EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW | Meet 4 cycling preview experts and how they've built their success

The sport of cycling is incredibly complex. Throughout it's many disciplines, there are always favourites for every race, many variables to take into account, and most fans enjoy taking their guess as to who will win. There is a group of people however who dedicate some of their time to anticipate what the races should look like: the Cycling Preview writers. Here is an insight on how several professional writers do it so well.

This articles features quotes from four writers:
Will Newton, Racing News Editor at Global Cycling Network (GCN), and paleontologist;
Mathew Mitchell, writer for ProCyclingUK, and on occasion Velonews, with specific focus in women's cycling;
Christopher Lokke Bjerregaard, a masters student and writer for xcycling.

In addition to Will, Mathew and Christopher, I have also decided to answer the same questions - having years of experience under the belt, so as to add some more perspective on how even writers on a small niche can think so differently, whilst being some of the best at what they do. To understand when and how this type of writer has emerged, it is necessary to go back to why they have started in the first place.

Writing previews is something not many do in a frequent basis. This includes a wide spectrum of professional journalists all the way into regular cycling fans. In such a niche topic, I have set the mission to understand better how these writers have started out, what drives them, and how they conduct themselves in this new type of content that has revolutionized the cycling community in the last few years.

Note: A cycling preview is an article where the writer normally features information about a certain race/stage, regularly including profiles and graphics to inform the readers and illustrate road or weather conditions, for example. In addition that, most opt to talk about the favourites to said race/stage, discuss their chances and take a guess on who they believe will take the win on the day.

#1 - When did you start writing previews?

Will: I started writing previews back in 2016 for a subsidiary of LadBible, SportsBible. They were incredibly basic due to the target audience caring more about gambling than cycling itself, but it was this that gave me the springboard to create my own blog. From there I stopped writing for SportsBible and began doing my own thing. With the freedom to write about anything I wanted on my own blog I covered everything - news, race recaps, features, interviews and, of course, previews.

Mathew: The first previews I did were in around 2015 heading into the classics season that year. I'd had a personal cycling blog for a couple of years at that point and wanted to branch out into something more. It took until 2018 for me to write my first women's race preview.

Christopher: It must have been in 2019. I remember it clearly, since it felt very difficult to preview both the Giro and the Vuelta that year at the same time (which happened in October 2020 following the Covid-19 general lockdown, ed.).

Rúben: I began writing previews in 2017 for my own blog CyclingCronics. It was short-lived, I was also doing reviews of the stages I'd watch, and I had virtually no knowledge on web design and such so I would constantly be changing the site's looks, I ended up only having the blog up for a few months. Just weeks after I wrote for the Etape.CC site together with Benji Naesen and a few more guys, but it was also a very short experience as it was another short-term project. Eventually in March 2019 I think, I created another blog/site called echelons, this time not biting off more than I could chew, and began consistently posting previews and sharing them on Twitter with an account specifically created for all my cycling discussions.

#2 - When/how did you realize you were good at it?

Will: I'm not sure if there was ever a 'eureka' moment where I thought, 'wow, preview writing is my thing'. After a while of publishing my previews - and other writings - on my blog I started to gain a small audience on Twitter. This audience were very receptive to the previews I wrote and always gave me nice feedback, encouraging me to go deeper into that side of writing. The more I focused on writing previews, the more positive feedback I got. I've always loved writing, but what I think I love most is about it is when people read what you've written, enjoy it and then talk to you about it. Being heard is a great feeling. The more I write, the more I interact with readers and listen to the feedback, the better I feel I get. I'm not sure whether I could ever say I'm 'really good' at it, but I'm always striving to be a better writer. Maybe one day I'll have the self confidence to say 'I'm fucking great!'

Mathew: If I'm brutally honest with myself, I was probably a so-so men's cycling preview writer. I could be accurate with races that I strong interest in but then trying to write and predict any old race led to some wildly variant results. It was probably when I started regularly writing about the women's race in 2019 that I realised I was picking out the final front runners more accurately than others.

