Interview: Haley Smith and Andrew L’Esperance look back at 10 years with Norco
Growing with the team, and moving on to what's next
On Monday, Andrew L’Esperance announced he was departing the Norco Factory Team. Less than 24 hours later, Haley Smith followed with her own announcement, leaving the team after a decade.
While it’s not surprising that the two are leaving at the same time, Smith and L’Esperance are teammates on course and partners off the bike, that they’re leaving at all is big news. L’Esperance has been with Norco through four teams and 11 years of racing. Smith’s been on the Factory Team for the duration of her 10-year pro career. It is a big change for both athletes, and for the landscape of Canadian racing.
I caught up with the pair over e-mail, Smith at home in Ontario and L’Esperance on the east coast for the holidays, to talk about the big move.
Canadian Cycling Magazine: You’ve both been with Norco for at least 10 years. Is there any uncertainty with leaving a team you’ve been part of for so long?
Haley Smith: Yes, we’ve been with Norco for a long time! It’s been my home for my entire professional career, and what a good home it was. The people at Norco and within the team made it such a wonderful place to develop and grow as an athlete.
But no, I wouldn’t say there’s uncertainty. Change is scary, but it’s also good and it can give you an opportunity to develop in different ways than you’ve previously experienced. I’m saying farewell to Norco with gratitude and warmth, but am also SO excited about what’s coming next… which we’ll be able to share with you soon!
Andrew L’Esperance: There is uncertainty when changing teams for sure, much like there would be uncertainty with an individual changing jobs. But instead of uncertainty I am really looking at it as opportunity. Opportunity to work with different people, different companies, learn how to use different products, race different events, and shift my perspective within the industry.
The most challenging part about leaving the team is leaving the people I have worked with so closely, for so long. Teammates, sponsors, mechanics and managers, those relationships are very important to me and I will make sure they continue regardless of the banding on my jersey.
CCM: Was there a reason to look for change? Any change that made it feel like it was time?
L’Esperance: The major reason I wanted a change was to have the opportunity to throw my hand into different style races. Haley and I raced BCBR this year and I really enjoyed that whole experience and I could see myself doing more of these “alternative” MTB/gravel races. Three years ago I already felt a pull to these different styles races and threw my name in for a lottery spot at Unbound gravel. I got in and have had the entry spot ever since but have been deferring it each year either because of cancellations or schedule conflicts. With the LifeTime GrandPrix coming together this year, this is something that really interested me, and a team change made support to race that series work out really well.
Smith: After being at the Olympics, it just felt like this is the right time for me to expand my horizons. I still have major goals as an international XC racer, but there are also other parts of my athletic self that haven’t gotten the attention I want to give them. I really wanted the opportunity to expand my calendar and experience more than just XCO racing. Norco was very supportive for my entire time there, and it just seemed like it was time for us to grow in different ways.
CCM: There are a lot of achievements and milestones for both of you at Norco. Is there a memory and/or one aspect of the team that stands out for you from the last decade with the team?
L’Esperance: I think the weekends when it came together for multiple people on the team at the World Cups were the most special. Nove Mesto World Cup in 2019, Haley got on the podium in 3rd and that was huge, but Fincham finished 6th, Quinton [Disera] in the top 20 and I managed one of my best World Cup rides. So many different things need to click to achieve those kind of performances at the World Cup and when it happens for multiple people it is truly awesome.
Another weekend like that was Les Gets in 2019 where Peter [Disera] and Haley were both 6th and Sean finished 3rd. It’s no secret that there is a strong family vibe on the Norco Factory Team and I believe that contributed to weekends like that. Another special one is Epic Israel in 2019 when Peter and I rode a gutsy race in the final stage to win the stage and step onto the final podium. We both had to go so deep to make it happen and to get to share that with a teammate and friend was very special.
Smith: Oh my goodness, too many to count. We’ve been with Norco since the grassroots days of the team, when we were staffing demos in order to make our race trips happen. Sure, there are some obvious ones: podiuming in Nove Mesto, cracking the World Cup top 10 for the first time, going to the Olympics… but mostly what sticks out in my mind are the feelings of camaraderie and the innumerable adventures we all went on together. I will treasure the memories made and relationships cultivated during the last 10 years for the rest of my life.
CCM: Is this a bigger shift in your racing program or racing focus? Or same goals, but with a new bike and a new team?
Smith: I’ve described this as a career expansion, rather than a career shift. If you look at the histories of past Canadian racers, it’s only recently that World Cups have been the sole focus of our pros. Even as recently as five years ago, it was normal to include a variety of other events in the calendar (US Cups, Whiskey 50, etc). COVID is largely responsible for the narrowing of focus to only being World Cups (travel was more challenging, races were cancelled, etc), but it’s time for me to re-expand my focus.
I still have big XCO goals, but I also have other goals to chase. Now, in the time between qualification periods for the Olympics (i.e. before the push into Paris ramps up), it’s the right time to pursue some of these alternative goals in addition to World Cup success.
L’Esperance: There will be a slight shift in the racing program, with the addition of some longer XC and gravel events in the LifeTime GrandPrix, but my goals are still very much connected to performances at the World Cup. For me, this shift in racing program is an opportunity to challenge myself with different races and to learn and grow as an athlete. If all goes to plan, this will hopefully lead to continued progress at the World Cup.
CCM: There aren’t that many UCI-level mountain bike teams in Canada. How important was it to your development to have a Canadian-based team like this when you were starting out (or when you were trying to make the jump to pro)?
L’Esperance: The support from Norco at the beginning was very important for my development, no question about that! At the beginning, the focus for the team was the Canada Cup series and that suited where I was in my development, and I was lucky that the team grew and progressed in its level over the years. I think the major thing that is important is to have teams supporting athletes at every step of the process. This means club teams, provincial team, national trade teams, the Canadian National team all the way up to UCI teams targeting the World Cup. It is important to have those high-level UCI teams for young athletes to look up to and to dream of making it there one day.
Smith: We were in a unique situation, that we were on Norco well before it was a pro team. The team seemed to grow in its resources and ambitions in a parallel and equal way to my development in the sport. I think that’s part of what made it so special.
But yes… it should go without saying that Norco and the various renditions of the team were critical aspects of my development. We were backed by amazing people, a supportive brand, and nurtured in an environment that wanted to see us grow (without expecting immediate, marketable results).
