Whenever you work on a biking journal, it’s not unusual to obtain emails from younger riders bidding to get themselves featured. Some simply need to showcase, others are labouring beneath the phantasm that getting pictured within the magazine may launch their profession into professional biking. However this electronic mail, which dropped into my inbox 5 years in the past nearly to the day, was totally different.
“Apologies for the contact out of the blue!” it started, endearingly, adopted by a flattering paragraph in regards to the “actual perception” of our current health content material. The author then reduce to the chase. “In September 2018 I made a decision to make the leap and decide to biking full-time, having beforehand labored in a motorbike store. I saved up and give up my job to permit full focus and dedication to the season forward.”
If we weren’t already disarmed by the intro, it was inconceivable to not be charmed by the sincerity of the ambition. The naive optimism of youth? Most likely, however I couldn’t assist however assume that with such an angle, this child may go far. And I wasn’t flawed. The author of that electronic mail, pitching for alternatives, was a 19-yearold aspiring professional named Callum McQueen – the identical younger man who as we speak, having simply turned 24, is the youngest efficiency director within the WorldTour.
Fast rise
After I meet up with Callum by video name in early 2024, it’s the primary time we’ve spoken in months – the primary time since I heard about his touchdown a plum job at Soudal-Fast Step. His enthusiasm undimmed, he launches straight into what he has been engaged on over the previous few days. “The ultimate time trial is in Monaco,” he says, describing the method of selecting the perfect skinsuit for this yr’s Tour de France. “It’s more likely to be extremely popular with not a lot wind, so we would have to think about sacrificing aerodynamics for the sake of cooling.” It may be troublesome, he explains, discovering a skinsuit that works equally nicely on all of the crew’s riders, given their varied physiques. Oh nicely, don’t fear about Remco, I joke, he wants slowing down.
Callum flashes a figuring out smile. “We did some aero testing the opposite day,” he confides, “and the smallest man on the crew, William Junior [Lecerf] – he’s 58kg, a very tiny man – even in his finest place would push considerably extra energy than Remco [for the same speed].” He gained’t inform me the precise variety of watts, however what the heck, I’d as nicely ask the irresistible follow-up: simply how low is Remco’s CdA (coefficient of drag)? “I can’t actually say,” murmurs Callum, “however it’s under… Ummm… It’s very low,” he grins, realising he can’t threat giving even a tough determine. “After I noticed it, I used to be like, wow, that’s low!”
One other current problem has been devising a plan for the Paris-Good TTT (see field), with new guidelines this yr stipulating that the crew’s time is taken on the primary rider throughout the road, not the third or fourth as typical. I’m wondering aloud whether or not it’s believable that Evenepoel is so robust that the crew’s best choice could be to unleash him to experience a piece of the race solo. “That is the factor,” Callum pauses, once more reluctant to offer away an excessive amount of, “I’m fairly eager to let him do the ultimate 5km as a result of it’s seemingly he’ll be faster than anybody else on the market.”
This strikes me as an intimidating activity: having to inform arguably the perfect rider on this planet to go it alone for what could possibly be a number of agonising kilometres. Does this relaxation on Callum’s younger shoulders? “I needed to make the plan after which suggest it to the pinnacle of efficiency,” he says. “A part of doing that meant replicating the climb [from the TTT course] in coaching.” As he begins to clarify, the penny drops: he means they needed to learn the way a lot Evenepoel would wish to carry again on the 4.5-minute climb to keep away from dropping everybody else. “At 360 [watts] everybody was effective, however then we started to step it up,” he pauses to make clear that the numbers he’s about to state are strictly off-the-record. A number of energy hikes later we get to an eye-popping determine that proved “unsustainable for everybody aside from Remco.”
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The granular element, actually street testing each component of an upcoming efficiency, is much more meticulous than I had imagined. What number of workers are concerned in placing these plans collectively? “Doing what I do? Simply me,” says Callum, including that for more often than not he’s on his personal, working independently and solely reporting to move of efficiency Koen Pelgrim (additionally Evenepoel’s coach) to get plans checked and signed off. How have riders responded to taking recommendation from somebody so younger? “Initially some riders have been a bit like, ‘Ooh, why are we doing this?’ however then they see the end result of assessments and really feel extra assured. When you flow into the reviews, they get it and take it very nicely; the suggestions has been good.”
This appears nearly too harmonious to be true; certainly there are a broad vary of personalities on a crew, some spikier than others. “Certain, there are the jokers and others who’re severe about the whole lot,” Callum smiles. “Remco is very nice, actually humorous. We’re nearly the identical age – he’s simply six weeks older than me. After I first met him, in California, he requested how outdated I used to be, and after I advised him, he stated he actually revered that I’m doing what I’m doing at this age.”
Callum could also be younger for a efficiency director, however he’s removed from the youngest member of the crew: seven Soudal-Fast Step riders are beneath 23 – and simply hours earlier than we converse, the youngest of all of them, Frenchman Paul Magnier, simply 19, gained his first professional race, the Trofeo Ses Salines-Felanitx (since adopted up with a stage win on the Tour of Oman). “He beat a couple of of our established sprinters,” says Callum, wide-eyed, “so he clearly has much more potential than we realised.” He admits that using riders who’ve solely simply graduated from the junior ranks is partly financial pragmatism – they demand decrease salaries – however provides that it’s a truth of life for WorldTour-dreaming kids that “nowadays, should you haven’t been picked up by age 19 or 20, it’s usually already too late.”
