OnePro’s Williams pleased by hands-on approach from Prior

“You don’t need to take your bike with you. They have bikes in New Zealand. Who the hell takes a bike?
Skiptons Pete Williams, front, and Keighleys Tom Barrass ride past the Cow and Calf in Ilkley as they prepare for the Tour de Yorkshire (Picture: Bruce Rollinson).Skiptons Pete Williams, front, and Keighleys Tom Barrass ride past the Cow and Calf in Ilkley as they prepare for the Tour de Yorkshire (Picture: Bruce Rollinson).
Skiptons Pete Williams, front, and Keighleys Tom Barrass ride past the Cow and Calf in Ilkley as they prepare for the Tour de Yorkshire (Picture: Bruce Rollinson).

“If Cheese [Matt Prior] wasn’t a top genius cricketer, Cheese would have been a world-class cyclist. Obviously.”

And so goes Kevin Pietersen’s rant at former England team-mate Matt Prior in last year’s controversial autobiography.

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English cricket’s headline-grabber accused Prior of many things in the build-up to, and the publication of, his book, singling out the batsman-wicketkeeper’s passion for cycling as if it was some kind of weakness.

But as Pietersen attempts to force his way back into the England reckoning, with words more than deeds, in a completely different sport altogether, Prior is taking a very ambitious step.

In December, just a few weeks after the publication of Pietersen’s book, Prior unveiled his latest venture, the co-founding of a British cycling team – OnePro – that he hopes will one day be established enough to contest the Tour de France. OnePro have been competing at British level, two rungs below Sky on the world stage, and outside the pro-continental tier they initially aspire to reach.

This week, squads from all levels of the sport around the world will converge on Bridlington on the north coast of the White Rose county for the inaugural Tour de Yorkshire. It will be the first national exposure for Prior’s OnePro team, with the focus set to be on Prior as much as his eight-man team.

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One of those backing him to succeed comes from within the team itself, 28-year-old Pete Williams of Skipton, who has dismissed any notion of Prior’s involvement being a publicity stunt, instead insisting the cricketer’s motivations are purely for the sport itself.

“Matt Prior is very hands on,” says Williams, for whom a Tour de Yorkshire appearance this weekend will be one of the highlights of the year.

“Sometimes in sport you get people putting their name to a venture and you only see them once or twice a year.

“Matt’s not like that at all. He’s been to training camps and turns up at races. He’s very keen.

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“Matt’s taken on more the management side of things, and the business aspect, leaving the sports director roles to the other senior members of the team.

“He doesn’t claim to know everything about cycling, but equally he’s very supportive.

“Obviously as a new team we have a lot of different voices, but with Matt on board we’ve got people from outside the sport coming in with fresh ideas.”

Williams has made a strong impression in his first year with the fledgling OnePro squad.

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He already has a number of wins around the country to his name, a consistency he puts down to the team around him.

“It’s a similar level to what I’ve been on previously, but this is a step up because of the professionalism, and everything you need you can get,” says Williams.

“It’s a step up from what I’m used to.

“At a lot of teams it can be just someone running it as a hobby, but this is a team that is taking things a lot more seriously.”

Williams was born in Lancashire before moving to Yorkshire first to study at York University for four years, and then to Skipton with his partner.

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He trains regularly on the roads of Yorkshire, on which this week he hopes to flourish.

“The Tour de Yorkshire is one of the big events on the calendar, especially for us against some of the top world tour teams,” he says.

“Also with the local riders as well it should be good.

“It should be a fantastic event for the cycling fans as well and hopefully they come out in good numbers like they did for the Tour de France.

“I’m delighted to be involved. We’ve got 12 riders in the squad with eight in the race.

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“I’ve been involved in all the major races so far, but I wasn’t taking anything for granted.”

Williams has past experience of contesting the Tour of Britain, winning the intermediate sprinters’ jersey in 2012 in a field that included Mark Cavendish.

“Cav wasn’t in the shake-up for the intermediate sprints jersey, but that was the calibre of people in the race,” says Williams.

This week it is Sir Bradley Wiggins, Marcel Kittel and Samuel Sanchez in a peloton that offers a shop window for Williams, Prior and the lesser-known British teams.

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Prior adds: ‘It was because of the Grand Depart last year that OnePro Cycling really started – seeing all those thousands of fans lining the streets.

“We’re building and we’re 
certainly going in the right direction.

“To be given an opportunity to race in Yorkshire is another massive tick in the box.”

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