Christopher: I think the first time I realized I was doing a few things right was when CyclingMole tweeted that he thought I did a good job. To this day, it still means the world to me.

Rúben: No idea. I think I always believed since day one that I was good at it, otherwise I would not start these projects in the first place. But what determines that more is the feedback people give you, but I wouldn't be able to pinpoint any specific moment.

#3 - What did you hope to achieve with the previews?

Will: I've asked myself this a few times, though I've never come to the same answer every time. I think I hoped to achieve several different things. The biggest thing is recognition. As I said before, the best thing about writing is being heard, getting your voice and opinion out there into the world. There's also the obvious, getting a job out of it. I've always written for fun, but when it began to consume my life it made sense to start getting paid for it! And then there's the idea about being the best at something. Writing isn't really any different to sports in a way, every writer wants to be the best in their particular area. I'm far from achieving this I think, but it sure does motivate me to continue writing!

Mathew: Part of it initially was to get a bit closer to the racing, kinda like when you put a bet on a football match, you've got a vested interest all of a sudden. With the women's race previews, it was definitely also about promoting the racing and giving another option for fans. Particularly with races outside of the WWT, previews can be few and far between.

Christopher: I just hoped to share knowledge. We all watch the same sport. Some watch every race, some only watch the Tour. The main goal is someday commentating a live race.

Rúben: I loved cycling, I had the quality (so I thought!) to write about cycling and I had the patience to consistently post. I wanted to work inside the cycling world, in some shape or form, this was the best way to do it I believed.

#4 - What makes the difference between someone who's good and someone who's great at writing previews?

Will: Time. A lot of folks can describe a race, list riders and suggest someone who's going to win, but if you don't invest time into watching the sport in great detail, tracking riders as they progress throughout a season - and their careers to an extent - and meticulously analyzing a race's route then you're going to struggle to make the step up from 'good' to 'great'. All the great previewers I know are fans first, writers second. You can tell that they've invested the time into watching the sport and crafting their previews. Yes, their writing styles might not be quite as good as a professional journalist's, but their content just oozes knowledge and experience.

Mathew: I think a lot is to do with having a wider understanding of what's going on away from the results sheet and regurgitating previous results. I'm very data-driven as a person when it comes to analysis so it's a trap I have to remind myself not to fall into as well. So there are times when you see a rider has had a series of bad results but that never tells you about that niggling injury, bad weather, mechanicals etc. - a great preview writer has that information stored away and sees past that when it comes to predicting the next race.

Christopher: For me, it is about reading how the race will unfold. If you have that right, it is much easier figuring out which riders you fancy for the race. The best races are those who are really difficult to figure out - hence why have experimented with xPless.

Rúben: Hard to say as at the end of the day those are subjective. In my opinion one big point is if you put the time and effort into it people will tell, and the other is your predictions - not only of the winners but how the race plays out. I'd say those that are great are the ones who manage to have both points done well. This is essentially what's most important, but to be able to do it write it's necessary to have a great "mental database" of many riders, teams, how they race, how they interact with each other, how they feel about a certain type of weather, and countless other factors which you need to know to be very accurate.

#5 - Have you done something to stand out from the rest?

Will: Like most writers, I hope that my style and the way that I write helps me stand out from the rest. But talking specifically about previews, I've always tried to experiment with different formats, seeing if my audience prefers one format over another. During the 2019 season I was busy doing a Paleontology Masters and had little time to commit to writing. This was a blessing in disguise really as it encouraged me to stop writing so much on my blog and instead start writing my previews directly to Twitter in the form of a thread. Writing on Twitter I cared a lot less on making sure my prose were neat and tidy and instead injected my humour and personality into my writings. I've never thought that I was particularly interesting really, but a lot of folks liked it and really cried out for more. I suppose what I'm saying here is don't worry too much about coming up with bright new ideas to set yourself apart from others. There's only one you, so be yourself and you'll naturally stand out.

