Human Powered Health is strengthening its sporting department ahead of the 2027 season by adding Cherie Pridham and Dave Povall as sports directors.
The appointments represent another step in the team’s long-term development as Human Powered Health continues to build the structure, expertise and depth required to compete consistently at the highest level of women’s professional cycling.
Since 2024, when the organisation made its women’s program its full focus, Human Powered Health has continued to invest across the organisation, developing the foundations around its riders and performance program. Those investments have extended across performance, medical, nutrition, equipment and race operations, to create an environment that gives riders and staff the tools and support they need to perform at their best.
Now, the team is adding further experience and leadership to its sporting department with the arrival of Pridham and Povall.
“Since 2024, when we made the women’s programme our full focus, we have been steadily building the structure around the team with a clear long-term ambition,” says Ro De Jonckere, General Manager. “This is to create an organisation that is not only worthy of competing at WorldTour level, but capable of becoming one of the best teams in the world.”
Both Pridham and Povall bring extensive experience from across professional cycling, alongside their own approaches to race strategy, rider development and team management. Their arrival will add further depth to a sporting structure that has continued to evolve over recent seasons/
“I’m looking forward to bringing the experience I’ve gained across different levels of the sport, my understanding of racing and my energy to the role,” says Pridham. “I still love the challenge of reading a race, finding opportunities and helping riders get the best from themselves. I’m excited to bring that experience to a team where understanding and getting the best from each rider is at the heart of what we do.”
For Pridham, the opportunity marks the next stage of a career that has seen her work across multiple areas of professional cycling. Povall will also bring his experience and perspective to the sporting department for this next phase.
“What really stood out to me was not only the ambition, but how that ambition is being managed. It feels realistic, structured and built around a clear idea of where the team wants to go,” says Povall. “From my first conversations with Ro, it was also clear that we were very much on the same page about creating a people-first culture. For me, putting people first and pursuing performance aren’t competing philosophies; they support each other.”
The appointments are part of a broader plan to build an organisation capable of sustained success.
“The next step is to continue developing the leadership and depth within that structure,” explains De Jonckere. “Bringing Cherie and Dave into our sporting department is an important part of that process. They both bring a wealth of experience, but also different perspectives and approaches that we believe will complement what we already have in place.”
As Human Powered Health looks towards 2027, the focus remains firmly on creating the conditions for consistent performance. For the sporting department, it means continuing to develop the expertise and leadership needed to translate an increasingly comprehensive support structure into results.
“For me, good leadership is about listening and understanding, while still being calm enough to make clear decisions and maintain high standards when the pressure is on,” explains Pridham. “We want to win races, help riders take another step and produce strong performances consistently across the season. Sometimes we will need to be aggressive, sometimes patient, but always committed to one another and ready to make the most of the strengths we have. At the end of 2027, I hope we can look back proudly at what we achieved.”
“Cycling doesn’t always follow the plan, so adaptability is hugely important to me,” says Povall. “Sometimes the best decisions are made in the moment, and I want to help create an environment where riders aren’t afraid to make those decisions. Racing with courage doesn’t necessarily mean being aggressive for the sake of being aggressive; every decision we make should have a reason behind it. But when an opportunity presents itself, I want us to have the confidence to recognise it and commit to it. Hopefully, fans will see a team that races together, races intelligently and isn’t afraid to influence a bike race.”
The new sporting appointments in the athlete ranks and behind-the-scenes are a huge marker in the team’s progression towards becoming a top WorldTour team.
“As we continue to raise the level of the team, it is important that we build an environment where our riders and staff have the support, expertise and structure to perform at their best,” says De Jonckere. “We are not looking for short-term fixes; we are building an organisation that can consistently compete at the highest level. Cherie and Dave will play an important role in that next phase as we work towards our ambition of becoming a top WorldTour team.”
The 2027 season will therefore represent more than simply a new year of racing; it will be another milestone in Human Powered Health’s long-term ambition.
