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A blog that looks behind the scenes at how we bring our mission to life, every day

Cassandra Handley ‹ We are EF

José Luis’s passions collided (in a good way) when <a href="https://www.ef.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">EF Education First</a> acquired the<a href="https://www.efprocycling.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> EF Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale</a> professional cycling team. Originally from Colombia, where cycling is just as culturally important as fútbol, José Luis’s passion for road racing began in his youth.
When the opportunity arose to combine his nine years of EF know-how with the sport he loves, he jumped at the chance. Now Head of Sales and Marketing for <a href="https://www.ef.edu/ils/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">EF’s International Language Campuses</a>, José Luis is focused on sharing EF’s mission at and around cycling events and races across the world, primarily in Europe.
Recently, he answered a few questions about his own international journey – since working for EF he has lived in Barcelona, Mexico City, Peru, Chile, and Zurich – and why a cycling team upholds the mission of EF.
What were your prior roles at EF? 
I was most recently the Country Manager for Chile, after being Country Manager for Peru, Sales Manager for Latin America based in Mexico, and Sales Manager in Spain. I’ve lived in different markets with the same division, which is EF’s International Language Campuses, which offers language courses abroad for students and adults. We have offices on six continents and in five hundred cities. It’s huge.
How did you get involved with the cycling team? 
Last year, at our international team kick-off in Paris, a worldwide email was sent explaining that EF had just acquired a professional cycling team. My first reaction was to reply back saying, “Wow! This is so exciting. Congratulations! I’d love to be involved.” I couldn’t believe it.
Shortly after, I had a meeting in Boston, and was asked if I had thoughts on what could be done with the team, and that’s how it started!
Has cycling always been a passion? 
I’ve followed pro cycling since I was 22 or 23, when I was serious about competing within different divisions at my university. I was super involved in the sport then and continued with competing for fun.
Also, I am Colombian. In Colombia, cycling runs in our blood. We had big stars back in the late 80s, early 90s, so I was introduced to the sport a long time ago. I’ve always been a big fan.
What were your initial feelings about the job? 
When I was offered the job, I remember thinking, “I shouldn’t take it. I don’t think I have the know-how.” I was very concerned. But, every challenge shows a different set of skills. I was ready to try something new.
What does your work with the cycling team look like now? 
Right away, I envisioned so many opportunities. It was easy to map cool ideas because we have offices all across Europe, and that’s where most of the races take place.
Giro d’Italia, for example, was the first Grand Tour with our whole new EF team together. The goal was to get the right branding out there so people know what EF is all about. For our Italian staff, they saw opportunity in having a local presence on the ground. That physical presence makes a difference. We also held events and made sure we got the right online exposure.
Staff engagement is also a big deal. When teams are working on the ground and they see the buses, bikes, coaches, riders, gear, and uniforms, it gets everyone excited.
Why is the cycling team right for EF? 
The sport and EF are meant to be. Pro cycling has a very high density of people watching it over TV and the internet. Cycling features people from so many nationalities, speaking different languages, and they travel and race all around the world. The riders and staff have to adapt to different cultures to become a successful team. If you compare all that to our EF mission, it’s pretty much a match made in heaven.
What’s something you’ve learned and come to love since working for EF? 
I’ve met tons of colleagues from all over the world. For EF’s International Language Campuses, every country has its own beauty and challenge. This has helped me learn to adapt so I can get the right results faster.
My father used to say something. I value it more and more the older I become. “Intelligence is about adapting to situations.” In no other job is that statement truer. This job has been one hell of a ride. Hopefully, it never ends, because it’s a dream job.

José Luis’s passions collided (in a good way) when EF Education First acquired the EF Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale professional cycling team.

