How a World Cup MTB Race Team Operates, with Trek Factory Racing

Matt Shriver, left with U23 Champ Riley Amos right. Photo: Ross Bell.

Matt Shriver is the General Manager and technical director for the Trek Factory Racing cross country team and is based in Durango Colorado. He’s a former pro rider himself and previously served as the technical director for the Trek WorldTour road team for seven years.

How did you make the transition from professional racing to managing race teams?
What are the responsibilities of a pro team liaison?
Does Trek Factory Racing provide coaching resources to athletes, or do athletes tend to bring their own training team?
Some pro teams are organized as collectives, while others like Trek Factory Racing seem to lean on more of a team model. Are there different philosophies among the different racing groups in MTB?
Is mountain biking a team sport? Is there a lot of strategy in MTB racing?
How does recovery work between races? Is there much downtime for the staff and athletes in between events?
How are team athletes selected?
What is the most stressful part of being a team liaison?
How intrusive are anti-doping protocols for athletes and staff?
How does a brand like Trek measure the success of their race team?
Do you think the current international MTB competition model is sustainable?
For core mountain bikers who love riding but don’t necessarily follow pro racing, why should they start paying attention to races? What can we learn from watching World Cup competitions?

In an upcoming episode we’ll also talk with Ryan from the Trek Factory Racing DH team.

Keep up with the Trek Factory Racing team at racing.trekbikes.com.

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