Mathew: One of my major goals with the women's previews was to try and bring up some names that a casual fan might not necessarily know. Helping new fans find out who is worth following in a race that might make the top-10 with a breakthrough result was a goal as it is always a fun arc to follow. I also include where and when to watch the race - which is probably more of a women's race benefit. When the race is shown on ES/GCN it's easy to find obviously but plenty of races are on hard-to-find local TV websites or Vimeo. Pointing fans in the right direction with a link in the preview helps out big time.

Christopher: I am not sure. I highly doubt it.

Rúben: I've learnt that standing out from the crowd is many times crucial in being able to put yourself out there. Although as a person I have never actually steered much into that direction, I knew that if I wanted people to read my previews I had to present them as superior to the rest. So as the years passed I added more "segments" to the posts, more little things that made sense and simultaneously did no significantly change the time/effort I'd need to put in to write them - being consistent and focused is also key.

#6 - What was your proudest moment in relation with one you've written?

Will: Half the fun of preview writing, specifically, is calling winners. When you call a surprise winner AND say exactly how they're going to win, well that feeling is almost euphoric. The night before Stage 19 of the 2020 Tour de France, a predicted sprint stage, I wrote a preview detailing how Søren Kragh Andersen would infiltrate the early break, attack his fellow escapees in the final and win solo in Champagnole. And that's exactly what happened. To the letter. I'm still miffed now that I didn't put any money on it...

Mathew: Chantal van den Broek-Blaak winning Flanders in 2020 is definitely up there. It wasn't a safe prediction of Van Vleuten or Van der Breggen who came into that race as the big favourites. There'd been a little mention by Anna in the lead-up to that race that she was prepared to work for her team despite winning the Giro Rosa, both World Champs and Flèche Wallonne in the month prior. When we got into the race and AVV/AvdB began to cancel each other out in borderline bizarre fashion and Blaak attacked, it all came to fruition.

Christopher: That is a good question. There will always be something that stands out from time to time. Usually, I feel very proud of myself whenever I get a scenario/favorites correct, when the rest of Twitter thinks something completely different.

Rúben: I'll make the effort not to go down the rabbit hole, otherwise I'd be stuck looking at my own posts for hours trying to pinpoint 1! Thibaut Pinot won at the Tour of the Alps and the Tour de Suisse this year, and both occasions were from breakaways. To predict a win for the breakaway is usually something only the "greats" can frequently predict, but to then guess the exact rider to win from that scenario always gets me proud, specially when it is a rider I admire so much. Dylan van Baarle winning Roubaix this year was also a major one, I played out in my mind how he would win whilst writing and it's almost like he executed my idea word for word. I'm sure there would be a few from past years that would make me just as proud though.

#7 - There is a common expression that "every preview writer thinks they are THE best". What's your opinion on this?

Will: I think there are a certain few who think that they're THE best, and maybe they are, but having that kind of ego doesn't sit right with me. As I said before, every writer wants to be the best in their own little niche, and it's something we all strive for, but at the end of the day this is such a subjective thing - everyone has their own taste and a person's work which they prefer reading. There's room for a lot of us here, there doesn't need to be one writer who's crowned THE best. We all have the opportunity to be THE best to someone, and that's enough for me.

Mathew: I did track the accuracy of podium picks one year for women's cycling against a couple of others and had a higher percentage! I stopped doing it though because it was encouraging me to be a bit too safe and boring in making my picks. There's stuff I think I do better than many others but I'm self-aware enough to know the areas I don't as well. If you want a long in-depth list of riders, with some genuine outsiders mentioned you'll love what I do. If you want a really in-depth look at the specifics of the race route, that's not going to be me.

Christopher: Everyone contributing to knowledge is a good previewer, but in my opinion only Mole does manages to do it great in as few words as possible. Other than that, it is Will Newton is fantastic. What is more important is that I think they are one of the few doing both Men and Women (and CX?) races. They got all bases covered - they are the best.

Rúben: Some do, some don't. I won't lie, I have had points where my ego was that high, but in the meantime I've put my feet on the ground. There are definitely some people who have that way of thinking. I do however try to be as best I can consistently, in a way to not only put in the information work but to also package it in a way that people enjoy reading and want to come back for more.

