5ive Points with Kelly Mclean of Sky Pro Cycling
On a recent trip out east (to see our friends at Fizik in Italy) we had the rare opportunity to share drinks and a pizza pie with Kelly Mclean, Sponsorship Executive for the Sky Professional Cycling team. Kelly was taking part in the Fizik factory tour as a liason between 2 of the professional cyclists on Sky Pro Cycling, Salvatore Puccio and Davide Appollonio, and Fizik, a sponsor of the UCI ProTeam. Though not a professional cyclist herself, Kelly is quite proud of the team and its accomplishments. She’s based in Manchester (Sky is a British telecom company) and prior to her position with Sky Pro Cycling worked for a number of years for British Cycling, the sports’ national governing body. During our “interview”, she successfully dodged many a question about Mark Cavendish, save one (“Do you call him Cav? In the States we call him Cav.”, “No, I call him Mark.”), but did tip us off on something about Cav being photographed riding his bike atop the new Jaguar (another team sponsor) shooting brake sedan…..we hope that’s not their leadout strategy next week!
NYC Velo: What’s your favorite bike?
Kelly Mclean: I hope to get a Specialized upon my return home to the UK. I’ve been inspired to get on a road bike after watching the Granfondo and seeing the Fizik facility!
NYCV: What’s your favorite ride?
KM: I did a ride in Japan a couple years ago, I can’t remember which mountain I climbed, but I don’t think it was Mt Fuji, definitely not Mt. Fuji.
NYCV: What do you always bring with you on a ride?
KM: I have 2 cell phones for work, both iPhones with different Sky Pro Cycling cases.
NYCV: What’s your favorite post-ride food?
KM: Definitely a roast dinner, Yorkshire pudding, roast potatoes, a bottle of red wine, live jazz, and a view of the Cheshire countryside.
NYCV: What’s next?
KM: For Sky Pro cycling, definitely Wiggins in yellow and Cav in Green at the Tour de France, and Cav wins gold at the London Games.
Photo: IG Markets / Team Sky