ProCycleNews chats to Toyota-United Professional Cycling Team's General Manager, Amy Walker

By Brian C. Grenier

It would be my understanding that in order to make Toyota-United Pro Cycling Team a stand alone unit and to bring its founders vision to life there would have to be a revolutionary way created to generate not only income for the team to survive on but to also grow that income base as well as return value to the fans and supporters. This is a foreign concept in professional cycling where teams come and go. The idea to build a lasting team makes a lot of sense - that way as the team becomes successful and the fan base grows the TEAM remains and the brand equity developed over time not only remains but grows as the law of compounded return kicks in!

In order to see the vision, effort must have direction and focus, it is only natural.  That direction can be found in Toyota-United’s General Manager Amy Walker. While I was talking with her today I was so impressed with the fact that as a component part of the Toyota-United organization her tone and wording was almost like I was talking to the owner Sean Tucker. I heard the words, our team, us, we, all of us! It was amazing to hear this exact wording time and time again, but I wasn't surprised! I was brought back to the words of one of my early business mentors, A TEAM he would say just isn't a bunch of people working towards something, it is a concept, simple in terms, but profound in its impact on organizations that embraces it!

TEAM = Together Everyone Achieves More

I had a chance to chat with Amy before she headed up into the hills of California to begin her daily work with the team. She shared some of her insights with me as far as how her position fits into the whole picture.

Some of us have read your bio online at the team site but for those that haven’t can you tell them a little about yourself, how you got into cycling and how you ended up at Toyota-United?

  I grew up in Vermont … Putney VT exactly, cycling is pretty popular there. I went through High school and College riding all the time before I realized that cycling was a major part of my life. In college I studied to be a physical therapist so I am a therapist by trade. I wasn't sure about that though, I wasn't sure if that was 'IT' you know. So I moved to New York City for a change of pace, the city of opportunity, the city where dreams come true! I really took some time to think about it, what direction my life should take and at one point some one just asked me, "what would you do if you could do anything?" Well I was on the spot and I thought about and answered, "Put on Bike Races!" At that point I hooked up with John Eustis - I worked with John putting on some bike races and just fed off of his passion for cycling - we did the Tour of Connecticut and the Paralympics at one point. This gave me the opportunity to see cycling from a new and exciting angle. From there I explored that angle as well as a bunch of other angles having numerous jobs and working in various capacities for different agencies. I did a stint at Inside Communication where I was responsible for developing and executing the company’s marketing initiatives. I was learning all the time and some how I knew I was heading in the right direction!

So coming to Toyota-United was an accumulation of all these experiences over the years in cycling, it just seemed natural that I ended up here! 

What is it you do for Toyota United?

My roll is as General Manager so I am involved on both, the team side as well as the marketing and expo side. On a daily basis I manage the web site ensuring that it is kept up to date and current with all the latest from the company as well as the team. I keep our online store running smooth as well as our on site store stocked with the latest team gear making sure orders are filled and the accounting is running as it should. I also ensure that the store we use on site and at events and expos is always ready to go. I get involved with the designing, ordering and marketing of all the gear, both on the sales side as well as for the riders making sure they are looking good and in the latest gear!  We will be set up at 25 events this year showcasing the team as well as promoting Toyota. We will be showcasing some of there newest vehicles there like the Prius, the RAV-4 the Camry, the Highlander and their new synergy drive vehicles. Toyota is an awesome sponsor and they put on an awesome expo! So we not only have the team at a race we also develop a presence there on site to help educate the public about this great sport of cycling, our sponsors and to promote the guys in a big way. We give a lot of goodies away and we are trying to go that extra mile to show the general public about our team and more importantly our sport!

On a daily basis how do you go about doing what you do?

Drink a lot of coffee!!!

I see, the secret of professional cycling eh?

Over the winter we sit down and set our goals and this is the driving force for the year! Last year we were new right out of the gate so it was all new ya know, but now we spend a good bit of time maintaining that momentum and working on new and innovative ways to keep people interested, coming back and showing up at the races and the expos. This year we will be having a major upgrade to our web site where our members and supporters will be able to enjoy a more interactive experience. With this innovative application of technology the members will be able to ask specific riders questions in a forum type environment! We think this will help develop a deeper relationship with out members, supporters and our fans. This experience will give a face to the riders instead of them being a bunch of guys on bikes whizzing by in the peloton at 35 mph! This is just so exciting for the members - they will, in essence, have direct interactive internet access to the top riders in the world! Your readers can check it out here - Click here.

Then at the Expo this year we are going way out of the box to show the inner workings of the team, showcase the support staff. Let me tell you, this display will be top notch and exciting for those that get to see it, you have to come!!!!

What do you think is your biggest challenge you face in your current position to get help get the word out to the masses?

Professional Cycling in the United States is in its infancy, we are not a major sport yet!  The challenge so far has been to bring to light the positive side of the sport not only our team. Not to be negative, but the past few years have been negative for the sport. Europe has suffered the brunt of all that and in some ways it has reverberated in the fan base here. The thing here in the States is that the problems are minimal due to the nature of racing here and also the controls and management practices that are in place. The guys on the team are good guys not only are they good riders but they are good people too. 

What we have to do is educate the public on the tactics and really what cycle racing is all about. Even some of the recreational riders may be unaware of the tactics and the terminology that goes into it. It is a great sport for sure. I am positive that as we get the word out about the sport, its health benefits, its completive side, the shear excitement of a pro race and we get the public to come out to witness a race they will be hooked! What other sport can you do for a life time that gives you the ability to compete at a high level and reap health benefits through out your life? NONE!