We thought we’d find out exactly what it takes to become a fulltime factory rider. Who better to ask than the man who has the most successful management company in the sport and manages 10 full time pros?
So You want to be a Pro?
How to with Martin Whiteley
In the World of Downhill mountain biking, very few riders make a career out of it and even fewer a successful career. Back in the late 90’s big corporate’s were queing up to sign riders and not too concerned how many zeros they had to put on the cheque to secure a rider. DH was on TV and the riders were stars. Forward to the early part of this century and things weren’t quite so rosy. TV coverage was gone and teams were pulling out all over the place. The sport does now seem to be making back its lost ground and growing with some pretty solid new teams on the circuit this season. More and more riders out there are thinking that they can go all the way and become the next Minnaar, Peat or Hill.
Well it’s not going to be an easy road to get there. We thought we’d find out exactly what it takes to become a fulltime factory rider. Who better to ask than the man who has the most successful management company in the sport and manages 10 full time pros. His name is Martin Whiteley and he is probably the Don Corleone of DH (Although I’m sure he hasn’t put out any hits on anyone). He’s been involved with the U.C.I. and two of the biggest teams in the sport – Team Global and Honda G-Cross.
NZRide: For the last few of years you have been involved with the Honda G Cross team. Prior to that there was the Global Racing team. These were 2 of the biggest teams on the World stage. How much work did it take setting them up and what was your role (how much work did it take) once the teams were functioning.
Martin Whiteley: I think the only things these two teams had in common were their profile and impact. Other than that, they were quite different. With Global Racing, I was the team owner and was starting from scratch. That was easily the craziest 14 weeks of my life....start from nothing, and launching at Sea Otter 2001. We had 9 riders, 9 staff, and about 1500kg of excess baggage! That was an extreme case because I had to develop the concept for the team, then raise the money, hire the athletes and staff, and bring in component suppliers, then work out our race program and all the logistics that involves. Having said that, it was an amazing time, and to win the World Cup (Men's DH and DH Team) in year 1 was pretty cool. The Honda program was altogether a different thing. My company was contracted by the Honda Racing Corporation to run their team (they owned it), and therefore as a service provider, our job was to follow their protocol and deliver the results they wanted. I hired the athletes and staff, used all my own equipment and infrastructure, brought in the co-sponsors and components suppliers, and Honda provided the bikes and technology, as well as the most professional team dynamic I have ever seen. I learned a lot.
//MARTIN WHITELEY
At Angel Fire, NM USA
NZRide: You now have 10 riders that you manage, when did you first start in management and why?
Martin Whiteley: Prior to starting my company at the end of 2000, I was essentially advising riders, specifically Greg Minnaar, Liam Killeen and Matti Lehikoinen, so when the company was started as a "Management Company" it was logical that we would have an athlete management component. In the beginning it was a small part of the business which I took care of mainly because I wanted to see those guys do well. But now it's a cornerstone of the company. One of the company vans, a big black VW Crafter called "Black Betty" by the riders, has the names of those we manage on the side...in order of signing, and we get asked all the time how someone can get their name up there, but that's it for now.
NZRide: We have heaps of guys over here coming through that are real fast and would dream of spending the next 10 years travelling the world downhilling. I think a lot of riders would be interested to know what it takes/what they need to do to become a pro.
Martin Whiteley: There are a number of qualities a rider needs to be successful as a pro over a 10 year period. Some of them are quite specific, such as skill, determination, commitment, professionalism, and a little bit of luck. But other less tangible factors that riders from New Zealand (and Australia and South Africa) need to take into account are the long periods away from home, cultural differences, languages, travel fatigue etc. For some southern hemisphere riders this has proven too much over time, and you need to be ready to lose up to 6 months of the year away from your home/family/friends, and live out of a suitcase for extended periods. This takes a great deal of commitment and composure.
NZRide: With the exception of a couple of riders, everyone that you manage is a downhiller. Why have you chosen to focus on DH riders?
Martin Whiteley: I don't manage athletes because I have to, or because there is a quick buck to be made. I manage athletes for two key reasons....I connect with them and they are people I'm proud to manage...and also because they need our services. I'm into nearly all forms of cycling. One of my best friends is Cadel Evans (former 2 Time XC World Cup Champ and 2nd in the Tour de France 07) but I am mostly into DH. It's what I loved racing the most, and I like the tension it gives us team managers at the finish line, without all the Olympic BS. Downhillers tend to think more in the moment, they are not prolific planners. Having someone taking care of the admin and hassle is something that appeals to most DH World Cup pros.
