Johan Bruyneel Interview – August 24, 2010

Looking back on your long and very successful career in professional cycling, what is the one thing that you are most proud of, the one thing or time that was the most fun, and the one thing that was the most challenging or difficult for you?

Johan Bruyneel: That’s a tough question to start off with! Hard to narrow it down to just one. Most proud of would have to be either winning my first Tour de France stage shortly after my father passed away or our first Tour de France victory in 1999. We were called the “Bad News Bears” of cycling. No one gave us a chance, but we knew that with all the hard work we did during the entire year that we were prepared to win. When it all came together, it was just a magical feeling. Most fun – I think just spending time with the team on the bus before the races. It’s a small area, we’re all together, everyone is getting dressed, trying to have some fun and tell jokes before we have the team meeting and focus on the day’s work. Everyone is trying to stay loose, the music is playing and we’re laughing. Most challenging – I would say my two years at Astana. It was a successful project, but it was extremely difficult dealing with certain individuals at the Kazakh Cycling Federation. It’s not easy when your staff and riders are not being paid for a few months and you have to tell them that you don’t know when they will be paid. I hope I never find myself in a situation like that again.

What skills make a successful Team Manager?

Johan Bruyneel: I talk a lot about this in my book and also when I talk with executives and employees at companies. I’ve seen a lot of people at these talks who don’t know anything about cycling, but they can relate to my stories. The stories may have a cycling theme, but at the end of the day, what makes a successful team manager is really no different than a manager or CEO at a company. Sure, the cycling and tactical knowledge are necessary elements, but when you step back and look at the big picture it really comes down to being able to successfully manage people. Communicate & confide, surround yourself with the best talent, give ownership to employees, trust people to do their jobs, treat people with respect. People are quick to look at the success our teams have had over the years and focus on a few riders and sports directors, but a lot of the people not getting recognized have had some of the biggest influences on our team. You need to find the best person for each job – mechanics, soigneurs, bus drivers, etc. They are just as important as the guy who is crossing the finish line with his arms in the air. My success as a team manager is in large part due to the fact that I’ve surrounded myself with the best and most talented people. Whether you’re a bike team or a Fortune 500 company, winning will become that much easier.

What makes up a typical day for a Directeur Sportif when on a Pro Tour event?

Johan Bruyneel: Wow, I’m not sure that can be fully answered because (1) that really can’t be put into words and (2) I’m not really sure there is a typical day. Being a Directeur Sportif is all about wearing different hats. And if you’re the type that can only focus on one thing at one time, then this job really isn’t for you. When you’re the DS at a race you’re in charge of everything going on for those riders and staff members at the race, plus of course the tactics during the race. You’re working with the mechanics on wheel choices, figuring out what time riders need to wake up and when we need to leave for the race, looking over the race book and leading the team meetings in the bus, talking with the chef about the food selection, if a rider crashes you are meeting with the doctors to get the diagnosis. Certainly we have a great staff to assist, but the DS needs to oversee everything. And I didn’t even talk about the race. In the car you’re getting a lot of information from various sources, trying to process it and communicate effectively and efficiently to riders. The race is constantly changing, so you need to be able to make quick decisions that not only take into account the current situation, but also what lies ahead in 50 km or in 5 days. And of course doing all this while driving. Guests that we have had in the car are just amazed with how much is going on. As people say, “it’s a race within a race.” But really no job is a typical day and I think that’s one of the reasons I’m still doing this job.

The Radioshack idea seems to have grown largely from the idea that it was possible for Lance Armstrong to win another Tour de France. Now that he’s hung up his shoes (again), what is the focus of TRS now?

Johan Bruyneel: As you know, we didn’t get invited to the Vuelta, so we had to change our schedule quite a bit. Our focus for the remainder of 2010 is to be competitive and to close out the season with as many wins as possible. And we are doing a nice job so far, most recently exemplified by Haimar Zubeldia’s Tour de l’Ain victory and Levi’s Tour of Utah win! Everyone felt a bit down after the whole Vuelta situation, but motivations are high again. We don’t have anything to prove to the Vuelta, I think we already did that, but that doesn’t take away the disappointment, anger and motivation. We’ll also focus on continuing to develop our younger riders, like a Tiago Machado and our stagiaires. I always tell the riders that we may not win every race, but every race is an opportunity to improve, both as a team and individuals. To answer this question for 2011 is a bit difficult now. I really need to sit down with the other directors in the off-season and do a proper evaluation of 2010 before we can decide what our focuses will be in 2011. You have to look at team and individual strength and weaknesses and then create goals that are challenging, but also realistic. Our focus will develop from those goals.

