddie Soens memorial, the Circuit Race Championships and raced the Tour Britain. So when it comes to the Elite Road Racing Task Force, Ed has certainly ridden enough races on the road to know how the sport was in his day. I remember well going to a training day on the road with Ed along with Geraint Thomas and Mark Cavendish (and others) with then coach, Rod Ellingworth. I was also in Los Angeles to see Ed be part of the World Title winning team pursuit squad. So this is a very special Q&A!

Q: During your time in the sport, what would you say were the biggest benefits of the domestic racing scene to helping you and others achieve your Olympic ambitions? IE: was it more getting a place in a strong team that provided racing outside the track or was it also the high level of the racing here in Britain that helped make you a better, faster, stronger rider?

ED: For me personally, I absolutely loved racing in the domestic scene – both road and circuit. It was a bit of a mental break from the pressure of track racing. The races were a perfect standard to help support my fitness for the Olympic work. I think it’s a similar story for other Olympians too. Being able to compete at a high standard without huge distances to travel was a bonus. Of course, there were many riders who were solely motivated to compete in the domestic scene and also those who saw it as a platform to move on too.

What a moment this was! 2005 and Ed (third from left) was part of the World Championship winning team in Los Angeles

Q: What is the biggest change in the sport since you were travelling the country racing the big races? IE the loss of the UCI teams or the level here in racing dropping as the best riders go abroad?

ED: It’s no secret that domestic road and circuit racing has struggled a bit recently. There are obviously fewer UCI men’s teams and some key races have been lost too. I don’t think there’s any one contributing factor but I think financial aspects have played a big part. Races cost more to police, there’s been financial uncertainty, sponsors and partners are reluctant to invest, the cycling industry isn’t awash with money at the moment and neither are local authorities.

I feel very fortunate that I was able to race at home in a thriving domestic scene and I sincerely hope the recommendations from the Task Force can start to turn things around.

Q: When one looks at the huge number of riders racing abroad in UCI teams, is the sport here really that bad as the press makes out? IE, When it comes to pathways to pro racing, these riders racing abroad have been given a start here and then gone abroad to chase a career in the sport while they can and with the large number doing that, as a pathway, racing here is a good starting point is it not? A good test bed for a rider to see if going abroad is something that is within their level of talent?

ED: Yes, in terms of how many riders we have competing at the top level overseas, British cycling has never been in a better place and that’s great to see! In recent history, the road series has been a great platform for riders to move onwards and upwards – which is important – as so many riders want to make careers out of it and become professional. But we also can’t ignore the wider context here of World Tour teams scouting and recruiting riders at younger ages, often through development teams, which means that many riders are now often bypassing the domestic scene for opportunities overseas.

However that doesn’t make the domestic scene any less important, and having high quality domestic events and teams for riders to develop in is still vital – particularly for the late bloomers who maybe come to the sport later or don’t have their potential spotted at a young age in the same way.


Q: Does the task force team think this downturn is part of a cycle in the sport and that the good days will return when the cycle business recovers and can invest in the sport again?
ED: The Task Force understood quite early on that there are a many factors that have hindered the scene recently, and unfortunately there is no “silver bullet”. Whilst we can’t predict the future, we believe that we have set out a pragmatic road map of attainable recommendations for British Cycling that will give the domestic road and circuit scene a fighting chance of recovery, and we’re optimistic for the future.

Q: What does the task force team feel the role of racing here needs to be for riders?
ED: We believed that the role of the road racing is different to circuit. In very simplistic terms, the role of elite road racing is more about providing a platform where a rider could express their full potential, and elite circuit racing was more about entertainment, being commercially viable and attracting big audiences as a ‘shop window’ for the sport.

