Cycling fans know the riders. They might recognize a few coaches or mechanics. But when it comes to the sports director—often called Directeur Sportif or DS—the job title remains a little mysterious. Are they drivers? Strategists? Babysitters?
Turns out, they're all of that—and more.
The job isn’t exactly glamorous, but it’s crucial to keeping the team running.
In the latest Nduranz podcast episode, we sat down with Sam Bewley. A former pro cyclist and two-time Olympic medalist, Bewley is now the Head Sports Director for Israel-Premier Tech (IPT). He sheds some insight on what it’s like behind the scenes of a Grand Tour.
You can listen to the full interview here. Or keep reading for Bewley's key insights.
Teams Need Multiple Sports Directors
There’s so much going on behind the scenes at a Grand Tour that IPT doesn’t just send one sports director. They send three. This is common practice: most teams will have two or three DSs, along with the coach and other crew members.
IPT gives their Sports Directors the titles DS1, DS2, and DS3. The roles are clearly defined but closely intertwined.
DS1 Role: Managing Rider Performance and Strategy
Bewley was DS1 during the 2025 Giro. His job started months in advance. In March, he was already in Italy driving the stages and doing recons.
Once the race began, his focus shifted to the riders: He was the one speaking to the riders every night after stages, sitting down with them to review footage, and adjusting plans.
“Your primary focus is the riders, and after each stage, analyzing how things went, what could we have done better, what did we do well, and then trying to put that into the next day's strategy.”
DS2 and DS3 Roles: Logistics, Bottles, and Convoy Driving
In IPT, the DS2 and DS3 take on more of the logistical and operational workload: organizing staff, bottle points, and feed zones. They are also the ones who handle most of the convoy driving duties.
Bewley was DS2 for IPT during the Tour de France this year. It’s a busy job, and Bewley admits it isn’t always rewarding.
For example, the DS2 and DS3 are the ones who will drive 20 km on a narrow road to a feed zone—only to have none of the riders even take a bottle there.
What’s in the car? Bewley says he always keeps his iPad for VeloViewer, highlighter pens, and at least 5 stat lists, plus one iced coffee (squeezed between the riders’ bottles) for the final part of the stage when fatigue hits.
Being a DS Is Exhausting
As a former WorldTour rider himself, Bewley is qualified to compare the two jobs. Surprisingly, he says that working behind the scenes is more tiring than racing.
“I think I'm more tired when I'm a director. It's obviously a different type of fatigue. My legs don't hurt so much, but you don't really get the chance to switch off. You're on from early in the morning to late at night, planning the day ahead or planning the next stages and dealing with lots of logistics.”
The High-Stress Reality of Driving the Race Convoy
For Bewley, driving the convoy was the most nerve-wracking part of his job during the Tour de France.
He’s right to be nervous: accidents happen.
This year, Bewley clipped a car while driving. The team’s Sporting Manager, who was on radio duty, jumped into the second car. But Bewley was stuck on the roadside for half an hour while the mechanics got the car roadworthy. The car never made it to the finish line that day.
“It’s insane on those climbs. Trying to drive through hundreds of thousands of people on a road barely a car width wide… It’s dangerous, and I’m surprised it doesn’t happen more often that someone gets clipped by a car.”
Fun Fact: In addition to bike mechanics in the cars, Tour de France teams also have vehicle mechanics and tow trucks following behind the cars. It’s basically a convoy following a convoy!
Staying Flexible: How DSs Adapt to the Unpredictability of Racing
Sports Directors have detailed plans going into each stage. But these plans also need to be adaptable. Bewley says they sometimes have to make split-second changes on the radio based on the way things are playing out in a race—and who’s in the yellow jersey.
This is especially true in the Tour de France where riders “race like maniacs” and teams will defend their rider that’s 9th in the GC.
But there are also plans that even the riders don’t know about.
For example, their goal in the Giro this year was to get Derek Gee a Top 5 in the GC. They succeeded (Gee came in 4th!). Read Derek's Giro fueling strategy here.
But the DSs also had a plan of what to do in case he crashed in an early stage. This plan wasn’t shared with the riders because they wanted to stay positive, but it’s always at the back of their minds.
Energy Expenditure Is Behind Race Strategy
At the core of race strategy is managing energy—not just raw power output but how riders conserve and spend their limited energy reserves over multiple stages. This means the Directeur Sportif must constantly think ahead, making decisions that balance effort today with the demands of tomorrow.
Bewley gives this example: There are stages where they expect a breakaway. But then they will be 50 km in and there’s no sign of a breakaway succeeding. He then may tell the riders to stop doing so much work in the breakaway because it’s better to save that energy for the next stage.
“A lot of the decisions come down to energy expenditure. We need to think about tomorrow now.”
Because energy management is so critical, teams work closely with nutritionists to ensure riders have energy.
Fueling the Strategy: Working with the Nutritionist
The team nutritionist designs the fueling plan, but it’s the DS who brings it to life—handing out bottles, tracking intake, and making real-time adjustments during the race.
For example, if it’s going to be hot, the DS will use information from the nutritionist to change the number of bottles handed out, and decide whether it’s better to hand them out at kilometer 90 or 120.
The flow of information goes both ways.
The DS provides the nutritionist with key logistical info—like where the feed zones are—and the nutrition uses this info to come up with a plan.
But sometimes things don't go as planned, such as if crosswinds make it impossible for the riders get fuel at a feed zone. The nutritionist can then adjust their plan, such as giving Nrgy Drink 90 instead of Nrgy Drink 45 at the next feed zone.
Also Read: Tips from WorldTour Nutritionist Nicki Strobel
The Mental Aspect: Managing Team Dynamics
Bewley only retired at the end of 2022, so he still remembers how exhausting it is to ride a Grand Tour. This understanding helps him deal with the team members.
“I think a big part of it is understanding how the riders are feeling. Kind of understanding when they need space, when they want to have conversations. And sometimes you can get riders that are a little bit prickly and speak up and debriefs. It's about recognizing sometimes those guys are just so tired that it's easy to get caught up emotionally.”
Team Dynamics Matter
Bewley says cycling is a bizarre sport because, even though it’s a team sport, there is only one winner. Yes, the winner understands that they won because of the work their teammates did—but they are on the podium by themselves.
Because of this, handling riders’ emotions and group dynamics is a huge part of his job.
“It’s about developing good cultures within the group to try to get riders to buy into the team strategy and the success of an individual that may come from their work.”
Want to hear more? Listen to the full podcast episode.