Working for a love of the sport: José Luis’s EF journey - We are EF

Working for a love of the sport: José Luis’s EF journey ‹ We are EF

Working for a love of the sport: José Luis’s EF journey

Working love sport jose luiss ef journey

At first, Sep Vanmarcke, pro cyclist with <a href="https://www.efprocycling.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">EF Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale</a>, wasn’t so sure about the pink jerseys. Now, he likes how they pop amid the lush European race courses and the peloton’s frequent blues, yellows, and whites.
From January to October, Belgian-born Sep races across Europe, strategically using his mastery of cobblestones and sprinting to help his team win. On the eve of the Tour de France, Sep took time from his final recovery day to talk about joining <a href="https://www.ef.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">EF Education First</a>, work-life balance, and whether he still gets nervous before a race.
For those who might not be familiar with pro cycling, is the sport more about the individual or the team? 
Though we are a team, in many ways, cycling is still an individual sport. We don’t train like a soccer or basketball team would, where they practice together. Of course, how and what we train is at the control and hands of team management, but we all train by ourselves. Then we come to a race and work as a team to help the guy who needs to get the result that’s needed to win.
What are your days like leading up to a race? 
Most of the riders have a busy race and training schedule where they don’t get a lot of down time. The week before a race is about recovering, having team meetings, and reviewing tactics. We spend those few days resting and filling up our bodies with balanced food, so it’s ready for the days and weeks of racing.
Do you still get nervous before a race? 
Not anymore, but the Tour de France does have a different feel. It’s so special. Everyone knows the race is important. There’s a lot of attention on it. The whole world is watching.
What is your non-race schedule like? 
I’m always training. I wake up, have breakfast, and do morning exercises, like strength training, core stability training, and stretching. Next, I go for my ride. If it’s a recovery day, then it could be one hour or one-and-a-half hours. If it’s a long ride, it’s up to six hours. Each day is pretty intense.
Then, I come home around 3PM, have lunch and time with family. I work on the bike, meet with my coach, get a massage, or see the osteopath.
Also, because we are away from home so much, the days I am home, I need to take care of every appointment, go to the bank, take care of insurance, and go shopping. What other people can do in a month, I only have two or three days to do.
How do you balance family life with work life? 
I have a wife and two young kids. When I’m with them, they are a good distraction. I’m not thinking about cycling all the time. Before a race, I stay at home as much as possible, because I’m going to be away for weeks or a month. There isn’t a lot of time to call, to text, to be on Facetime when riding. I try to be with them every minute I can.
Other than that, I don’t have much work-life balance. For twenty-four hours a day, I have to keep cycling in my mind. If I go out for dinner or lunch, I need to pay attention to what I eat. I don’t want to go to bed too late. No pro cycler can fully let go of cycling.
How did it feel when you heard EF had stepped in to help save the team? 
At first, I didn’t know anything about EF. I was just really happy the team could continue. Then, I found out EF’s mission and what the company is doing. That made things even better. EF’s focus on language, travel, and education is personal, from human to human. It’s not a robot or a bank. Education is something everybody can have and everybody can use.
What are your thoughts on wearing pink? 
To be honest, I was not really happy about the color in the beginning. But after a couple of days, I started to like the pink. Now it’s nice to see it pop in the peloton. Everyone can see it from far away and spot our team so easily. That is really nice for us riders. The public and fans can always find us.
How has joining EF changed the team? 
I’m really happy EF came along. It’s early to say, because it’s the first year, but already I feel a difference and influence from EF. Positivity, mainly.
Everyone I’ve met from EF brings a good vibe. They are all motivated and happy. For example, at the races in Switzerland and Norway, some EF staff came to watch us and cheer for us. They were all extremely enthusiastic, so that was nice to see we now have an even bigger team.
Which languages do you speak and are you working on improving any? 
I speak Dutch and English best. I also speak French, but it’s not perfect. In Belgium, the lower part of the country speaks French and we studied it in school, but I never paid enough attention. I can have a conversation with anyone, but I don’t use the perfect terms. I should learn it better, and will with EF.

At first, Sep Vanmarcke, pro cyclist with EF Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale, wasn’t so sure about the pink jerseys.