Q: And, do we need half a dozen or more UCI Teams in both the men’s and women’s sport when we still have long standing Elite teams with owners/managers who share our passion for the sport?
ED: The vision is to have a National Circuit Series which has spectacular racing and is commercially attractive, and a National Road Series that gives riders a platform to show their talents to the world. I think if that’s the case, then more UCI teams will come, but I don’t think this is just about the number of UCI teams. As you say, there are some great teams operating as Elite Development Teams and other levels doing a brilliant job at providing riders with the right environment to succeed in the long-term, and we need to celebrate those teams too.

Q: As a rider who enjoyed great success in the Tour Series, are races like that, i.e., those in town centres, a great instrument to bring the sport to the public?

ED: 100%, yes. The Tour Series (and many other town centre races) did a great job of providing entertainment to both cycling fans and to the public. It was a big part of the reason that so many teams became sustainable and local authorities saw an opportunity to positively engage their communities. Of course, no riders would ever become a continental professional off the back of circuit racing alone, hence why it clearly serves a different purpose to traditional road racing.

Q: When it comes to more organisers, does the sport need more professional organisers due to the complex nature of organising events nowadays? IE, I heard one race had the organiser working on it all year long which is tough ask for some one who works full time outside the sport.
ED: One of the key recommendations of the Task Force is to create event organiser succession plans. There are some incredibly knowledgeable and hard-working event organisers out there with decades of experience who do an excellent job. What’s important is that that knowledge isn’t lost, and best practice can be shared amongst existing and new organisers.

Another challenge organisers have been facing recently is escalating costs. Our first recommendation is to explore the creating of a central procurement function in BC with the aim of creating efficiencies and reducing costs.

Q: When it comes to the commercial side, is the need for the sport to be on television THE key part of the challenge? IE, providing business with the necessary publicity to make investing in the sport viable?

ED: Whether TV is absolutely essential isn’t clear, and the most effective ways of showcasing events is changing. It’s clear that the cost of producing TV feeds of the standard that viewers expect is eye-wateringly expensive, which is why many sports are now experimenting in the ways that they cover their events.

What is clear is that there needs to be a review of the digital strategy for elite road racing so that we can show business and commercial partners a clear return on investment, whether that’s through traditional PR, TV or alternative ways, such as social media.

Q: What things in the sport have gone from it in the last decade or two which need to return? IE: When I started 25 years ago, we had racing all round the country, England, Wales, Scotland etc. So do we need that again or do we just need a healthy number of National As? Do we need high ranking UCI races like the Tour of Britain? And do we need the Tour Series when we have the Circuit Race Series?

ED: The Task Force do think we need a better geographical spread of races, and a greater variety of terrain and stage racing too. We know SweetSpot have been in difficulty and we have a clear recommendation that all efforts are made to ensure the Tour of Britain and The Women’s Tour are delivered – it would be a great shame to lose these.

It’s a shame the Tour Series has gone but there’s a real opportunity to look at some key elements that made the Tour Series great and integrate those into the National Circuit Series in the future.

Q: Finally, looking at the National Series Calendar for 2024 and how much racing we had in 2023 from grass roots to Nat Bs, does the task force think we will have a healthy season of domestic races?

ED: The reality is that change will take time but there is now a road map of attainable and realistic recommendations to put into action. The recommendations have only just been shared and even if British Cycling do have the capacity to act upon all of them immediately, it will take time for the impact to filter through.

The good news is that the National Road Series calendar already looks to be in a better place than last year, and hopefully things will continue to move in a positive direction for the sport we all love! From the wide-ranging consultation we did as part of the process (nearly 250 responses!) and the support we’ve received from the teams within BC, the passion and determination to get this right is crystal clear. It’s now about working together to turn it into reality.

Thank you Ed for that insight into the sport and lets hope it can return to its former glory of racing all over the country, more riders coming back into racing, more support from business to make putting on racing viable and more of a connection between the sport and the public through live racing and televised racing.

 

Send your results as well as club, team & event news here

Other Results on VeloUK (including reports containing results)

Other News on VeloUK

Tags: