Esra Tromp has a busy few months ahead of her as she not only gets the new EF Education-Cannondale team off the ground but adjusts to life as a new mum.
The 33-year-old is due to have her first child in the new year just as the American squad kickstarts its first season — it is a completely new squad to the similarly named EF Education-TIBCO-SVB, which folded this year.
Tromp, who is one of the growing number of female team bosses across cycling, is taking the two major moments in her stride, describing them as her “two projects.”
“It feels super supportive here and this new project gave me so much energy. I’m also super happy to be becoming a mom. That gives me also a lot of energy,” Tromp told Velo in an interview last month. “I’m lucky as that I have had quite a relaxed pregnancy. I haven’t had any issues so far with morning sickness or feeling super tired. Of course, I have a few days that I feel a bit more tired at the end of the day, but it’s also normal without a pregnancy. If you’re starting a new job, then there’s a lot of information to take in for example.
“I didn’t see it really as a problem, or as something to be scared of. I only see two really big projects. I’m super excited about it and the team supports me well. For example, we are planning the December camp with the whole team. I am on the limit of being able to fly or not to fly. And so going to the camp I have a plane ticket but going back home yeah, for example, Johnathan Vaughters [the overall team boss] sent me a text out of the blue. He said ‘do you know that there’s also a train going from Girona to Paris, or at least in your direction, so that you don’t need to fly?’ And I found it so cute.”
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Tromp has had a rollercoaster 2023 after departing the Jumbo-Visma squad in the spring. At the time, she wasn’t sure if she would stay in cycling, and she spent some weeks considering her future.
When EF Education-Cannondale came along over the summer, she had already found out about her pregnancy and was open with the team about her situation. Since coming on board, plans have been made to ensure that the team’s beginning will be as smooth as possible, while she focuses on her other project.
“Of course, I won’t be at the team around giving birth and the first few weeks but that’s something if you know this in advance, you can also organize things. In the end the team, we need to back-up each other if something happens,” she said. “Now this is me having a baby but the next day maybe some coach or sports director is sick for a long time, or whatever. You need to back up each other. So far, I’m really confident that we created an organization that can back me up.”
New beginnings
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A woman having a child is not exactly a new thing — the UN estimates that some 140 million are born in a year. However, it has been a pretty rare sight in cycling to see women in the sport being afforded maternity leave, especially given that female team bosses have been few and far between.
That’s beginning to change with more and more riders taking time out to start a family before returning to competition. Tromp, a former rider herself, is leading the way for women in management positions.
“In society, in general, you see more working moms having a baby and sport is a reflection of society,” Tromp said. “It was just a matter of time that we see it as well in sports. Now the financial side of women’s cycling is becoming better, more riders can earn a living from it, and there’s also the possibility to have a baby and go on the bike again after it.
“I think it has something to do with general trends in society and the growth of the sport. A few women were bold enough to do it and say, ‘OK, this for me is really important. If I get the support, that’s nice. If I don’t get support, then I need to do it without the support, because I want it.’ In the end, that’s a really strong message. In some ways a pregnancy, you can plan. But in some cases, also not. In my experience, I couldn’t plan this but I’m really lucky that it’s happened.”
With the new season on the horizon now, the foundations of the team have been built with a 14-rider roster for its debut season. American stars Veronica Ewers, Kristen Faulkner, and Coryn Labecki are among the headline names, alongside Paris-Roubaix winner Alison Jackson.
It’s a WorldTour-level squad despite the fact that it won’t be able to join the top tier until the 2026 season. It should punch above its weight as a Continental team and Tromp is confident that the team will get results, but she’s not yet willing to pin her colors to the mast when it comes to specific races.
For her, the importance lies in getting the team to gel together.
“Result-wise, it’s really hard to say ‘Hey, this is what we want to achieve as a result in races.’ But if I see a really cohesive team working together really well, riders and staff, because adding a lot of people to an organization also have some impacts of how things are run,” she said.
“So, if we see one team that works together really well, can show the colors in races and we are bold, we are out there, we show ourselves, and hopefully also have a few great results then I’ll be really happy. That gives us a really good foundation to build on for the next years.
“I’m super confident that there will be results next year because they’re all individuals who are super strong. I’m really proud to have this roster because I see so much potential in this team and if it works then I think we can create magic.”