Faculty of onerous knocks
After receiving that electronic mail from 19-year-old Callum again in spring 2019, we invited him to Kent College to do some physiological testing – aspiring elite versus regular rider (me) – for a function on what it takes to show professional. He put me to the sword with a VO2max of 74ml/kg/min, threshold energy of 4.7W/kg and gross effectivity of 26.2%; the latter, in line with Prof Mark Burnley, was really distinctive. Callum and I saved in contact, sometimes racing collectively on Zwift, and he willingly slotted in CW photoshoots round his coaching as he continued to pursue his racing ambitions. I wasn’t shocked, then, when on the finish of 2021 he realised his dream of turning professional, signing for Continental-level Canadian outfit Yoeleo Take a look at Crew.
Suffice to say, it didn’t work out – no have to dwell on the frustration – however what I’m to know is what he learnt from that yr mixing it with the massive boys. “It was alright,” he sighs, “however it was very busy with journey, and the racing was so demanding. We have been turning as much as the identical races as Bora and Lotto, in addition to massive improvement groups. For me, it was identical to, OK, this stage is miles above the place I’m.”
That is typical humility from Callum; no excuses, he simply wasn’t ok. Such was the shock, although, that it has altered his perspective on the prospects for aspiring younger racers on the market. “It’s even starker now [working on a WorldTour team], seeing the facility these guys are pushing, a few of them solely 18 or 19 years outdated. I don’t know if it’s genetics, however you realise the dimensions of the hole. Taking a look at guys on the UK scene, most of them won’t ever make it – they’ll maintain making an attempt, in fact, and also you’d by no means need to cease that.”
He might have gotten his nostril bloodied within the professional peloton, however I put it to Callum that the expertise should have helped his prospects as he sought employment on a high crew. “Precisely, it’s like the whole lot in life occurs for a purpose,” he says. “Patrick [Lefevere] requested if I had racing expertise, and I stated sure, I used to be additionally good on the bike. He stated, ‘Ah, a bit like me’. I stated, ‘I wouldn’t fairly say that, however–’. The riders too, they admire that what it’s wish to be within the gutter.”
Callum McQueen (left) with CW‘s David Bradford in 2019
(Picture credit score: Future)
I need to know extra about that interview with Soudal-Fast Step’s famously forthright boss Lefevere – and in addition extra element on how he, Callum, landed such a big-ticket job aged simply 23. “Simply earlier than the Worlds [in Glasgow], I messaged Klaas [Lodewyck, sports director],” he says, “and stated I admire I’m younger and don’t have the levels others might need, however I don’t need to beat round working at 5 different groups earlier than I find yourself with you, so is there possibly one thing we may have a look at?” There it’s once more, that direct method, courteous however signalling severe intent. And it labored; he met with Lodewyck in Glasgow, and evidently made a great impression. “Klaas stated, ‘I’m very joyful, I believe I can see the place we want you within the crew – I’ll converse to Patrick, he may need to meet you’.”
After a couple of weeks on tenterhooks as murmurings a few Jumbo-Soudal merger grew ever louder, Callum lastly obtained a textual content message from Lefevere in October, summoning him to the crew’s service course in Belgium. He jumped on a aircraft feeling understandably nervous. On the day, although, the stress was quickly defused as Lefevere started regaling him with anecdotes from his racing profession. “It was only a basic chat,” says Callum. “He stated he didn’t perceive efficiency knowledge however simply wished to search out out what I used to be like as an individual.” The particular person Lefevere discovered, he should have preferred – as a result of a fortnight later Callum was on board a flight to California for his first Soudal-Fast Step coaching camp.
4 months on, he’s now totally settled in – and his schedule sounds hectic, each few days leaping on a aircraft between coaching camps, races and take a look at places. Once we converse, he’s getting ready to fly to Portugal for the Volta ao Algarve, forward of extra pre-Paris-Good testing, then on to the race itself, earlier than it’s again to the wind tunnel in Milan. The crew has workers lodging in Belgium, however at any time when Callum will get the possibility he returns dwelling to the UK, often staying along with his dad and mom at their dwelling close to Studying – from the place he’s talking to me as we speak.
Aware that I’m consuming into his valuable downtime, I need to let him go – however I can’t accomplish that with out first asking the query on everybody’s lips this yr: can Remco win the Tour on his first try? “I’d wish to hope so,” he laughs. “Netflix have been filming for his or her Unchained sequence at our final wind tunnel take a look at, and I stated on digital camera that hopefully that is the bike he’ll win the Tour on – so hopefully they maintain that within the remaining edit and it’ll grow to be true.”
The perfect-laid plans: What actually occurred at Paris-Good
On the Paris-Good TTT on 5 March, the whole lot gave the impression to be going completely to plan for Soudal-Fast Step. Six riders have been nonetheless collectively as Evenepoel led them up and over the Côte de Jussy, blasting by way of the intermediate cut up 17 seconds up on UAE Crew Emirates. However then it began to rain.
“I’d say the plan was executed completely,” says Callum, “however we acquired unfortunate with the climate.” On the quick, principally downhill second half, moist corners meant a heavy impression on the general time – a swing of 39 seconds in UAE’s favour. Based on Sporza, Evenepoel was additionally sad with Tim Declercq (Lidl-Trek), whom he claimed “stayed in entrance of us in a technical flip” costing the crew extra time. Soudal Fast-Step completed fourth, 22 seconds down on stage winners UAE.
“Typically there are issues you possibly can’t management,” provides Callum. “Nonetheless, the performances, the best way the plan was executed and the info we took away have been all very constructive. When the info matches up with what we had deliberate, that’s at all times good to see, too.”
This text was first printed within the 14 March 2024 print version of Biking Weekly journal. Subscribe on-line and get the journal delivered to your door each week.
