Monday was great. I woke up really excited at the realisation that as the result of the management and staff's efforts we were on show for the press and the public.
Sky Pro Cycling Press
Last updated: 14th January 2010
Team Sky's Senior Sports Director Scott Sunderland
Each week we'll be featuring a different member of Team Sky's staff, to see exactly what their job entails. This week it's Senior Sports Director Scott Sunderland who was instrumental in putting together the 26-rider squad:
Monday 4 January - launch day in London
It was quite funny because normally I easily find my words but even I was sort of hushed by feelings of delight and contentment.
I found myself just observing the team and everything that was unfolding; the way the sponsors presented it, how the riders were introduced - almost wished I sat in the crowd to watch it all from there.
It was a good team presentation and launch. The biggest satisfaction was definitely to see the pride on the riders' faces, they were visibly super-inspired.
For the staff who were there, the fortunate ones who were there, the moment brought the realisation that the team looks good.
One of the other key parts of the day was the response of the public. To have the fans turn up at three different starting points and to ride through to The Mall on a very cold, chilly morning, that was simply awesome. These fans had been there for an hour or so before we started, in extreme cold temperatures - most of them were frozen but they were still smiling!
It was excellent for the riders to experience; those hardened fans had come out specifically to see Team Sky on their inaugural ride, it deserves respect.
Having the team in their kit for the first time was pretty special as well.
It was just a tremendously rewarding day all round.
Tuesday 5 January - start of training camp in Valencia
If Monday was the realisation that the team was going "live", that all the preoperational work was done, Tuesday was a question of saying 'okay, we're on the road now'. We left the hotel in London to travel to Valencia, Spain, for the first Team Sky training camp. You could feel the eagerness of the riders and the staff to finally "get into it".
Even the prospect of being snowed in at Gatwick didn't seem to faze too many, we enjoyed sitting around, chinwagging. For a few years now, I have been taking any airport delays in my stride as for me it's a chance to catch up on some work. I prefer to fly to races whenever I can because there's so much work I can get done in an airport lounge, stuff which can't be dealt with while you are driving a car on the busy roads in Europe.
Even the prospect of being snowed in at Gatwick didn't seem to faze too many, we enjoyed sitting around, chinwagging. For a few years now, I have been taking any airport delays in my stride as for me it's a chance to catch up on some work. I prefer to fly to races whenever I can because there's so much work I can get done in an airport lounge, stuff which can't be dealt with while you are driving a car on the busy roads in Europe.
Time passed very quickly and we had a fluent, easy trip down to Valencia.
Wednesday 6 January
I've been to Valencia plenty of times during my career as a pro rider. There was a Tour of Valencia which was on my program often and I used this area as a training base to prepare for other races in March and April. I would stay here for a week either before or after races to profit from the good weather and always have liked this area, there are plenty of climbs here.
This hotel I was advised by an old ex-pro friend of mine who brings tour groups down here. The hotel is relatively new and has got great facilities - a spa and health centre and a fully equipped gym - which allows us to do any extra power work and core strength body work with the riders. The setting is quite idyllic and very sports orientated; it's a sports golf hotel.
Maybe the most important factor is that this is "our hotel" - Team Sky's - no other team is staying here and actually there are very few teams, if any, in this particular area. The energy here feels good and the riders are relaxed and like it a lot.
On our first day here we did a ride of approximately four hours. The aim was to just get out on that bike; the riders needed to get those legs rolling. Simon Gerrans for example, had flown in from Australia and was quite jet-lagged, muscles were stiff from all the travelling. It was the same for a couple of the other riders who had spent Monday and Tuesday sitting around quite a lot - and these are guys who are used to being on the bike every day.
Wednesday was further spent settling in, it was a getting-back-in-the-saddle sort of day, getting to know each other better and getting familiar with the area we're in.
Thursday 7 January
There's a lot of work done here and for me as Senior Sports Director it's very important to manage that well with the riders and the staff.
The first few days I sort of took "the back seat" and stepped back to observe everyone's approach to the camp and to the (new) role they are in. I looked at how the coaches were operating and at how Marcus and Steven, my new DS's [Directeur Sportifs/Sports Directors] fitted in.
Watching our analysts, our carers, our mechanics and all other staff - just seeing how everyone is interacting, was most essential.
Watching our analysts, our carers, our mechanics and all other staff - just seeing how everyone is interacting, was most essential.
Friday 8 January
Things are functioning very well and everyone is doing a fine job; the whole team is gelling together just fine and on day three I started to step in here and there, get in the middle of things again.
We're very happy with how everything is running. Everybody looks content and knows exactly what needs to be done. It's clear these are all highly professional people and after all, every single individual was handpicked for this team because of their expertise in their field.
