The Story
Sterling Magnell is a career cyclist who started racing at age 12. After turning professional at age 20, he enjoyed a decade racing at the pro level before turning to coaching and writing as his primary areas of focus and expertise.
“Coaching African cycling forced me to break down the world of training and racing to first principals. What are the fundamental building blocks of training to race and building a competitive team culture? That experience gifted me with the opportunity to understand what the foundation components of road cycling actually are.” - VOLSAVANT
Sterling’s gained valuable experience coaching cycling teams in Africa from 2015 to 2021. His primary role as the head coach of team Rwanda also allowed him to consult and run training camps for Nigerian, Eritrean, and Kenyan athletes. Tasked with tapping the potential of athletes from developing parts of the world, applying his cycling knowledge from first principals was a valuable experience that informs his work today.
Beyond the technical and practical aspects of training for competitive cycling, the power of cycling to influence personal, community and cultural change stood out. Today in his written works, Sterling hones in on the power of cycling and the over-arching effects of practicing sport. The opportunity for humanity, in particular developing parts of the world and demographics novel to cycling to leverage the forum as a means to greater autonomy and agency.