Ella Harris has revealed her shift from professional cycling to a marketing role with Canyon SRAM, bringing an end to a challenging chapter in her cycling career. Harris, formerly of the LifePlus-Wahoo team, described the process of transitioning out of racing in a reflective and candid blog post, touching on the highs and lows that defined her career and her future ambitions.
A career marred by setbacks
Harris recounted her struggles over the past few years, including serious injuries and health issues that disrupted her progress as a cyclist. Since joining Canyon SRAM as a Zwift Academy winner in 2019, she endured two broken collarbones, a fractured femur, a cracked pelvis, and a bout of myocarditis that ultimately forced her to reconsider her future in the sport. She shared that these setbacks and the insufficient financial rewards of professional cycling prompted her to re-evaluate her goals.
“I feel as if I’ve reached a point where it would be stupid rather than stubborn to continue jeopardising my long-term health for a salary that is not sufficient compensation for the risks I personally associate with competing in cycling today,” Harris wrote.
LifePlus-Wahoo collapse
Harris also detailed the sudden collapse of her LifePlus-Wahoo team earlier in 2024. She described the team’s management as ambitious but under-resourced, leading to a lack of communication and uncertainty for riders. “I often suspected that our team management gave more weight to aspirational thinking and future planning over nurturing existing relationships and attending to the essential day-to-day details,” she said, reflecting on her experience.
Harris shared that, unlike some of her teammates, she had already begun preparing for life beyond racing by the time the team folded. “To put it bluntly, my ambitions had been crushed earlier in the year, and as bad as it sounds, the team folding felt like a weight lifted off my shoulders.”
Pivoting to a new role
After spending months weighing options in both the cycling industry and the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector, Harris secured a position with Canyon SRAM as a marketing communications assistant. The role will involve generating social media content, managing media relations, and contributing to team marketing initiatives. Harris expressed her excitement at remaining involved in the sport, albeit from a different perspective.
“I’ll be working to drive the team’s online presence and support various marketing and communication initiatives,” Harris explained, noting that the opportunity felt like a natural progression. “Even if the universe was doing everything in its power to stop me from racing bikes, it still seems quite keen on keeping me in the sport, and I’m pretty pleased about that.”
Looking ahead
Harris shared that her new role will see her return to Europe in 2025, where she will likely be based again in Girona. While she expressed gratitude for the lessons learned during her time as a professional cyclist, she also acknowledged the challenges of stepping away from competitive racing.
“I never quite broke through my setbacks and their subsequent repercussions into the trouble-free period of uninterrupted, quality performance that I dreamed of,” Harris admitted. However, she remains optimistic about her new chapter, describing the Canyon SRAM position as an opportunity to explore a fresh approach to her involvement in the sport.