What words of encouragement did you offer to Lance on Stage 8 when he struggled from Morzine to Avoriaz? (Considering he had crashed three times and looked to have had enough of the Tour de France).

Johan Bruyneel: Well we didn’t have lengthy two-way conversations on the radio. The first thing I tried to do is get info on the crash and make sure he was physically able to continue. I was relaying info to the riders so they knew the situation and could support Lance and try get him back to the group. You can’t panic or get overly stressed on the radio – a calm, but motivating voice. If you panic on the radio, that stress is communicated to the riders and it’s important that the body doesn’t go into an over-stressed state. There’s usually enough adrenalin pumping in the body during that type of situation. My focus was motivating him and the team and trying to lead them back to the group.

The decision of the Tour directors to make the team change their jerseys on the final stage of this years Tour provoked an angry response. How do you feel about the having had time to think about it? Also, why did you decide not to clear it with the powers that be the previous evening?

Johan Bruyneel: If we had the chance to go back and do it differently we would have. And that goes for my Twitter response too. That’s not one of my prouder moments and I made a public apology and also a personal one to UCI President Pat McQuaid. I know if one of the riders made a remark like that I wouldn’t be very happy. It’s my role to set an example – not only for the riders, but also for my own family. There’s a better way to handle situations and I know that. Hopefully people can still recognize that even though we didn’t handle the situation correctly, we had good intentions. I’m not looking for people to excuse us because of our intentions, but I hope everyone got the main point – There are 28 million people currently affected by cancer in this world. That’s a number way too large and we must join together in the fight.

Do you think the way Pro Teams are chosen for Tour events should be overhauled and standardised to eliminated idiosyncratic decisions by event organisers (clearly we have the decision of the Vuelta organisers to exclude RadioShack from this year’s event in mind)?

Johan Bruyneel: Without a doubt! I think any rational person can tell you that RadioShack deserves a spot in the Vuelta. I don’t quite get the reasoning of the organizers, but as teams, we are powerless. The sport can’t continue like this. And it’s not just the riders and teams who are suffering because of this. It’s the media, sponsors and fans. It affects everyone; no one is isolated. We need a better system in place.

What does a director such as you do to unwind after the Tour? How long before you are back in the saddle making decisions?

Johan Bruyneel: Unwind? I don’t know what that is! Even when I’m not a race, I’m still working and overseeing the team. The only time I shut off my phone is when I’m on a plane. There’s always something going on, someone needing answers or just planning. Normally I spend a few weeks in August with my family at the beach, but this year was different since we just moved to London. That was the opposite of being at the beach! We’re finally settled and last week I took my daughter Victoria to the aquarium and London Eye. It was just me and her and I loved spending that time with her, especially since I am away from home more than I would like. But even when I’m at the London Eye, I’m checking emails, sending tweets. The Blackberry is a blessing and curse at the same time. I’m sure many people feel the same way.

Getting all the riders and equipment to a Pro Tour event must be an immense task, how does RadioShack manage the logistics for the Team?

Johan Bruyneel: That goes back to the question where I spoke about having a great and talented staff. We have a service course in Brakel, Belgium and people like Duffy and Barbara work with our mechanics and soigneurs to make sure every detail is taken care of – which cars need to go to the race, bikes on the truck, booking flights, who is picking up each rider at the airport. Before each race, Barbara sends out an info sheet that has all these details. The keys for that type of job are attention to details and being organized. It’s complex, but when you have the right people doing the job, they make it look easy!

Many pro cyclists say they do not miss the sport after they have retired from competitive riding, siting the long periods away from home, the strict dietary requirements and difficult training regimens. When you finally retired from competitive cycling did you miss it and why?

Johan Bruyneel: I didn’t have too much time to miss it! Shortly after I retired, I got the call from Lance asking to be the DS of the US Postal Service. From that day, I had a big job to do. When I first got off the bike, I was burnt out mentally and my body was a physical mess. My back was hurting and to this day my back isn’t fully healed. It was a blessing to find my new passion as DS so quickly and I became so focused on the job that I didn’t have much time to even think about riding. I wish I had more time now to ride, but it’s hard to squeeze it in. When I’m not working, I want to be with my family. But I know I need to get on the bike more often since I will be going to Africa in October and November with World Bicycle Relief. As many of the donors like to ride, we always get in a couple of rides and I don’t want to embarrass myself!

