The setup found at Glassdrive/Q8/Anicolor
Jimmy has experienced the most contrasting contexts he could be in within the cycling world, ranging from amateur cycling to a World Tour team, and even more modest continental-level teams. And what he found at Glassdrive/Q8/Anicolor is on par with the best teams in the world, in his own words:
The setup in terms of the equipment, the staff, the culture, it’s really one of the best teams that I’ve observed, and that’s comparing World Tour as well. The staff within the team are really professional, like the massage therapists, and everyone understands how a high functioning team works. It’s almost like they’ve all worked in the World Tour and then they’ve come to this team. In a World Tour team you go to the race all you think about is riding your bike, and normally in a Continental team you have to worry about other things, there’s other stresses that you have to control. But in in Glassdrive/Q8/Anicolor everything is organized and all you need to do is ride your bike and rest, you don’t need to think about anything else. It’s really impressive.
In Whelan’s opinion, the organization of the team from Agueda is the result of the leadership of two individuals who have been at the helm of the structure for many years:
It’s a reflection on Rúben’s and also Carlos’ [Pereira, ed.] ability to get partners on the team. They are very passionate about cycling but they are also very gifted businessmen too, and which is something that a lot of teams could learn from. A lot of teams just find five or six sponsors and they say ‘Okay, we have enough to run a bare minimum, now we do nothing else and we hope that they sign on for next year.’. But Rúben and Carlos have a really good business model and they’re always looking for more. The dedication and professionalism are impressive, without a doubt.
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