One minute you're sprinting, the next you're slumped over your handlebars gasping for air as every fibre of muscle in your legs screams at you in a language you're yet to learn. Behind the whirring of the fan, there comes a faint voice. You place your headset back on and return to the faithful tones that guided you all the way to finish line. That voice; so often we hear only of the stories from the racer's perspective, but what of the person sitting comfortably on the other end of the line?
These are the confessions of a Directeur Sportif
Confession: I like being a Directeur Sportif (DS) more than racing. I love racing – the burn, the tactics, the tiny triumphs on Zwift when finishing feels monumental – but turning those impulses into a plan for others was a key in the lock for me. Once I stopped asking “Where should I attack?” and started asking “How do I set up our sprinter for her 15-second killer sprint?” racing became less about ego and more about solving a moving puzzle. That shift pulled me out of my own head and made the sport richer, more collaborative, and far more satisfying.
From Racer To Strategist
I learnt everything I know from all the amazing women at The Coalition. They helped me figure out my physiological type (climber, sprinter, diesel), and from them I learned how to draft, where to time attacks, and when to change gears. Once the fundamentals clicked for me, I began to focus on a larger racing strategy. I would position teammates, deliberately save matches, and think multiple moves ahead. Eventually, I started helping other teams leverage the unique skillsets on their start lists.
From Strategist to Directeur Sportif
It's been a couple of years since I officially made the jump to DS'ing, and I genuinely love it. Of course, it's not always smooth sailing. There are definitely odd, high-pressure moments where I’m frantically thinking, "what the hell do I say right now?" These internal struggles sometimes manifest externally in a manner one of my riders once charmingly described as "Uncontrolled squealing, yelling, cheering…" But even those moments are a testament to the adrenaline of the role. Harnessing the adrenaline and emotions of racing is just as important as devising a clear strategy. An effective Directeur Sportif is able to balance two critical components: team strategy and individual motivation.
Strategery (The Art of the Plan)
You can begin to devise a racing strategy once you know your roster and the course profile. This is the ultimate puzzle.
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Scenario A: The Mismatch. Say you're heading into a ZRL race with six powerful "diesels" (endurance specialists who struggle with quick sprints). The mission is clear: you'd better figure out a foolproof way to avoid a bunch sprint finish where they'll be easily outsprinted by riders with more punch. The strategy might involve sending a strong rider off the front early to force other teams to chase, or stringing out the field on a climb to drop the sprinters. The key, however, is keeping everyone together.
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Scenario B: The Inverse Problem. What if you have six pure sprinters on a brutal, "climby" course? You’re screwed. Just kidding (but only kind of). The real challenge is to manage their energy reserves. You need to save their precious "matches" (energy-sapping bursts of effort) through the difficult climbs in the hope of getting them all to the finish line together – or at least with one or two of them fresh enough for a late attack or reduced bunch sprint. The plan has to be fluid, with contingency routes for every eventuality, from a breakaway sticking to a crash splitting the field.
Strategies with an experienced and trusted DS evolve over time with teams, and the more a DS knows the racers (the field and the team), the more they can help. For me, DS’ing a group of women, regardless of their FTP – be it 100 or 400 watts – is deeply rewarding. Their determination is as compelling as the men's, and in some respects, women often overcome greater challenges in every race. The internal struggle, or "inner saboteur," is generally more pronounced for women, making the commitment to a difficult, all-in race plan particularly challenging. As a DS, when a woman commits 110% in a race for her team, my heart swells with pride.
Motivation (The Heart of the DS)
Ultimately, DS'ing is all for the benefit of the rider and team. The most critical tool in the DS arsenal is the ability to provide the exact right type of motivation at the exact right moment. This is a highly personal skill that requires knowing what works for each rider.
What is a rider’s personal flavor of motivation? What is needed in that crucial moment where a rider's body is screaming "no," but they are hanging on by a thread – 0.01 seconds ahead of the next competitor with only 100 meters left to the line?
- The Encouragement DS: If a rider needs to be told they are a Queen and deserve adoration and a gentle reminder of their strength, I will absolutely do that! It’s about building them up and reminding them of the power they possess.
- The Aggressive DS: Conversely, if a rider responds to intensity – if they need me to drop an f-bomb, to growl at them, and demand they tap into a deeper well of aggression – I will do that too! It's about finding that raw emotional trigger that pushes them beyond their perceived limit.
- The tactician: Some riders want to know that their effort is going to make a difference. Telling a rider that their effort will change the outcome of a team effort can absolutely turn the right rider into a berserker for ten seconds. The goal is to personalize the psychological support so precisely that the rider feels an immediate, powerful surge of energy and focus, allowing them to override the pain and execute the final, winning effort. Motivation has to be given at the exact moment the rider needs it. It’s tied to the overall strategy, but it also has to flex to meet the riders’ needs.
I raced for the thrill; I DS for the puzzle and the quiet, explosive joy of watching a plan, and a team, come together.
Confessions from the DS-ed
Different racers remember different pivotal moments in a race. Read on to hear real-life stories of the triumphs, pitfalls, clusterf*cks and ridiculousness that came from my experience DS’ing COALITION teams.
From Dan:
The most important DS moments I can remember are usually along the lines of "[X] is at their limit, if you can dig deep and push it here, you will drop them". That's been a really effective motivator.
From Scott:
This isn’t really a specific moment, but it’s more about the bigger picture of having had you DS. There’s a comfort and security that turns into confidence – knowing we’ve got a pair of steady hands on the wheel looking out for us during the race when we are more than likely dying on the bike. Having that uncanny knowledge of every important course feature, and all things Zwift race craft during the race is a huge advantage for us. And it also helps manage the team dynamics because sometimes when five riders are at 99% of their max heart rate, communication and judgement suffers. The DS is a voice of reason and clarity that keeps us focused on the important objectives and goals in the heated moments.
From Ashley:
Apparently, "don't get dropped here" is both the most helpful and unhelpful thing to say at the same time.
From Larissa:
How about the plan of making me attack on the last climb and then changing it to almost the full race? "Larissa's good at suffering." And then every time I am with Covi on a break, I get it reiterated with "Covi and Larissa are good at suffering." I have to say, you telling us we're good at suffering is motivational. We do make it to the very end.
From Sonja:
Rider: I can't feel my legs... Beccah: That's good! If you can't feel them, they can't hurt!
From Barb:
What immediately comes to mind is......... LOUD GASPING heard on audio. Beccah: " name are you ok?" Rider: more gasping "maybe" Beccah: spoken calmly, "Ok then, now I need you to give me a strong 2-minute2 minute effort. GO"
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