Riding in the pink: Sep Vanmarcke’s EF journey - We are EF

Riding in the pink: Sep Vanmarcke’s EF journey ‹ We are EF

Riding in the pink: Sep Vanmarcke’s EF journey

Riding pink sep vanmarckes ef journey

Italian-born Andrea, or Biso as he’s called, is a bus driver for the <a href="https://www.efprocycling.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">EF Education First – Drapac p/b Cannondale cycling team</a>. Of course, that’s just his job title. Like most of the staff at <a href="https://www.ef.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">EF Education First</a>, his role spans much further.
An experienced traveler and multilingual global citizen, Biso is on the road over 180 days a year. In the last three months alone he has shepherded riders to over seven major races throughout Spain, Italy, Slovenia, and France.
While preparing for the Tour de France, Biso took a few minutes to share his first impressions of becoming part of EF, his busy schedule, and which language he wants to learn next.
How did you get involved with professional cycling? 
I started with cycling about 18 years ago as a bike mechanic. Then, ten years ago I joined the EF-Drapac team and began to drive the bus, which is where I stayed. It’s a cool job. Of course, I bring the riders from the hotel to the start and then from the finish to the hotel, but there is a lot more to it than that.
When EF acquired the team, what were your thoughts? 
For top riders, they can usually find a contract for the next season. For the rest of the staff and the other riders, it’s more difficult to find another team in September, because all the teams are more or less closed.
When EF rescued the team last year, it was so great. Everybody got to stay with the family and keep the team going. All the EF staff I have met have given me a good feeling about the future. Everyone is interested in us and the sport. It’s not just an investment. We now have a new family.
What’s your schedule during a race? 
I start the day by cleaning inside the bus, because sometimes we go get coffee or other food at night. Then I look at the map and roads for how to reach the start. Once we get there, there’s not much to do, so I stay around the bus in case some of the riders need something. When the riders leave, I go straight to the finish. I mix the two different recovery drinks. One is for reconditioning, the other is a protein shake. We also prepare the riders’ rice and meat for after the race.
Outside the parked bus, I have an area blocked off and the foam rollers ready for the riders’ cool down. Then I prepare the towels, because as soon as the riders arrive and cool down, they jump in the bus and shower. I also collect all the earpieces they use to communicate with the caravan as soon as they arrive and charge them. I collect their laundry and start the washing machine as we drive to the hotel.
Simple things save a lot time. When they are done with showering, we drive to the hotel and then I clean the inside of the bus, finish the laundry, including the dirty towels, and wash the outside of the bus. Before bed, I have a quick check of the roads for the next day.
What is the bus like? 
The bus is like a big motor home. There is a toilet, two showers, a fridge, a small kitchen, blinds, comfortable seats, and a big sofa in the back. Under the bus is storage, an electric generator, 800L of clean water, 400L of dirty water, a water heater, and space for the bikes.
Do you always travel with the team? 
Normally, my season starts with training camp in January and finishes around mid-October. Then I have a long holiday in the winter. I’m traveling around 180 days a year. I used to work for another team and traveled 220 days, but that was too much. One-eighty is a good number for me.
What are some of your travel habits? 
Now that I’ve been in the business so long, I bring less and less with me. The first time I traveled with a team, I brought a big suitcase. There was a washing machine, so it was not necessary for me to bring so much. I now bring three t-shirts, underwear, pants, and always bring clothes for the rain, like a pair of waterproof shoes, waterproof pants, and a jacket.
I often bring books to read, but I never have the time. I don’t know why I always bring them.
Do you have a favorite cycling race? 
I prefer stage races over one-day races. Tour de France, Giro d’Italia, and Vuelta a España—the three longer races. It’s hard to say which is best. Giro d’Italia is in my home country. Tour de France is the best in terms of the environment, spectators, and how the country reacts when the race passes through. Vuelta a España uses twelve very short stages, so the race is more intense, there’s more attack, and it’s unpredictable.
You speak five languages—are there others you want to learn? 
In total, I can ask for food in five different languages, so I will not die of starvation! Italian, Catalan, French, English, and Spanish. I’ve learned most while on the road.
I’m missing languages from Northern Europe like German and Flemish. If you don’t know those languages, you can’t understand them. For example, I don’t speak Portuguese, but I can understand Portuguese, because it’s similar to Italian, French, and Spanish.
I have books for German, but it’s a bit complicated. I’ll become a better EF ambassador by learning German!