Saturday 9 January
The weather has meant we've had to adapt our program here and there.
At this time of year you always have to be flexible. You can control a lot of things, organise everything, look at different scenarios but if the weather turns bad you just need to roll with it.
We discussed the training, the different schedules and brought forward a "rest day". With the snow falling, that allowed us to stay indoors for the greater part of the day.
We discussed the training, the different schedules and brought forward a "rest day". With the snow falling, that allowed us to stay indoors for the greater part of the day.
Well, even though it started off as a bad weather day, we were still able to get out for a 60-70km loop. It was awfully chilly but the riders coped well.
Now we can start again with the first day of our three-day block on Sunday. Being able to adapt very quickly to those changes shows the riders' professionalism, they got on with the job, no fuss.
Sunday 10 January
The exact training varies from rider to rider, with everyone needing to find their footing a little bit. Different riders have different needs and are at diverse levels at the moment.
For example, we've got some riders here who need to prepare for the Tour of Qatar. That's going to be flat and it's going to be very hot.
Then we have other riders in preparation for races such as Marseillaise and Bessèges. Those have short climbs and are very fast races.
And then there's a third group, riders preparing for Andalucia. This race is not until end of February and is geared a lot more towards the climbing.
So we've got three different groups here and they all need to train well.
All riders need a lot of endurance efforts but they've got different specifics which need to be met. Splitting them up into two to three groups and just quietly tweaking the training to suit is what works well.
We had another great ride again today, and it's fantastic to hear an experienced pro like Kurt Arvesen say 'great roads again guys' - it's cool when you get such positive feedback.
We had another great ride again today, and it's fantastic to hear an experienced pro like Kurt Arvesen say 'great roads again guys' - it's cool when you get such positive feedback.
Every day this week I've also been checking with the guys preparing for the Tour Down Under. I'm talking to [Sports Director] Sean Yates and he's been confirming everything is going well there.
As Senior Sports Director I need to keep a view on everything - the bikes, the materials, the logistics and especially making sure the riders are happy with everything. The task is really spread across a lot of areas. I'm communicating with everyone all the time, mostly by phone or short e-mails.
It's vital I'm given a heads up if there's something that's not happening the way we'd like it to. Then we try and put things into place immediately.
Overall things have been so well organised beforehand though that nobody seems to be wanting for anything.
The next few weeks...
Looking ahead to the next few weeks? Well, being an Australian it would have been nice to be at the Tour Down Under. I rarely get the opportunity to go back there so it would have been good to see family and friends again as well as direct this nice race in the sun.
It's like Dave [Brailsford, Team Principal] laughingly said: "If you could have been cloned, that would be handy Scott" - one me at the Tour Down Under and another at the training camp.
Fact is that priority for me (as Senior DS) lies here in Valencia. There's a lot of work to be done here and the biggest contingency of the team is here at camp. I've done so many training camps myself, add it up, 15 years as a pro and four seasons as DS. Experience in this is undeniably valuable and I feel it's imperative for me to be here.
My wife did laugh at the cloning idea though, saying "I'll put in an order for one myself as well!"
My programme for the next few weeks involves numerous tasks. I'll be attending some wind tunnel testing with five of our riders in the UK. We're all really looking forward to that. We've got our new Pinarello bikes, all new material, and have been trying out new positions. We've just tried small tweaks with some riders, small adjustments make a difference.
After that I'll be off to the Tour of Qatar, flying into there on February 5th.
Following that race, I'll come back to Spain for another four or five days of training camp - catching up and touching base with several riders.
And all that time I'll be keeping in contact with all of the other guys, following their progress or helping if any problems arise. It's also an ongoing process talking to the race organisers and securing everything is going well in that area. What is also crucial to bear in mind is that you might have to make minor changes to riding plans - glitches are common. You might have riders injured or sick so you have to tweak the race programme and make the calls on that. It's going to be a busy little period, it always is the first few months, but we're ready for it. Like I mentioned before, I had 15 years as a professional rider. My experience has built over that period and during the last five years as a sports director.
My job's about keeping eyes and ears open and create a good flow of contacts, keeping everyone up to speed and being kept up to date myself - fundamental in this job when I'm out on the road. There's a lot of multitasking here and at times one needs to stop, be still and think about what you are doing. Most of it goes very well though and actually I enjoy my job greatly.
I like being under pressure and making on-the-spot decisions and it doesn't faze me, I'm quite comfortable with that.
I know we've got an excellent bunch of support staff. What I feel strongly about in this team and in my position - having to make difficult decisions at times - is that there's a clear harmony, an understanding that we're in this together and that we're having each other's back; we're all willing to be there for each other so I'm convinced all's going to be good!