Big Friendly Giant Killers

When A Team Of Amateurs From Derby Took Pursuit Gold At The 2017 national Track Champs The Cycling World Saluted Their Pluck And Now, Back With New Sponsorship, Team Huub-wattbike Are Ready To Up The Ante. Cw Went Backstage With Cycling’s Hottest Ticket

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Is Huub-Wattbike the most rock ’n’ roll team in cycling?

The last time I did an interview like this was 20 years ago, in a previous life as a music journalist. I sat in a pub with four up-and-coming 20-something indie punks boisterous with the intoxication of growing success, and enjoyed an invigorating hour or so of large talk, gags and general mockery of all and sundry (including yours truly) — plus a healthy dose of calling out the establishment.

As a wet-behind-the-ears writer that interview was a formative experience, and one which finally paid off last month when I got together for a chat with Huub-Wattbike.

With a penchant for doing things their own way and scoffing at all forms of received wisdom they practically own the ‘maverick’ tag (though they scoff at that too). The wisecrackery and mickey-taking are turned up to 11. It’s not exactly Keith Moon revisited, but if I didn’t know better I’d say they have a big bowl of M&Ms with all the blue ones taken out delivered to the track centre for major competitions.

But here’s the thing: these are serious guys. For every quick-witted barb, every LMAO moment, there are five obscure stats concerning coefficient of drag, or a quick 101 on the disruption of laminar flow.

There is also — as far as I could tell from spending a couple of hours with the team at their temporary pied-a-terre for the London World Cup — a complete absence of Jack Daniels. Or M&Ms.