The Week After - Culture Wins

Last week, I wrote about the invisible crashes — the moments in cycling where culture, trust, and team unity take a hit long before anyone hits the deck. The hard conversations. The uncomfortable decisions. The work you do off the bike to protect the group on it.

Tonight reminded me why that work matters.

Tuesday night Heffron Racing. Low numbers. Tired legs. A dusty breeze rolling off the track. And a team that rode like one organism.

Big Ads burying himself to position the boys. Robbie Allen launching a lead-out so long it should’ve come with a warning label. Ash Bennett Freeman delivering a final slingshot with absolute composure. Even Matty Connor — caught from C-grade — giving everything he had to drop Robbie onto the right wheel at the right moment.

And then Big Johnny Quads… Holding the line. Holding the power. Holding the win.

Not because anyone was the strongest on the night. But because everyone rode for each other.

And the team effort didn’t just happen on the track.

Michelle Ferris — Olympic silver medallist at the Sydney Games — and her partner Alicia have been supporting this squad for years. Michelle’s advice, coaching, and experience have shaped so much of the progression within the group. Tonight, they showed up early, not for a race of their own, but so Big Ads could still race his.

With a newborn, two young boys, and his wife away working, Ads was on full dad duty. Michelle and Alicia stepped in, wrangled kids, created space, and gave him the chance to roll to the start line. That kind of support doesn’t show up on the results sheet, but it’s the foundation of nights like this. It’s culture in action.

Cycling is full of tiny miracles when a group of riders decides that the success of the team matters more than the ego of the individual. When roles become clear. When trust becomes real. When the jersey on your back becomes heavier — in the best possible way.

Last week we had to reset some things behind the scenes. Not dramatic. Not personal. Just a necessary moment to protect the team’s culture and keep our environment healthy.

Tonight was the proof of what happens next: Unity. Commitment. Joy. And a finish line crossed with every rider’s fingerprints on it — and a few extra off the bike as well.

This sport will always tell you the truth. And tonight, it told us that culture wins races long before strength does.

Here’s to the boys. Here’s to the work. Here’s to the long lead-outs, the quiet sacrifices, and the people who support the team even when they’re not turning the pedals. And here’s to a squad that showed what cycling can look like when everyone pulls in the same direction.

All Photos by the one the only Richard Scriven!