As a director which type of race is more stressful to manage, a spring classic such as Roubaix or a grand tour such as the Tour de France?

Johan Bruyneel: Each one brings about their own stress. In a stage race, you are not just thinking about how race decisions and tactics affect the race in the moment or stage, but two, three, maybe five days in advance. There are so many different plans going on in your mind and if you do this now, how does it affect you a week later? So you’re always thinking on different levels, thinking about the different jersey leaders, who are the riders in the break and where are they on GC and how much time can they gain back on the leader, where are your main competitors and so on – the dynamics are amazing and would probably cause many people stress like they’ve never experienced – all while driving a car, listening to the race radio, and sometimes talking with a guest or sponsor. But then you have a one day race and it’s all on the line. There is no room for tactical mistakes. It’s a do or die situation. You’re in it or you’re not in it. You don’t have to think about tomorrow, because there is no tomorrow. Personally I like the dynamics of stage racing, but then you have a classics specialist like Dirk Demol who really excels in one day races.

Do you think that we’ll see a rider beat Lance’s 7 Tour de France wins in the next 5 – 10 years? From today’s Pro Tour peloton, who might it be?

Johan Bruyneel: Well Alberto certainly has the best shot. He’ll be 28 in December and needs 4 to tie the record and 5 to beat it, which would only put him at 32 years old. So age wise, it’s certainly very possible. But it’s more than age or Alberto’s talent. He needs to continue to surround himself with a strong team that will make sacrifices for him. You also need to factor in the competition – Andy had a great Tour, was stronger than last year and is also a couple years younger than Alberto. And then of course you have to have luck when it comes to mechanicals, crashes pre and during Tour, etc. I think Alberto will be a dominating rider for many years to come, but luck – good and bad – plays a part for any rider. The best advice I can give to Alberto is to take one year at a time. Getting caught up in the 2012, 2013 or 2014 Tour de France won’t do him any good at this point.

What was the primary factor for Lance¹s result in this year¹s tour? Age, conditioning, or just plain bad luck?

Johan Bruyneel: Bad luck came first so it’s tough to really know what the end result would have looked like. I wish we didn’t have those crashes, but that’s bike racing. And overall we were very fortunate to not have crashes in the past, but we ran into a bunch this year. Certainly age wasn’t on Lance’s side, but he showed up in to the Tour in very good shape and felt good. He had a good condition, even stronger than last year. Good enough to beat Alberto – well, I think Alberto’s the best in the world right now and that would have been very, very difficult – We knew that coming in to the race. Good enough to be on the podium – yes. But like I said before, you need luck and we didn’t have it on our side this year. That’s just the way it goes sometimes.

Do you think Taylor Phinney will be able to help the enthusiasm for European racing in America continue to grow and not fall back into a lull?

Johan Bruyneel: People are certainly excited for Taylor’s arrival to the ProTour and I can understand why – not only is he an accomplished track rider and has had some nice results on the U23 team, but he’s also the son of American cycling legend Davis Phinney. But I hope that Taylor is given the opportunity to grow and doesn’t get to the point that the public and media’s expectations weigh on him to the extent that it affects his performance. That happens very often in sports and I’ve seen it before on the team. A lot of fans think that Taylor will one day win the Tour, but he’s probably more suited for one day races and TTs and maybe some sprints. So right there, people have these expectations that aren’t even accurate to start out. But I also don’t think it’s fair to put American cycling solely on Taylor’s shoulders. American cycling is strong enough that when Lance, George, Levi, Christian, etc. decide to hang it up, there will be another group to carry it forward. Teejay Van Garderen, Brent Bookwalter, Ted King, and I’m probably even missing a few. Give those riders credit too. They seem to fly a bit under the radar, but I’m impressed with their performances. Add Taylor to the mix and I think you have a nice group to lead American cycling in the world’s biggest events for many more years to come.

What is the number one ambition you have for your own future in cycling?

Johan Bruyneel: It goes back to the question about how teams are chosen for the events. I really see a need for organizational and structural change within the sport. Look at how other sport leagues are constructed – television rights revenue sharing, merchandise offerings, league sponsors and on and on. Cycling is really behind the times in these areas. There’s a lot of great things that cycling offers, like free access for fans, but I also want to be part of improving our sport where everyone benefits – from riders and teams to sponsors to fans. That’s the next big challenge for me!

Thanks to Johan Bruyneel for taking the time to answer these questions.  You can visit Johan bruyneel’s website here.
Also thanks to all of our writers who sent us the questions.

Jens Christensen, editor