"Stevo" Joins Linda McCartney!
The legendary Australian hard man Neil Stephens has joined the Linda
McCartney Pro Cycling Team as joint directeur sportif. He will work
hand-in-hand with Sean Yates as the two men work together to propel the team
to the very top of the sport in 2001 and beyond.
"Stevo," famous for becoming one of cycling's hardest working domestiques
during the glory days of Once and Festina in the 1990s, is taking up his
first management post since retiring from racing at the end of 1998. Born in
Canberra 36 years ago, he has since made his home in the cycling heartland of
the Basque Country near San Sebastian.
"I can't wait to get my teeth into the job. I am delighted to have been given
the chance to work with this team - they're definitely going places, and I
love the new attitude they're bringing to the sport," said Neil from the Tour
de France today. He has spent an excellent two years since his retirement as
European race support for the eyewear masters Oakley and as co-ordinator for
the Australian Olympic cycling team, so he is still very much in touch with
what's happening on the pro scene.
"I'm looking forward to sitting down with Sean Yates and Julian Clark to see
what we're going to do. I think that we should be looking to confirm the
excellent results the team has already achieved and continue to build in the
same way. It's served them very well up to now," he explained.
Rumours abound daily at present regarding all the big names supposedly
joining the team for next season, but Neil warned against the temptation of
trying to buy success.
"Cycling history is littered with teams who went out and bought big names
with no view of how they would gel together. That's what I learnt at Once,
and what I like about this team: it's about teamwork, and how you work as a
unit," added Neil. "As riders, Sean and I both had reputations as loyal team
workers who would take as much pleasure from a teammate winning as winning
ourselves. That's the work ethic and teamwork mentality that is in place at
Linda McCartney, and I will certainly be doing my best to reinforce that."
Neil's appointment reaffirms Linda McCartney's commitment to push onwards and
upwards, using English speakers wherever possible. "It's important to keep
the brilliant team spirit we've got here," said general manager Julian Clark.
"I think Neil will fit in really well within the framework we already have in
place, and will help attract the sort of riders we're bringing to join our
existing squad. Sean and Neil have very similar opinions on how we should go
about our task, and I think they will complement each other nicely."
Neil's pro career began in Britain in 1984 when he rode for ANC, and he had
another spell in the green and pleasant land with Tony Doyle's 1987 Ever
Ready set-up. From there he went on to become a vital cog in the revered Once
machine of the 1990s, before spending his finest hour in a Festina jersey
when he won the Fribourg - Colmar stage of the Tour de France in 1997. The
big race heads back up to that part of the world at the end of next week:
Neil Stephens will watch in interest as he plans his next move with Linda
McCartney.
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