#8 - On a percentage (0-100%), how would you balance quality/consistency?

Will: An equal mix of both. Quality is essential in hooking in an audience, but consistency is then key in keeping them on the line.

Mathew: Consistency is certainly important, a bare minimum of all the Women's WorldTour races is what I work to. If I can fit more in, then I do. Last year I wrote 39 previews and this year it was 45. There's the odd moment where real life gets in the way and if I can't get a full race preview out, rather than try and pass off a small version as the real thing - I'll turn it into something like a '5 riders to watch' post so at there's a bit of preview content.

Christopher: I am not sure how to understand this, I would say I bring quality 95% of the time. Sometimes I skip a preview or two, if I feel I do not have the time to write a good preview.

Rúben: 50/50. It is very important to be good and put in the work in the previews otherwise people either won't like them or won't feel any interest. At the same time for me it is very important to be consistent throughout the year, be a reliable figure, and the aim is to keep the quality whilst rising the quantity.

#9 - Can professional teams benefit from this type of content? What is the limit for it?

Will: Definitely. Cycling is quite a unique sport in that a fan's perspective can mean quite a lot. There's so much going on in a race that DS' just can't see or keep on top of. Having a collection of uber fans - preview writers - who do a lot of the course and tactical analysis for you must be a great help. Even if they read our previews and laugh at how incorrect they are, it at least gives them an idea of 'what not to do', which in itself must be helpful!

Mathew: We all know about the infamous Olympics RR which saw Anna Kiesenhofer take the win and riders afterwards said they didn't know her. I would think that a read of a race preview would give teams a chance to know more of the names they're racing against, especially WWT teams racing the lower Conti and non-Conti teams which regularly happens in women's cycling. I'd hope it'd also provide some background on riders who like to regularly attack but don't necessarily get the recognition on a results sheet too. Probably the limit is that it can't dictate but only inform race tactics. Teams won't commit to one plan just because someone is tipped to do well but I would hope that could open a possible page in the playbook that may not have been thought of.

Christopher: I think they can. We know they can, otherwise they would not interact with Mole. The limit is tactics. My logic is not the same as the thoughts of the DS which often makes it very difficult (and fun!) to predict races.

Rúben: The Lanterne Rouge Media guys worked with Jumbo-Visma in 2022 including in the Tour de France success. Looking back, some of their tactics such as the opening day of Paris-Nice, or the first WVA win at the Tour de France (stage 4) were "unique" types of tactics, but they absolutely work and I am certain it had their influence. Having opinions from people who clearly know their way into tactics can certainly be beneficial in some days, and it can be as far as reaching roles within the World Tour peloton.

#10 - Do you actually read any previews outside of yours?

Will: Yes, a fair few, but I always try to do all of my research and writing before I read another person's preview, just so I don't let it influence or cloud my own judgement. There has been a lot of cases though where I've finished my own preview, read another person's, thought 'oh shit of course!', and then gone back and amended mine. The previews I consult the most are probably Wielerflits, Rouleur, yours, Christopher Løkke Bjerregaard's and - of course - CyclingMole's. You've got to compare yourself against the self-proclaimed best, right?

Mathew: I do check in on other race previews. Sometimes it's to check that my own thoughts on someone winning a race isn't too outlandish after I've written a draft. The predicted outcome can often be similar but sometimes seeing someone else's logic can show something you've missed or not thought of. Obviously, I mentally disagree plenty too!

Christopher: Will Newton (GCN) and Cyclingmole. Occasionally 'La Thib' - he really goes into depth.

Rúben: Sometimes I do, Will Newton mostly. I usually never read before I post myself because I build up my own ideas and scenarios and stick with them. Sometimes I scroll through others to see who they think will win and also in case I somehow forget a name.

At CyclingUpToDate you can keep up with the ongoing Cyclocross season and previews for all the main races by watching this menu. In 2023, there will be previews of all World Tour events and main road cycling events including European and World Championships, women's World Tour and many of the most interesting non-World Tour races throughout the season.