THE SHORT ANSWER
Yanto Barker, former british road race champion, le col founder, has appeared on the Roadman Cycling Podcast. Here's where Barker lands on coaching. The positions below are drawn from those conversations, quoted directly.
WHO IS YANTO BARKER?
Yanto Barker is the former British road race champion (2008) and founder and CEO of Le Col, the British cycling apparel company that has become one of the leading premium kit brands worldwide. He raced as a professional for over 15 years on UK and European continental teams, then built Le Col from a kit-room idea into a brand that now sponsors WorldTour teams and Grand Tour podium finishers. For amateurs interested in the business side of cycling, the realities of being a UK-based pro, or the technical decisions behind premium cycling apparel, his perspective is uniquely informed.
BARKER ON COACHING
Barker’s key positions on coaching.
- Premium cycling apparel is built around fit, fabric, and durability — the visible price reflects the engineering, not just the logo.
- UK pro cycling pathway is harder than the Continental one because the domestic calendar is smaller — most riders go abroad.
- Sponsor relationships are a long game built on actually delivering value, not on the size of the team budget.
- Off-bike business in cycling works when you stay close to riders — the brands that drift lose the credibility that built them.
- Masters racing and amateur cycling now drive most of the apparel market — the pro peloton is the show, not the volume.
IN BARKER’S OWN WORDS
Verbatim from Yanto Barker’s appearances on the podcast.
“basically you can't retire from a sport that you did for 20 years or 25 years whatever and then jump out and then in within a week or two be fully up to you know the same level in a new identity that just doesn't work it like it takes another five years and you have to commit to it has to be consistent and you have to be dedicated to it”
“I literally divided my day into halves in the first half of the day I was a pro bik Rider and I went out and I did my five or six hours I came home and had lunch and the second half of the day this is for the first seven years of this business I I remained a professional cyclist”
“in my psychology in the mornings I was strong confident and an expert in the afternoons I was weak learning and a novice but the fact that I had both those experience to such Extremes in the same day they balanced out to me being pretty good all the time”
HEAR IT ON THE PODCAST
Episodes where Yanto Barker covers coaching and related ground.
FREQUENTLY ASKED
What does Yanto Barker say about coaching?
Yanto Barker, former british road race champion, le col founder, has appeared on the Roadman Cycling Podcast. Here's where Barker lands on coaching. The positions below are drawn from those conversations, quoted directly.
What is Barker's main point on coaching?
Premium cycling apparel is built around fit, fabric, and durability — the visible price reflects the engineering, not just the logo.
Which Roadman Cycling Podcast episodes cover Yanto Barker on coaching?
Barker discusses coaching in this episode: "How the Back of a Team Bus Became Ground Zero for a £10 Million Empire | Yanto Barker".
EXPLORE THE TOPIC
Cycling Coaching— The Complete Guide →OTHER EXPERTS ON COACHING