Interview with Jackson Stewart of BMC
Recently, ReCycling Team member James Hibbard, sat down to talk with Jackson Stewart of the BMC Pro Cycling Team. The following is a little background information and part of their conversation.
Talent Development in Professional Cycling
by James Hibbard
Since the 1996 inclusion of professionals in the Olympic Games, the UCI and domestic cycling federations alike, have struggled to institute rules and programs in order to develop the careers of talented cyclists. With the elimination of amateurs, and the subsequent re-focus of many National team programs on junior and track cyclists (who were less apt to receive professional trade team support and funding) an important bridge that had existed between junior cycling and the professional ranks was eliminated. While this problem was addressed somewhat by the UCI’s introduction of a category for under 23 athletes, many talented young junior cyclists still find it exceptionally difficult to transition from being a successful junior to becoming a successful professional. One of the primary reasons for this is that while many other sports aim to nurture talented youngsters and to ensure their proper long-term development through collegiate channels, cycling is not an NCAA sport, but rather at most universities a club sport thus garnering little attention from professional teams as a development channel. Although collegiate cycling in the United States has seen exceptional growth over the last several years, for the most part U.S. cycling has instead relied upon regional elite amateur teams to develop talented riders in their late teens and early twenties.
The ReCycling Professional Development Cycling Team was established not to simply promote ecologically sound and environmentally sensitive practices, but also to serve as a bridge for developing cyclists in order to enable talented Mid-Western based riders to continue to train and race at a high level while continuing to develop towards long-term success in the sport and more importantly in life after cycling.
The team’s allowance for a degree of flexibility of member’s racing schedules, and a view to the long-term development of riders, makes the ReCycling Development Team a very unique environment. In contradistinction to many other elite programs that seek results from their athletes over the span of a season or two, the team has sought to take a more long-term approach to athlete development. This longer-term approach has been undertaken in order to stave off burn-out, with an aim to maximize both the athletic and post-sporting lives of team riders. As a result of this longer term, and more holistic approach, many of the young cyclists who have been selected to be part of the program will thus be able to continue to race, and for many, also continue with college on a full-time basis.
While numerous cyclists have successfully transitioned from stand-out juniors to professionals while still completing their undergraduate studies, an athlete who has done so with an unusual degree of success is Jackson Stewart. I recently discussed cycling development with Jackson. Jackson begin racing on the road at 15 years old and quickly progressed through the ranks of junior cycling before racing as part of an elite development team for several years prior to signing his first professional contract. After completing his undergraduate degree in 2004, Jackson continued his assent in the cycling world and represented the United States at the professional road world championships.
Next season, Jackson will be competing for the BMC cycling team that recently signed Tour de France runner-up and World road race champion Cadel Evans and American stalwart George Hincapie. After starting some of most illustrious single day races in the sport in 2009 (including the famed Paris-Roubaix), 2010 holds the possibility of Jackson making his debut at the Tour de France. I recently spoke to Jackson about his hopes for the upcoming 2010 season, his history in the sport, and how amateur, elite development programs similar to the ReCycling program, impacted his career and worked to inform his ultimate success.
JH: Jackson, what is your racing schedule like next year?
JS: I will likely start racing next year at the Tour of Qatar in February, and will probably be racing through late September or early October. I would certainly like to start a Grand Tour and will be racing some Classics. The road season has gotten increasingly long as the UCI (editors note: the UCI is the governing body of world cycling) has tried to make the sport more global—so the season has been extended with racing in the Southern Hemisphere. Because of this, my off season is rather short, but when I was also racing cyclocross, I was effectively racing year round, so now at least I have some period of time to recover from racing and travel.
JH: About how many days do you race a year?
JS: This last year I had just over 70 race days. I did a fair bit of stage racing where I was racing day in and day out, so the race days add up pretty quickly.
JH: Where will you be based next year?
JS: We will be moving to Girona, Spain in February of next year. Girona has become a base for many European-based American cyclists. It has a good climate for training, people to train with and decent access to airports. It will be a big change from being based in the Bay Area, but I am looking forward to it. It has always been my dream to be riding bigger races in Europe.
JH: What was it like to start Paris-Roubaix?
JS: The cobbles were worse than I can describe and worse than I even imagined from seeing the race on television. Although we ran pretty much stock equipment with no problems, which was great, the cobbles really take a toll on your body. Racing on cobbles certainly favors bigger riders who can turn over larger gears. My role was to work for Cruz who was the team leader (editors note: former United States Postal Service Rider, Tony Cruz). I made it through about the first half of the race before dropping out after my work for Tony was done.
JH: What are the long term goals of your BMC Team?
JS: When I first was signed to the team it was to race the Tour de France and it seems like that will actually happen next season. I am just happy that my development curve has followed that of the team — because it was a very steep curve from racing domestically to racing in Europe. I am happy in retrospect that I developed a bit slower. There are so many young guys who are pushed too hard too soon and who don’t reach their potential as a result. I know with the signing of Cadel Evans the team certainly now has a possible winner of the Tour, and someone who has already stood on the podium at the Tour. Overall, think the team is certainly looking to win a Grand Tour and to have a strong showing in the Northern Classics.
JH: When you were racing as a member of amateur elite teams, what cycling disciplines did you compete in?
JS: I was able to compete in multiple disciplines when I was racing with smaller elite teams; road primarily, but also track and cyclocross. I think having been exposed to and provided the freedom, to compete in disciplines other than road racing has certainly helped me now that I am racing exclusively on the road. You just get different skills from each discipline— leg speed from the track and handling skills from cyclocross for example— and these skills ultimately map back onto one’s road racing. It may not be the best thing short term not to specialize, however in the long term I think that it has helped me to continue with the sport. Really the ultimate goal is to be racing when one is at their peak which in cycling is rather late when compared with other sports. It may seem beneficial in the short run to specialize but I think more elite teams need to look towards the long term with their riders. I realize financial realities and the yearly sponsorship cycle can make this difficult however, from a riders perspective I really think that that sort approach is best. Ultimately, I am certain that having been exposed to other cycling disciplines ultimately helped my development as a road racer.
JH: Good luck next year Jackson!
James Hibbard is both a member of and mentor to the 2010 ReCycling Professional Development Cycling Team. Over a fifteen year career, he has earned international medals representing the United States National Team on the track, and was a member of the top-ranked Shaklee and HealthNet professional cycling teams.
SInce retiring from racing on a full-time basis, James has coached road and track athletes of all abilities through Wenzel Coaching