Matt Piper is a Society Member who certainly has made the most of his time during this extraordinary year. The University of Wales Trinity Saint David Sports Therapy Graduate has spent the last few months on tour with Team INEOS, one of the world’s leading Cycling teams. But this enterprising young man is no stranger to working in elite sport.
Matt graduated in 2017 as part of the first Sports Therapy cohort to make the grade from UWTSD. Clearly not one to let a good opportunity pass him by, Matt established his early credentials in top level rugby, which no doubt stood him in good stead to apply for his great summer opportunity. Matt gained an internship at leading professional Welsh rugby side Cardiff Blues straight after leaving university. He said:
‘I was fortunate enough to undertake some of my final year clinical practice at the Newport Gwent Dragons rugby club, where my lecturer Kate Williams was working at the time. That gave me a massive push to want to work in professional rugby. I saw the internship at the Blues advertised on Twitter and I applied for it. I was fortunate enough to get it.
‘My role in my first year was as an intern Sports Therapist. In the second season I was employed as the Sports Therapist, which involved supporting the Physiotherapists when needed and also organising soft tissue support from colleges and universities.’
While undertaking his internship at the Blues, Matt also worked at Beddau RFC. It proved a positive experience for him where he felt ‘he learned a lot about himself.’ It also proved a magical season for the club with Matt experiencing the thrill of being involved in a European Challenge Cup final, which finally saw Cardiff Blues become European Champions.
Matt said :
‘With the internship occurring in my first year out of university, it was mind blowing. All the hard work throughout the year paid off from all the players and staff. The final and day itself was a blur as we were losing at half time and then coming back to win showed the mentality of the squad that season.’
Matt is now Sports Therapist at Pontypridd. He said:
‘My role involves the diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of the players (and coaching staff at times). Organising behind the scenes is massive whether it is ordering tape, admin work or speaking to players outside of training hours about rehab programs. Communication is big with coaches regarding player availability or consultants regarding injuries that need further care.
‘Pontypridd is a massive club to me for personal reasons. I used to play for the mini and junior sections, so to be involved in the first team is an honour.’
As we all know, the Covid-19 pandemic has caused massive disruption to sport. Pontypridd was no exception suffering with national and local lockdowns hitting training and matches. But the situation ultimately offered Matt a new opportunity. He explains:
‘The head physio at the Blues saw an email from the INEOS physio asking for soft tissue therapists and forwarded it to me. After an interview INEOS first offered me a full time position but at that point rugby and my private clinic was going well so I turned the position down. But then rugby stopped and the clinic closed in March so I asked if there were any freelance roles available. I was offered 50 days first of all but by the end I was on the road for 80/90 days come the end of the Giro D’Italia.’
Matt held many roles throughout his time on tour and he takes up the story:
‘My first job with INEOS was as a soigneur and it was at an altitude camp in the Alps for 2 weeks. Our hotel was at 2000 metres, so after the first few days I could really feel the effects.
‘The role of a Soigneur is to treat and massage riders during training camps and races, along with getting cars prepped, bottles and coolboxes ready, food for staff in cars and nutrition for riders in the feed zones.
‘Normally there are 3 or 4 Soigneurs on a race and the grand tours have 6/7 as moving hotels is also a role for the soigneurs to carry out. There’s a doctor and physio on each race along with the 3 to 4 soigneurs. With the cyclists spending so much time on the bike in a fixed position, niggles are picked up. The major injuries usually occur during crashes.
‘Vuelta a Burgos Spain was the first race back on the pro tour. This was a 5 day race around the Burgos region in Northern Spain and my role that week was in the hotel making sure Covid protocols were taking place and getting nutrition ready for the next day before the riders came back for treatment and massage. We won the last stage and I think we came 2nd on general classification’.
‘Coppi Bartali was a 5 stage race just around the area north of Rimini. On this race I was on the road each day at the feed zones where the riders grab the musette (Bags). This can be pretty dangerous as they’re riding at 30kph+. We won the general classification on this race’
The famous Giro D’Italia, a 3 week race around Italy followed, starting in Sicily and finishing with the time trial in Milan. Italians are passionate about cycling but they too felt the outward effects of Covid-19. Matt said:
‘Within the controlled areas of the race including the podium, the public wasn’t allowed; it was only people who had been tested throughout the Giro. Overall I had 13 tests throughout the race.’
Matt’s role changed for the last stage of the tour, as in reality he hadn’t expected to be there but happy to embrace every opportunity, he enjoyed one of the great highs in professional sport.
‘My role in the Giro was as a kitchen assistant as it was last minute. So unfortunately no treatments but I was on the road doing extra feeds so saw a lot of Italy and places I would never have visited. Days were regularly 7am, sometimes earlier until 11pm.’
As many cycling fans will know, 2018 Tour de France winner Geraint Thomas was a hot favourite for the race but he suffered a serious crash and fractured his hip. Matt said:
‘The main plan was Geraint as the leading rider but plans don’t always go to plan and the remaining riders certainly made up for that disappointment of the crash with 7 stage wins through the whole Giro.’
The event had one final twist which saw Team INEOS rider Tao Geoghegan Hart, a name not hugely familiar to sports fans in the UK, pull off what had seemed impossible and Matt was there to witness what unfolded.
‘The chef and I finished up in the hotel then went to the finish line as it all came down to the final 15.1km Milan time trial. It was incredible. All the staff then ran 1.5km from the team bus to the podium to celebrate the victory that had just happened. When everyone got back to the hotel we all celebrated with dinner and drinks as a team, with a few speeches thrown in. ’
Born out of tenacity and adversity, fantastic memories to last a lifetime!