Luke Rowe on his years as a road captain

Luke Rowe enjoyed a 13 year career in the pro peloton, the duration of which he was at the same team; formerly Team Sky, now Ineos Grenadiers. The Welshman was elevated to the position of Road Captain early in his career and became a lynchpin of one of the biggest, and for many years the most successful, team in the sport as the won the Tour de France seven times in eight years with four different riders.

At the end of his career he was persuaded to put pen to paper, but he wanted to do it differently. “Originally, when I was approached about doing a book, the first thing that came to mind was an autobiography. But I wasn’t keen on that – it didn’t sit right with me. A book like that is for the superstars of the sport.” He said.

“The definition of a road captain? In a few key words: selfless, committed and strategic. Riders often focus on the moment – the next 30 seconds, a minute, or two minutes ahead. My job was to zoom out and see the bigger picture. What’s going to happen in the race in an hour, two hours, or even the next day? How will this play into the Tour de France in three weeks’ time? It was up to me to constantly analyse and make decisions based on the long game.”

“It’s a balance between making split-second decisions and thinking long-term. In the moment, you need to make quick calls: do you move right, move left, move with five guys, move with three guys-instantaneous calls. But at the same time, I had to think about the team’s performance across an entire race or even a season. It was about analysing not just our team, but the competition – who was strong, who was struggling, and what moves they might make.”

“A major part of my role was managing morale. Captaincy is easy when the team is winning, as everything flows. But cycling is a sport where you lose far more than you win, even in the best teams. Managing the tough times was just as important as celebrating the good ones. During the highs of Team Sky, things were smooth, but in the later years with Ineos, we had more challenges, and it was about keeping the team’s spirits up. That meant checking in with guys who were struggling-whether it was a tough race or issues at home. Sometimes, all someone needs is a few minutes of your time to help them reset.”

“There’s a balance in how you handle team-mates. Sometimes, it’s an arm around the shoulder, a bit of encouragement. Other times, you need to be more direct. I wasn’t a coach, psychologist or nutritionist, but part of my job was helping guys connect with the right support. If someone wasn’t performing, I’d tell them to speak to their coach. If something was wrong at home, I’d suggest speaking to a psychologist. And sometimes, you just had to be blunt: if we weren’t good enough, we had to own it and improve. That accountability applied to me too – if I made a bad call, I had to hold my hands up and admit it.”

“People always ask about my proudest moment as a captain. Everyone talks about the Tour de France wins – I was part of five of them. But for me, Paris-Roubaix was special. It was the first race I ever watched, and I’ve been obsessed with it ever since. To be part of a win there [with Dylan van Baarle, in 2022] was something else. That day, we made a big decision on the road in a crosswind – something we hadn’t planned. It was instinct, and it worked. That was the kind of moment where my role as a captain made a real difference. It wasn’t just about strength – it was about reading the race, making a call, and trusting it.”

“I’d never claim that a team wins because of the road captain. Riders win because they’re the best on the day. But I do think I made some key calls that changed outcomes-whether it was getting in the right move or setting up a key moment in a race. After winning at Amstel Gold [2022, with Michal Kwiatkowski] and Brabantse Pijl [with Magnus Sheffield], we had momentum. That confidence carried over into Roubaix. Would we have made the same move in the crosswind if we hadn’t won those races earlier? Maybe not. Winning builds belief, and belief drives success.”

“Managing conflict within the team was part of the job. We were lucky to have some of the best DSs in the sport, like Nico Portal – rest in peace. He was the man everyone turned to, and he was the best at what he did. But as a road captain, I was often in the middle of things. After a race, emotions can run high, and there will be disagreements. That’s actually a good thing – a healthy team environment has to have people challenging each other.”

“As a rider, everything is set up for you – you just turn up and race. As a DS, you realise how much goes on behind the scenes a lot of work that no one sees but which is crucial. Right now, I’m just finding my feet, learning how everything works in a new team, in a new environment. It’s an ambitious team, and where they want to go is exciting. My job now is to learn the ropes and see where I can make a difference.”

“Now, I’ve stepped away from racing and moved into a new role as a DS with Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale. It’s a big shift – not just changing jobs but changing teams. The obvious move would have been to stay with Ineos, but I wanted a challenge. I wanted to step out of my comfort zone and see a diff erent side of the sport. I’m still learning, still figuring out what life is like on the other side of the fence.”

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Luke Rowe on his years as a road captain

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