Italian-born Andrea, or Biso as he’s called, is a bus driver for team EF Education First - Drapac p/b Cannondale. Of course, that’s just his job title.

Driving the team forward: Andrea Bisogno’s EF journey - We are EF

Driving the team forward: Andrea Bisogno’s EF journey ‹ We are EF

Driving the team forward: Andrea Bisogno’s EF journey

Driving team forward andrea bisognos ef journey

With everything she needs packed tidily in her mobile kitchen, Russian-born Olga Belenko is always ready to feed <a href="https://www.efprocycling.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">EF Education First Drapac p/b Cannondale</a>’s global roster of professional cyclists.
As their primary chef, Olga spends more than 120 days per year driving the curving, quaint roads of Europe, sometimes logging more than 6,000 kilometers of driving per race. Her daily life is one of exploring the nooks and crannies of other countries, seeking the best local ingredients from every stop, and leaning heavily on the six languages she speaks.
Olga recently took a few moments after the Critérium du Dauphiné race to tell us about her culinary journey, the importance of language, and creating healthy, regionally sourced menus while on the go.
How did you become a chef for a pro cycling team? 
First, I learned to cook from my Russian grandma and mom. We cooked together all the time. Then, my husband Sean started cooking for the team, when it was Garmin, in 2009. We had a restaurant together and I would run the restaurant while Sean cooked for the riders at the races. We wanted to be together more, so we sold the restaurant and I joined him cooking for the team in 2010.
This is the first year I’m cooking for the team by myself and I enjoy it. I create the menus now and feel like I’m more engaged in the food. I’m not only doing my job, but have the responsibility to look for new recipes and new ingredients. I like that feeling.
You speak many languages. Which do you speak at home? 
I have a son from my first marriage. He’s in Colorado. Then we have two daughters from Sean’s first marriage and they now live in Barcelona. When we’re all together at home, we speak a minimum of four languages between us all.
Spanish is the language Sean and I decided to speak with each other. Even though he’s American, he lives in Spain. It became difficult to talk to each other in English, because we realized we weren’t integrating into the local society. So, Spanish became the language of home.
Then, because we live in Catalonia, Catalan is taught in the schools and spoken everywhere here. Our kids were studying in Catalan and speaking it at home, so we were obligated to speak Catalan as well. I also taught our kids Russian, and Sean taught them English. And then we all speak French because we live along the French border.
How has learning and knowing different languages helped you in your role? 
In the kitchen, language has to happen very fast. Our group is very international and I buy all the ingredients from local markets. With ingredients, I know them in six languages, so depending on what I need, I can speak about it.
Also, I love going to different countries and speaking their language. It helps connect me instantly to the people there and helps me at the races. Speaking Italian helps during Giro d’Italia, for example. And in the past three months alone, I’ve been to France, Italy, Switzerland, and Spain.
My French and Italian are at the level of my work. I can have conversations, but those two are still growing and developing.
