What does it take for a Cape Town motocross kid that championed the coaching game and led multiple SA champs to become one of the leading performance brains behind UAE Team Emirates and Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe? In this episode, John Wakefield—director of coaching, sports science and technical development at Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe—unpacks the wild, unplanned journey from local tracks and garage coaching to testing WorldTour riders in a Sheik’s private gym and shaping grand tour contenders.

John shares how a bad injury pushed him from racing to coaching, the early days of building Science to Sport with Jeroen, and the “we’re going to take over the world” mentality that took two South Africans into the very top tier of pro cycling. We get into how UAE rebuilt its performance structure before its Tour de France breakthrough, how the Bora Hansgrohe → Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe evolution changed the game, and what it’s really like living out of hotels for 160 days a year while trying to keep riders healthy, fast and winning.

You’ll also hear honest stories about brutal interviews, being thrown into high-pressure testing days in Abu Dhabi, handling difficult personalities inside WorldTour teams, flirting with burnout, and why John still gets his biggest kick from a domestique nailing their job or a development rider stepping onto a podium. If you love pro cycling, performance, or underdog South African stories punching in the big leagues, this one’s for you.

00:00 – Intro: Springboks, Saturdays & who is John Wakefield

02:22 – Present day: Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe & life in Andorra

04:40 – Growing up in Cape Town & school sport

05:09 – Surfing, speed and discovering motocross

06:41 – Injuries, rehab & first road bike with Jeroen Swart

11:29 – Starting Science to Sport & the first 20 athletes

17:27 – Taking Science to Sport to Girona & Europe

20:49 – The UAE Team Emirates phone call & N1 roadside interview

31:22 – Burnout, stepping away & why he almost left pro teams

37:13 – Inside UAE’s rebuild and the structure behind a Tour win

39:31 – Why South Africans are more world-class than they think

44:23 – From BORA to Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe: culture, budget & pressure

56:52 – Purpose, underdogs & what success means to John