NZRide: In New Zealand we now have 3 full-time International pro’s with Factory rides. That is guys who are paid a wage to ride/race around the world (Justin Leov, Sam Blenkinsop and Cameron Cole). How many riders worldwide would be paid to ride/race DH? Would it be less than 50? And will that grow in the next few years?
Martin Whiteley: It fluctuates between 35 and 50 a year....but there are only 15 or so that make a really good living. It could grow if the TV situation improves dramatically, but the last 7 years have been tough. The mid nineties saw a whole bunch of riders on six figure sums. I remember a rider winning a world title, and the next day a big US company offered him $300,000 a year, for a 2 year deal. That was the norm back then. We manage close to a million US dollars in athlete income these days, but with TV, it should be more than that.
// "Black Betty" The 23 Degrees Support Van
With Martin Whiteley on your side, it's all about professionalism, the 23 Degrees truck travels to many of the major races, often in addition to the riders' teams' own support vehicles.
NZRide: Back in the late 90’s/ early 2000’s there was a lot of money in the sport. Big companies were involved and there was good TV coverage. After this time the early/mid part of the 2000’s a lot of the money dried up and possibly hit a bit of a low with some of the big teams shutting down. There seems to be a bit of a resurgence in teams and sponsorship this year. Is DH on the way up and what does it need to get back to (and surpass) the days of the late 90’s?
Martin Whiteley: I think we are climbing out of the rut, but the TV needs to get better, and the appeal of the sport needs to be sold to a new generation of 14 to 20 year olds. We're getting there, but the UCI holds the key for now. The teams do all they can, they are creative with their media and web sites, but ultimately we are still dependent on major TV networks opening their programming slots for MTB. I think 2009 should be a much better year.
NZRide: Could DH go on to be a much bigger sport with more full time professional athletes? What changes need to happen for this?
Martin Whiteley: Live TV. Of all the cycling disciplines, DH and 4X are two of the best for live TV coverage. We had this in the 90's on Eurosport, and the public following was huge. Also, we need the stars of the sport to be made into stronger icons so that the fan base is active and expanding year on year. TV brings more co-sponsors to the World Cup, and with a bigger TV budget the UCI can look at live events again. They are expensive, an additional 40,000 Euros or so for the Live Broadcast truck, extra cameras, staff etc, but it's well worth it.
NZRide: Is there a marketing problem with DH/Freeriding. DH/Dirt Jumping/Freeriding have similar feel about them to surfing or snowboarding where riders are after the thrill of railing a turn, drifting, getting air. Yet in the majority of mtb magazines there is too much techno geek stuff and not enough action shots. Snowboard/surf mags focus on riders in some position on a wave or on the mountain which readers want to be able to replicate. Or they have a shot of some amazing break in some exotic location. So much of their content is about the actual ride. With mtb mags, so many have lame pictures and too much techno info. Is DH being held back by other disciplines within the sport?
Martin Whiteley: It's a tough balance for the magazines. If they focus too much on racing or freeriding, and not enough on the new products for the average-joe-consumer, they will lose advertising revenue. I don't have too much issue with technical reviews and product reviews. I don't read them much, but I understand they fuel the industry. It's the 5 day bike tours in Morocco, 20 page photo spread things...I hate those. Action shots of racing, freeriding and dirt jumping are much better eye candy and showcase what these bikes and parts can do, in the right hands. I think Dirt and Decline magazines do a really good job of finding that balance, and they are typically the only mags read cover to cover in this house NZRide: For the riders – what do they need to do to secure professional contracts? What attributes do your riders have that make them valuable to teams?
Martin Whiteley: Securing a professional contract is not always that easy. Perfect storm stuff sometimes. But it's different with each rider. Greg Minnaar offers different things than David Vazquez, and so on. As an agent it's my job to fully know and understand my clients, what turns them on, what they hate, and figure out which teams make perfect homes. It's not always what bike the team has, or what salary/bonus program. It also depends on the team's planned race schedule, the team dynamic (staff and other athletes, language spoken), as well as what co-sponsors they are allowed to keep for themselves and so on. We have typically started managing our clients before they become superstars of the sport, so it's not always easy getting them signed in the beginning. Sometimes we invest our money getting them to races etc. It always helps when the rider has demonstrated potential as a junior or at some other key events. Showing up in a video or two with a good riding segment (Sam Blenkinsop in Between The Tape is a great example), and has a proven professional character. Once I've identified someone I'm interested in managing, I will watch them for a whole season before deciding to give them my card. I want to see how they behave on the bike, in the finish area (after success and disappointment), watch their behaviour at post-race parties, in the press and so on. I have a great network of contacts in the industry, and that is highly valued....so the last thing I want to do is recommend an athlete that ends up in prison more than on the podium. My company has a reputation and I aim to keep it where it is.
