Q&A Magnus Sheffield
The Ineos Grenadiers rider opens up about being a fake Brit, his background as a skier and the demise of the US domestic road racing scene
Words ANDY MCGRATH Photography DAVID POWELL
MAGNUS SHEFFIELD Age 21 Born Pittsford, New York, USA Team Ineos Grenadiers
Notable results 2023
4th overall, 1st Young Rider Classificiation, Tour of Britain 2nd, Tour of Norway 4th overall, 1st Young Rider Classificiation, Tour Down Under
2022
1st, Brabantse Pijl 2nd overall, 1st Young Rider Classificiation, Danmark Rundt
2021
10th, World Championships Junior Time-Trial
2020
1st, Valley of the Sun Stage Race
2019
3rd, World Championships Junior Road Race
Cyclist: Magnus, have you ever been to the British city of Sheffield?
Magnus Sheffield: I’ve not. But at the Tour Down Under, I had a British flag next to my name on the start list. So we had four Brits and one fake one.
Cyc: You’ve been an American on a British team for nearly two years. What have you picked up?
MS: Quite a big vocabulary. I think when I go back home my mates won’t quite recognise the way I speak. I’ve been able to chip away at a few sayings and words. I say ‘punter’ quite a lot.
Rod Ellingworth [deputy team principal] actually gave us a dictionary of British sayings and Rodspeak. It’s quite funny. [Reads from his phone] ‘Ey up, all right, sounds good, snap, bit of snap, snap time, go to town, crack on, get at it, get after it, get stuck in.’ That’s the one I hear the most. Most of them mean work hard.
Cyc: Tell us more about your background as an American who is also part Norwegian.
MS: My mom is from Norway, so that’s a big part of my identity. I still have family around Oslo and Kristiansund. I love going back, as it feels part of my childhood. A lot of times it was for Christmas so we’d go skiing or to hytte, which is a cabin. I also have fond memories of going crab fishing, swimming and diving for mussels.
Cyc: What has been your most significant performance so far?
MS: My win in Brabantse Pijl last year because it had been quite a long time since an American had won a one-day race of that nature. I think I’ve also been really close a lot, like in Poland last year and the Tour Down Under this year. A big goal of mine is to win my first WorldTour race. I’ve been knocking on that door for a while and it’s keeping me hungry.
Cyc: Growing up in New York State, you were a talented skier. How did you decide between skiing and
