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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
As told to Luke McLaughlin

‘They named a sandwich after me’: Luke Rowe on life in the peloton, cobbles and Welsh riders

The former Team Sky/Team Ineos cyclist Luke Rowe photographed for the Guardian.
‘I wouldn’t steer my kids towards cycling, and I wouldn’t steer them towards any sport,’ says Luke Rowe. ‘I wouldn’t want to live my life through them or their success. They’ve got to be their own people, make their own decisions, choose their own route in life.’ Photograph: Francesca Jones/The Guardian

If you could become a GC rider for one attempt at winning the Tour, which rider from the current peloton would you choose to be your road captain, and why? Fergus

I can only comment on Decathlon–AG2R La Mondiale and my previous team, Ineos. Until you work with a road captain and hear them on the radio, you don’t know how good they are. On my current team it would be Stefan Bissegger, and from Ineos Ben Swift. What I value is their directness. They’re both quite blunt: ‘Let’s not mess about, if you’ve got something to say, say it.’ They’re brave with their calls, clear and precise with instructions, not afraid to put their necks on the line. One thing a lot of people don’t realise with cycling is that the radio quality is terrible. You’ve got to be short, sharp and direct. If there’s any sitting on the fence, you’re fucked.

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