NZRide: What should the kids who are 13-16, who want to be a pro DHer, be doing now and in the next few years to give them a better chance of becoming a Pro? Is it just about the riding or are there other aspects that are just as valuable for companies wanting to sign athletes? (Should they be able to speak a couple of languages?)
Martin Whiteley: Languages are not so key (unless you don't speak English). English is the international language of MTB, but I always recommend trying to learn basic French or Spanish. When racing for Honda, Greg Minnaar took Japanese lessons and that had a big impact on the chiefs in Japan. But we do a lot of work behind the scenes on developing their media work and professionalism. Upfront though, the 13-16 year olds should focus on developing their skills on the bike and getting results that will get them noticed, and not believe the hype about the party side of DH life. Most of that is image, and I feel sad when I see kids out smashing things up after getting drunk, thinking it's cool and what DH is all about. The smart guys making all the money know how to play that game.
 NZRide: Is it harder for riders coming from smaller countries like NZ to get signed up?
Martin Whiteley: Yes, sad to say but yes. My experiece is that the bigger the market for MTB sales in your country, the more opportunities there are for getting signed once you have a reasonable level of success. I have clients from countries like New Zealand, South Africa and Finland.....and it was very tough in the early days for those guys, compared to those from the UK and US. But once riders start getting on World Cup podiums on a regular basis, they become a rider of the world, and it's much easier to get them signed. Matti is a great example.In 2004 he was riding for expenses, no salary. We brought him into Honda, and now after a string of podiums, he's earning great money and leading a team, not because he's Finnish, but because he rides a bike better than most, and is super professional about it.
NZRide: You obviously have the most successful management company in mountain biking. Why do you think that is?
Martin Whiteley: Like I mentioned before, I am very proud of the industry contacts I have. Many years in the business doesn't necessarily mean that you'll have this. You need to take care of the sponsors, be aware of what they need and give it to them, remind them that as an athlete's manager we are an asset to them as well because every time we promote our client, they get promoted to.We are also extremely organised. We oversee more than 90 contracts and that requires a lot of admin expertise. That's probably my biggest strength. You can see that our clients have stuck with us from the beginning. Apart from the Athertons, who basically outgrew 23D, and we are still very much in contact and good friends, all of the others have been with us since we signed them. In Greg and Liam's case, that's 10 years.
NZRide: Are there many other athlete managers/management companies out there for riders?
Martin Whiteley: There are a few, but mostly they are a mix of sports, not specificallyMTB.
NZRide: What is the advantage of being with a manager such as yourself?
Martin Whiteley: In our case, we offer the very best representation to your potential sponsors, we seek out and find special race invitations, we deliver the media with professional press reports about your top results, assistance with media profile, fan base development, web sites, merchandising, trainign camps and so on. It's quite a range of things, but most importantly, we act as a secretariat meaning that the rider can just get on with training and racing, and push all the admin in our direction.
NZRide: How much involvement do you have with your riders? Are you involved with them daily/weekly/monthly? Are you just there to help them with their contracts or do you help them with their goals/training/travelling and other aspects of racing/riding?
Martin Whiteley: Their teams take care of travelling and logistics, and we encourage them all to have personal coaches. But we do get very involved in the other aspects such as goal setting, identifying race schedules that work for them, and I would say we are in contact with most of them every week or every two weeks. Sometimes it's almost daily depending on the time of the year. All, except Luke as he's the latest addition, have spent long periods of time at my house, so that always helps getting to know them and what makes them tick. Sam was here for 2 months in 2007, and Justin makes the 23D HQ a must visit every year, especially at the end of the season. My riders are my family,of that there is no question. I would do anything for any of them.
NZRide: Do you pick the riders or do they pick you? At the moment you have 10 riders – do you see that increasing or is that a limit that you are happy with managing? How would a rider get you to represent them?
Martin Whiteley: I like to manage around 10. More than that and you start to spread yourself too thin and not give the individual clients the attention they deserve. Some need more time than others, but generally I have found 10 to be the ideal number. If we were to expand, it would mean hiring another agent to work from our offices, and I'm not sure that's whatI need to do right now, unless we were to move into road cycling. As mentioned before, we tend to pick the riders after watching them for a year. At Rotorua World Champs, only one rider got my business card. It was Sam B at the backstage area of the podium ceremony. He probably didn't even know who I was, but I'd been watching him all that year.
NZRide: What does it take to be a good manager?
Martin Whiteley: Patience, good listener, passion for the sport, diplomacy, and an eye for talent.....oh yeah, and more patience. |
