One Pro Cycling, co-owned by former England wicketkeeper Matt Prior, will kick off their 2016 campaign at the Dubai Tour on Wednesday with aspirations of a spirited finish in the third edition of the race.
The team – launched in December 2014 – are shaping up well and took in a session at Al Qudra Track Tuesday in preparation for the race.
“I’m really excited. It’s our first experience in a race like this,” Prior told Sport360. “It’s great to walk around the paddock with world tour teams and that’s what pro cycling is all about.”
“We want to be involved in the big races with the biggest teams in the world, and the ambition is to step up again and hopefully be in the world tour one day ourselves. To test ourselves against the best is part of the process and it all starts here for us.”
While Prior still admires cricket from a far, one of his ways of maintaining a healthy lifestyle is through cycling, and he continues to discover new routes whenever he gets the free time.
“My first trip abroad was to Majorca and I love it for cycling. It’s incredible and there’s a couple of brilliant climbs,” he said.
“Later this year, I’ll go around the Pyrenees for seven days, which sounds horrible but I’m looking forward to it. I’m excited to test out the climbs you hear about ridden by the pros in grand tours.”
What’s intriguing is how Prior transformed from seasoned wicketkeeper to co-owner of a burgeoning cycling team. He has a strong ability to relate to fellow professionals from his days in the England jersey, and has the personality skills for the business side of the company too.
“It’s really interesting, from a skill point of view there is no transfer, but from a team point of view there is a huge amount of transfer. Merely, by the fact that cricket you’ll have one guy who has his day,” he said.
“Jimmy Anderson will have his day when he takes five wickets and he’ll take all the headlines and plaudits. But he only takes those wickets if he has the backing of the team and they work for him to allow him that moment.
“That’s identical to a day’s racing on the bike. You’ll have one man that goes over the line first, puts his hands in the air, but it’s a culmination of his day working for him and allowing him to be delivered to the line in the best condition possible.
Prior’s role on the performance side of the team is to build that environment and team culture.
He said: “I believe that cycling is a huge team sport. Of course, one guy on any day might have his day but more often than not, it will be the team staying strong and sticking together that’s going to get you a good performance.”
