Nearly two decades after beginning his career as a sports director with our team, the Australian is joining EF Pro Cycling, bringing his passion for attacking racing and ambition to help our talented young roster reach new heights.
The Australian is excited to return to familiar surroundings.
“It feels like coming full circle,” Matt said. “I started my career as a sports director here back in 2008. I’ve obviously spent a lot of time away, but it’s a team that I’ve always kept very close to my heart. It’s exciting to come back to a team that has so many talented young riders and a lot of ambition to develop this group over a long period of time.”
Matt is one of the most experienced and well-liked sports directors in the peloton, having guided riders through Grand Tour general classification campaigns, stage victories, and Monuments, all while bringing his trademark personality, humor, and enthusiasm to the sport.
“The most exciting thing about this group is that it’s such a young, talented team.”
– Matt White
Now, he returns to a team whose bold, attacking style of racing fits naturally with his own philosophy.
“I think the beauty of going for stages is that it’s all or nothing,” he said. “You’re all in for the day, then you might have a day or two when you’re not, and then you’re all in again. Especially in a Grand Tour, I think that’s a really exciting mindset and way to approach a race.”
But it’s not just the team’s racing style that excites Matt. It’s the potential of the riders.
“The most exciting thing about this group is that it’s such a young, talented team. You just don’t know what these athletes are capable of on any given day,” he said. “Nurturing those guys and getting the best out of them, both as individuals and as a group, is an exciting challenge for me. Working with riders who don’t yet know where their ceiling is, and helping them discover what they’re capable of, is something that gets me up in the morning.”
A lot has changed since Matt first sat behind the wheel of a team car in 2008. The sport has grown increasingly complex, with larger performance departments, more specialized staff, and greater demands on riders and sports directors alike.
But for Matt, the most important part of his job remains the same.
“My passion is getting the most out of people,” he said. “Cycling has changed a lot, but there’s one thing that hasn’t changed: you’re dealing with human beings. Getting the most out of people is something I really enjoy. I think if, in 12 months’ time, we can sit back and look at the season and see that we’ve featured prominently throughout the year, especially at the pointy end of the races that matter, then that’s a measure of success. And those races are the three Grand Tours and a lot of the Monuments.”
For Matt, every season offers a fresh opportunity.
“Every year is different,” he said. “You might run similar templates with calendars, coaching, or preparation, but at the end of the day, you have a clean slate every season.”
Welcome back, Matt!