Former professional South African rider Peter-Lee Jefferies has been appointed as Riwal Readynez Cycling Team’s sport director and is relishing the opportunity.
Peter-Lee Jefferies has been appointed as Riwal Readynez Cycling Team’s sport director. Photo: Supplied
Jefferies, who retired from racing in 2014, has been involved in cycling management ever since and has now joined this Danish UCI Professional Continental team based in Himmerland.
“One of the sports directors was my boss at a previous team and always kept in touch after he left for Riwal Readynez.
“Late last year there was an opportunity to join for 2020 and I jumped at the chance to work with not only Denmark’s, but Scandinavia’s leading team.”
Jefferies said he felt both satisfied and excited about his new position, which was a level up from work he had done at his previous teams. This was because it was a pro-continental team with well-established riders from around Europe and “extremely experienced management and staff”.
“What I hope and plan to bring to the team is possibly my experience of getting the best out of people. I hope to be able to continue to bring this not only to the riders but also my colleagues.
“I have a sharp eye for detail, personalities, tactics and talent identification. With 20 riders on the team hopefully I can use these skills to add value to an already successful organisation.”
He felt he was a good fit for the team as he was versatile.
“The team already has very experienced staff, not only as sports directors and management but also our souniours and mechanics. I’m fortunate to be able to fully understand mechanical issues regarding bikes and technical equipment.
“I’m a good go-between for riders and mechanics, as well as working with the souniours in understanding what’s needed behind the scenes to care for the riders’ needs. Also, I have worked previously not only as a member of the management of the team but also with some staff and riders. So it’s a familiar feeling and this helps as both parties already know what they’re going to get regarding work expectations.”
As to his goals for the team, Jefferies said these were set out by senior management.
“The team has four sports directors, as many times we do a double race programme across Europe or the globe. So my job is to ensure I’m able to put things in place where need be in order to achieve those goals when I’m either preparing or at the races.”
He added that he was “extremely happy and proud” to be part of the team.
“My goal since I stopped riding was always to learn and continue to grow as a sports director. So to be given an opportunity to step up to a team such as Riwal Readynez means a great deal.
“Career-wise it’s an important step as the team’s calendar is a serious one with almost all races being top-tier events apart from races where only WorldTour teams can compete.
“It means not only more responsibility, but also less room for mistakes. Day in and day out we will be racing against WorldTour teams and other top pro-continental teams, so doing a good job really counts as there’s a lot on the line.”
Due to Jefferies living in Denmark with his wife and the team’s service course and headquarters being there, it will make logistics and day-to-day work outside of racing hassle free.
“Regarding races, recently it was confirmed that we were given a wild card for the Amstel Gold Classic.
“It’s a big race for the team and goes a long way in being able to show ASO that we are ready to fight for a wild card to start the Tour de France in 2021, which starts in Denmark.
“Apart from that the team is currently in Saudi for the Tour of Saudi Arabia. Then there’s Vuelta Ciclista a la Región de Murcia, De Brabantse Pijl – La Flèche Brabanconne, Scheldeprijs, Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali, Le Samyn, Royal Bernard Drome Classic and Amstel Gold Race.
“These are to name a few, but people can take a look and keep up to date with the team’s comings and goings on their website.”
