Team Quiz! Moonglu Racing Team

Q&A with Jack Rees who will be in the new bright team colours for 2024 of Moonglu Racing Team – Jack tells us about the team and the season goals

Team Quiz! Moonglu Racing Team
Images: Sarah Behind The Lens

Q: A new season, a new team for you Jack. Are you back racing road events in 2024?
Jack: Thanks Larry. Yeah, I’m back just doing road events in 2024. I spent a couple of years doing Triathlons and got to a pretty good level but found the frequency of sessions a difficult balance with other things I have going on and I still enjoyed cycling the most, so I’ve left the triathlon behind for now but I’m sure I will revisit it again at some point.

Q: What is the Yorkshire team’s name you’ll be racing with?
Jack: So I’ve joined Moonglu Racing Team this season. The main sponsor is Moonglu a cycling retailer in Ripon. The team have developed over the last few years, making small improvements each year. For 2024 there is six of us racing a good program including all the UK National Series, Rutland, the Ras in Ireland plus some international events towards the later part of the season.

The team is quite unique in many ways I think, everything is a collaborative effort between the riders and some supporters so it’s a shared venture to which everyone plays a part in its success. The boys have a great bond between each other and I’ve been fortunate that I have been able to slot into that and hopefully add some value along the way.

Q: What was the inspiration for this new team to be created in a county with a strong cycling connection?
Jack: So the team did exist but its developed for this year I would say with some additional investment from predominantly Yorkshire based partners. These include Redlands Property Consultancy in Harrogate, Newell’s Projects Ltd, Metcalfe Fencing, based in Ripon. Plus Harrogate Huts that kindly hosted us for our team launch. There are a number of other partners too that have enabled the team to put together a strong budget to enable a comprehensive race program and the other things that go along with that.

Q: As some one who in the past has helped teams get off the ground including the UCI Ribble team, how hard is it for new teams to be created in today’s tough cycling world?
Jack: It’s not easy. The climate is the most difficult it’s been in my time in cycling but I still think it’s possible. You need a slightly different approach, along with what I’ve mentioned about the collaborative approach all the lads take, another area we are working hard on is becoming environmentally sustainable.

I am currently studying for an MBA in Senior Leadership at Teesside University, spending significant time and elements of the course researching this topic and I think the sport of cycling is a perfect vehicle to promote environmental sustainability and climate action. The team will do their best to be entirely carbon neutral across the season, and we are implementing a number of measures to do this alongside some of our partners. Alongside that and providing the usual (hopefully a bit more characterful) outputs, I think we offer a unique and interesting proposition to get involved in.

Q: What are the goals for the team in 2024 – results or enjoying racing or both!
Jack: The vibe as folk say now, is the most important thing, all pulling in the same direction taking a professional approach and riding well as a team. Hopefully if we go about things in the right way the results will come.

Q: What role will you have with the team in 2024?
Jack: I am a rider first and foremost, but I’ll try and add value in any way I can. John Boy (John Reeve) has come to support the team from a staff perspective I’ve worked with him for over a decade now so he will add lots of experience and I’m working on trying to drag Col away from the Costa Blanca!

Q: The riders in the team will be?
Jack: Six riders, Jonny Britton, Ben Mewes, Ben Pease, Carl Stubbs, Will Taylor and myself. We all have different strengths that I think complement each other well.

Q: When does the team expect to start racing?
Jack: Four of the guys are racing this Sunday at Clayton Velo, but I expect we will probably kick off from Mid-March.

Q: Having looked after the Ribble UCI team in various guises from the start, how tough is it for anyone to get a UCI team off the ground after years of having multiple UCI teams?
Jack: It’s very difficult. Now with inflation, Brexit etc, you are looking at an absolute minimum budget of 300K in order to do things properly, which I believe is how you should approach it. Two bikes per rider + time trial, some riders salaried, appropriate number of support staff, infrastructure, vehicles, equipment, coherent race program etc.

It is a real challenge, which I think is why we have seen such a reduction of UCI teams in the UK. The other challenge I think that people sometimes overlook is building a team isn’t just putting X number of riders together. You need characters that complement each other and buy into the same goal and that doesn’t just happen you have to work at it and create the right environment.

This was one of the biggest considerations for Tom, Colin and myself. I spent a lot of time thinking about it and certainly made some mistakes along the way, which really is what led to me going on to study academically to try and apply some theory to my own leadership skills and experiences.

Q: Finally, what do you miss most about being part of a UCI team travelling the country and abroad?
Jack: The banter with the lads and seeing new places. That’s one of the things that brought me back to be honest. Triathlon is great but it’s very much a solitary pursuit. Luckily the Moonglu lads are all mad, which is just how I like it.

 

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