Pauline Allin steps into coaching role at the UCI World Cycling Centre

Pauline Allin, a seasoned French rider with seven years of professional experience, has embarked on a new chapter in her career. The 29-year-old, who most recently rode for Cynisca Cycling, has taken up the role of coach at the UCI World Cycling Centre (WCC) in Aigle, Switzerland. The WCC Team consists of ten riders hailing from ten different countries across four continents, a unique setup that Allin sees as an opportunity to foster team unity.

โ€œThat is very rare in a team, and itโ€™s a chance!โ€ Allin remarked. โ€œWe will use that to create a real unity and progress together. Some of them were already in the team last year, but for those who are new and come from countries where cycling isnโ€™t very developed, there is a risk that they see cycling as an individual sport. At a high level, cycling is a team sport, and they will learn that through team training. And through having fun. That is so important. If youโ€™re having fun, the rest will follow.โ€

The riders, who live and train together in a boarding house, began arriving at the UCI WCC earlier this month. Allin has been busy preparing for the season, which includes a February training camp and a diverse racing calendar with events across Switzerland, France, and internationally.

Having recently retired from professional racing, Allin believes her fresh experience in the peloton offers a unique advantage. โ€œI was still in the peloton last year so I know the races, I know the routes, and I know the riders. That is definitely an advantage,โ€ she explained.

Pauline Allin
Pauline Allin

Allinโ€™s career as a rider includes notable accomplishments such as stage victories at the Tour de lโ€™Ardรจche and a win at the Jeux de la Francophonie in 2017. She also competed in prestigious events such as the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, Liรจge-Bastogne-Liรจge Femmes, Paris-Roubaix Femmes avec Zwift, and the Giro dโ€™Italia Donne.

In addition to her racing achievements, Allin brings years of coaching experience to her new role, having previously worked with Team U Cube 17 in French Division 1 and at the Pรดle Espoir Lycรฉe Xavier Bichat in Nantua, France.

She views the diversity of the WCC Team as both a challenge and a privilege. โ€œI get to rub shoulders with so many different cultures. And itโ€™s a great challenge because some of them arrive with little experience, and I will be introducing them to the sport at a competitive level. Iโ€™m lucky because this job is all about passion. When you love cycling, being able to do this is a real treat.โ€

The 2025 roster for the WCC Team features six returning athletes and four new members, including riders from Afghanistan, Belarus, Colombia, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Slovakia, South Africa, Switzerland, and Ukraine. For Allin, this international dynamic offers the chance to shape not just athletes, but ambassadors for the sport in their home countries.