Where do you source most of your ingredients for the meals and what’s your process? 
Moving from place to place, the menu and ingredients change a lot. I like this part. It’s motivating. I like to go to the market and choose my menu in the moment, because some days we’re at the beach, some days the mountains, some days wherever.
Everything also depends on the time of year, the season, the temperature, and the weather. Is it raining? Is it cold? Is it hot? Another factor is the riders I have.
On average, a rider can eat up to 9,000 calories a day. What’s it like cooking for them? 
We are a very international team. We have many riders from different countries so the menu all depends how they mix.
For example, the Latino guys don’t like spices. The Americans love Mexican food. Our Nordic guys like stew and potatoes, but not cold soup. Once, an Italian guy came to the table when I had made soup, and said, “I’m not sick. Soup is only for when you’re sick, no?” They all have different tastes.
When you’re in Italy, France, and Spain, what are your favorite local dishes to make? 
In Italy, I want to cook with pasta, risotto, fish, mozzarella, caprese, everything you can find in the market. And in France, lots of salmon and eggplant. In Spain, it’s usually paella and gazpacho.
What’s your typical schedule during a race? 
The schedule during a race is very strict. If a meeting time says 7:15AM, then it’s 7:15AM, not 7:20.
I wake up about five or six in the morning, make breakfast for the team, and clean up. Then we move the kitchen truck to the next hotel. From hotel to hotel, there are 150 kilometers in between, sometimes 200, sometimes 300.
Along the way, we find supermarkets for fresh fruit, vegetables, and other produce. We park the kitchen truck when we arrive, connect to electricity and water, then two hours before riders come back to hotel, we prepare dinner. We feed the riders, clean everything, and if I’m lucky, at 11 or maybe 12, going to bed.
Describe your kitchen truck. What’s inside? 
I have two gas burners and an oven, a griddle, two big refrigerators, a convection/electrical oven, sinks, and a few small appliances like a juicer—all the things I really need. Making food for eight guys, it’s enough.
What do you do when you’re back at home in Catalonia, Spain? 
When I’m not cooking, I love to go to the mountains with my dog. I love to do yoga.
My other passion is animals. I volunteer in dog refuges. In helping those organizations, I decided to study as a dog therapist and trainer. I just finished.
My husband Sean and I also have a small company we opened recently. We make healthy foods full of Vitamin C for kids, using rose hip fresh pulp and dried fruit. The business also helps the local farmers. There isn’t enough work for them, so the company has a social impact too.
What else do you love about food? 
Food is like a time machine. The smells, the recipes, the flavor, the music. These things take you back in time, take you back to a moment where you’re with your mom, or someone else, and you remember the place, you remember the food, you remember the experience.
The riders were one time asking me to make a Russian dish. I made a whole Russian dinner, and oh my, during that time, I was mentally back at home with my grandma for two hours.
Have you ever thought about a cookbook? 
There’s enough for me to do for now, but maybe in the future.
Follow Chef Olga’s travels at <a href="https://www.instagram.com/olgafowler/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@olgafowler</a>.

