What does that actually mean to Wyman? Having registered his team – Matrix Fitness – as a UCI pro team last year, he’s stepped them back a level for 2016. He believes that what’s needed for teams of all levels to progress is a two tier system, with the best women’s teams in the World in tier one, racing the World Tour, and the amateur and club teams racing in tier two.

He explained: “What matters at the moment is that we have a really strong top tier – so the World Tour is launched with 10 to 15 teams – with clear regulations. A World Tour race should be for World Tour, tier one teams. Lots of organisers want more and more teams, bigger and bigger pelotons. To me there’s absolutely no sense in that. At the finish of these races [with 200 riders starting] there’s 70 or 80 riders [because so many are not at the same level and get dropped] – what the crowds, sponsors, and media want and what the race organisers should want, is the best riders.”

“Nearly every 1.2 race [where pro and amateur riders can race] I went to last year, riders were dropped in the neutral zone.”

He’s not just thinking about the spectators – though – allowing amateur riders access to races where pro riders are taking part isn’t good for their development, either. He explains: “Nearly every 1.2 race [where pro and amateur riders can race] I went to last year, riders were dropped in the neutral zone. That’s pretty embarrassing for the sport when there’s crowds lined up, it looks very bad for sponsors, and VIP guests in team cars – but it’s absolutely soul destroying for those riders. You have to ask why those teams are allowed to ride, and why those riders are selected by their managers to go to that event. And it happens too often for it to be a rider falling ill or a strange coincidence. Those riders are going to leave the sport – they’ll get bored of it, but they’re potentially fantastic riders – they’re just not taking the right steps along the pathway to professional racing.”

“Having amateur teams competing in races meant for pros isn’t just bad for their development, it also creates a dent in National level racing.”

It seems clear to Wyman that those riders have an obvious place – and that’s at the National level races, where organisers are often struggling for entries. He gives the example of the Dave Peck Memorial Race run by Twickenham CC. It’s open to E/1/2/3 female riders – and he says: “they recently wrote out to say they’ve only got 50 entries and need more or they can’t run it. It’s held on the same day as [1.2 Belgium race Grand Prix de] Dottignies – and there’s 5 British teams registered for that. Two of them are pro teams, maybe three, but there’s two non-professioanl teams going out for that race. Really they should be trying to dominate UK racing, because they’re not professional teams. Having amateur teams competing in races meant for pros isn’t just bad for their development, it also creates a dent in National level racing.”

The Dave Peck Race, image: twickenhamcc.co.uk/

Of course, you could argue that the top of that Dave Peck field then being dominated by unpaid, but semi-pro riders from established teams just about able to hold on to pro races might discourage your mate from the local cycling club entering as a cat 3. However, with more and more races available for cat 3 and 4 riders around, and supportive groups such as London Women’s Racing and other variations around the country operating, there does seem to be enough provision for all of us.