Team trust in professional women's cycling teams

The purpose of this study was to explore professional female cyclists’ understanding and experience of team trust in road cycling, with a focus on the factors that contribute to the development and maintenance of trust, and furthermore the consequences of team trust for the team. Based on a qualitative research design, semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten female riders with experience from various continental teams. The data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis with an abductive approach, grounded in a critical realist epistemology. The study aims to address a gap in the literature, as team trust in professional sports remains underexplored, despite its documented importance for collaboration and performance in teams. The results showed team trust to be a relational and multidimensional phenomenon, shaped by assessments of individual characteristics, as well as relational and structural team factors. Furthermore, the results indicate that key antecedents of team trust encompass both individual attributes and team level factors, which together generate a range of positive outcomes for interpersonal relationships, team processes, and overall performance.