With everything she needs packed tidily in her mobile kitchen, Russian-born Olga Belenko is always ready to feed her global roster of professional cyclists.

Cooking across continents: Chef Olga’s EF journey - We are EF

Cooking across continents: Chef Olga’s EF journey ‹ We are EF

Cooking across continents: Chef Olga’s EF journey

Cooking across continents chef olgas ef journey

For Matthew, Communications Director for <a href="https://www.efprocycling.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">EF Education First Drapac p/b Cannondale</a>, <a href="https://www.ef.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">EF Education First</a>‘s pro cycling team, speed and teamwork are just as important off the racing course as on. He’s got cyclists to tend, press to wrangle, and stories to tell. Everything must happen efficiently and fast.
Based in Colorado, Matthew joined EF soon after the team was acquired in the fall of 2017. On the cusp of heading to his seventh Tour de France, Matthew spoke with us about team cycling basics, the excitement of joining EF, and finding balance while criss-crossing time zones.
For people who might not be familiar with the sport, give us a little background. What are the basics someone would need to understand in order to fully appreciate professional cycling? 
Cycling is often portrayed as an individual pursuit, but in truth, it’s one of the ultimate team sports. It takes the sacrifices of 25 riders and an entire collection of staff.
In races, you’ll have rosters of seven or eight riders, two directors, five soigneurs, four mechanics, two communications contacts at the race and one at home, a bus driver, an operations person, and a chef.
For the guys on the bikes, they ride, but they also bring our leader water bottles, a jacket if it’s cold, they bring him food, they protect him from the wind. They basically put him in the best position to succeed. Cycling is such a game of margins. If we waste energy in the wrong spot, we won’t win the bike race. It’s effectively a whole team’s job to shepherd a rider around all day.
A lot of people have to work together to make this work. Racing is a really polished traveling circus.
In what ways has joining EF Education First changed your role? The team? 
Traditionally, the model for a team like ours is that the team is the management company and they have sponsors who fund the team’s exploits. That’s changed in this situation. While EF is looked at as a sponsor, we’re all EF now. We’re part of the larger EF universe, which is cool.
Being with EF has offered the team and the individuals associated with the team a lot more stability, group problem-solving, and different ways of thinking outside the traditional cycling bubble.
We’re seeing there’s room to shake cycling up a little bit. Our team has always been forward-thinking and just a little different. We’re a good fit for a company like EF that is so global, versatile, and culturally open.
How did you get into the cycling world? 
I personally ride when I can, primarily mountain biking, but my connection to cycling has been everything in my life. When I was a kid, my dad was a racer and he always had copies of cycling magazines around. I would read those and let them seep in.
This is my third season with the team, all in the same role. Prior, I was a newspaper editor for six years, covered road cycling at VeloNews for three years, and then moved onto a marketing role at Rapha Racing, where, among other things, I oversaw photoshoots of their cycling clothing and accessories. I needed to find a model to fill a spot in an Alaskan shoot about a women’s winter line, and the person I met in a coffee shop later turned out to be my wife.
Through contacts at <a href="https://www.velonews.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">VeloNews</a>, I joined this racing team. So, cycling has played a huge role in my life and I’ve needed skills from each of those professional roles to do what I do now.
What are race days like for you? 
A lot of the racing workplace is wildly unpredictable. One day I’m driving a car full of bikes to the start. Another day I’m the last extra body we have to drive a [caravan] car up one of the Italian passes. Another, I’m handing out bottles to riders then hurrying back to the finish to do my other jobs like taking pictures, seeing if there’s any press around, and meeting their needs. Every day is variable and I have to be adaptable, but that’s what makes it so great. This job is never boring.
What’s your travel schedule? Do you travel to all the races? 
Usually, I’ll go to the big races, because I’ve got press conferences and the most amount of media. That’s always going to be the Tour de France, start to finish, because it’s the big show. The classic races in Northern France and Belgium are big ones for us because we’ve got a good classics team. Giro d’Italia, I always try to go, because it’s gorgeous. Sometimes we’ll think a race is cool and even if we don’t get a good result, we’ll send somebody because we want to collect media assets.
Tell us some of your travel habits and what you always pack. 
In the past three months alone, I’ve traveled to Hong Kong, Northern France, Belgium, Italy, Germany, and Boston for work. Knowing what to pack is essential.
For the Tour de France, as an example, it’s one month on the road, but I only do a carry-on. I have to pack up every morning and go to a different hotel, so minimizing the chances that I can lose something important is good.
Running gear. I’ve got to keep my head screwed on somehow.
My own small kettle, because not all hotels have kettles, and a pound of coffee from Stumptown. I’ll have my wife send a resupply halfway through. Having some comforts of home while traveling is huge.
A book. I’m staring at my computer screen all day, so it’s nice to look at something that’s not looking back at me.
A Moleskin notebook journal. Since I’m away from my loved one, I write a letter every morning with the date on it and the town I’m in. Then, I take a picture and send it to her. It’s become a more meaningful, instant way of communicating. And I get to keep the notebook as a journal when it’s all over.
Follow Matthew’s team travels on Instagram at <a href="https://www.instagram.com/matthewcbeaudin/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@matthewcbeaudin</a>.

For Matthew, Communications Director for EF Education First Drapac p/b Cannondale, speed and teamwork are just as important off the racing course as on.

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Cassandra Handley

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