Laurence Pithie: I want to challenge Van der Poel for Monument wins next year

Laurence Pithie: I want to challenge Van der Poel for Monument wins next year

The New Zealand rider talks about his journey to the top of the sport, moving to Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe and his ambitions to start to win big soon

Photos: Zac Williams/SWpix.com Words: Rachel Jary

Aged just 22, in only his third year as part of the WorldTour, Laurence Pithie wants to win a Monument next season.

“Shoot for the stars,” he says with a grin. 

It’s undoubtedly ambitious, but this mentality has got the Groupama-FDJ rider where he is. Pithie has had to be driven, gutsy and bold to make it from his evening club time trials in Christchurch, New Zealand to the highest rungs of professional cycling, and he’s nowhere near done yet.

“I always wanted to be a professional athlete. I was always sporty but for cycling, I fully committed at the end of 2016 and the start of 2017 is when I stopped running and got a coach for cycling,” Pithie says. “Everything from there was with the goal of becoming a professional and in the WorldTour.”

The pathway to the top hasn’t been simple for Pithie - it isn’t for many riders who are required to move to Europe from the Southern Hemisphere to pursue their careers. It was on the wooden boards of the velodrome where the Kiwi rider’s talent originally came to the fore, he won two world titles as a junior on the track, something which grabbed the attention of Groupama-FDJ’s Continental team. Even when his contract with them was secured, however, the challenges continued.

“The team took a chance on me from my results on the track, but making the move to Europe was super difficult actually,” Pithie says. “I found it really hard to go from racing with 50 guys maximum in New Zealand on big, wide roads, and then coming to Europe. My first first road race was Le Samyn which is like a 1.1 and it had Van der Poel there, which was pretty intimidating. I don't think I left the back of the bunch until I pulled out of the race. I definitely was questioning myself after that if I was in the right place. But for me, it got better and it got a lot worse. I crashed a lot, which made it difficult but the team was super supportive which made it easier.”

Pithie’s plucky determination to find his place in the professional peloton wasn’t just driven from his own desire to win. He explains that he felt a duty to repay those who had helped him to have the opportunity to be in these bike races at all.

“In my mind, I didn't really have a choice. Giving up wasn't an option. There'd been so many sacrifices made with my family just to get me to Europe. If I’d have given up, it would have been a wasted opportunity,” he states.

There is an exact race that Pithie can pinpoint as the moment he felt like he was beginning to prove that he was in the right place. It was a reduced bunch sprint at the end of the 2021 edition of Circuit de Wallonie where he finished in third place behind Christophe Laporte and Marc Sarreau. The result was a sign of what was to come for Pithie: he belonged in the chaos and drama of one-day races.

“That result was huge for me. I realised I could actually race with the top guys – it was a bit of an eye opener. I got a little bit more momentum from there, and a bit more confidence,” Pithie says. “Once I learned to stay on my bike at those types of races, it became a lot easier for me and a lot more natural. Positioning is so important in those races for the key sectors and my build helps me perform better there than in the races that go up and down.”

Pithie’s results early in his career went a long way in proving to Groupama-FDJ that he is a fast learner, and the promotion to the WorldTour squad came after just two years of the 22-year-old riding for the Continental team. He explains that the vision and setup of the French outfit and the familiarity of staff and riders was a big reason for his choice to sign a contract with them.

“They were the team who gave me the opportunity when I was no one so I wanted to give back and have some loyalty to them,” Pithie adds. “It was the right decision for me to sign there and continue the adventure.”

A victory last season in French 1.1 race Cholet-Pays de la Loire meant that Pithie was once again repaying Groupama-FDJ’s belief in him, and he was selected for all of the major Classics in 2024. It’s fair to say that this season was a breakthrough one for Pithie, with a WorldTour win early in the year at the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race and then an impressive showing at Paris-Nice where he podiumed in the first two stages, meaning he also wore the leader’s jersey.

“I think I made a step up because I trained super hard back home in New Zealand. It's definitely beneficial having a double summer because I could train normally, uninterrupted, and the weather was beautiful,” he reflects. “I didn’t change anything major, but I probably got a little bit older and mature. Winning at Cadel Evans definitely changed my season from there on. I wasn't expecting to win it and I think it set the standard for the rest of the season.”

Now coming to the end of the year, Pithie is able to somewhat reflect on how impressive those opening months of 2024 really were, first in Australia and then at Paris-Nice. However, he explains that it was difficult to process it at the time – his intrinsic drive to win means that podium places don’t always feel like enough.

“At the time, I didn't appreciate it as much as I should have. I was in the leader's jersey but the stage result was second or third,” he says. “It was still a disappointment because I wasn't just finishing it off on that top step. I can appreciate it more now than I could at the time, I can see how it seemed ungrateful at the time, because it was actually super nice and cool to have those moments early in the season.”

Pithie’s harsh, self-critical analysis of his results became somewhat of a trend throughout the year: he impressed with a seventh place at Paris-Roubaix, a 15th at Milan-Sanremo and multiple top-10 stage finishes at his debut Grand Tour, the Giro d’Italia, but Pithie was rarely satisfied with his performances. He’s able to quickly reel off a multitude of things he needs to work on to finish higher in races like Roubaix, from endurance, to bike-handling, to positioning, but finds it harder to reflect on his success.

“At that time of year, everything was a disappointment just because I wanted to win so badly and do well for the team and do well for everyone around me,” he says. “It was always what could have been for me, I think it’s an experience thing that I don’t really enjoy those little wins, even though if you told me at the start of the season I’d win a WorldTour race, come seventh at Roubaix, you'd wear the yellow jersey Paris-Nice, I'd sign for that straight away.”

It’s clear that Pithie puts serious pressure on himself to win. While this garners results, it also is a heavy burden to carry throughout the season. Groupama-FDJ have always respected his ambition and built a team around him for the Giro to help him fight for stage wins, but Pithie was ultimately unable to reach the top step of the podium. He explains that racing in a Grand Tour for the first time was tougher than he could have ever envisioned.

“I expected it to be hard but it's still on another level. I’ve never ridden as consistently as that because we rode on the rest days too. It was super hard and pretty tiring, I think racing for three weeks in a row should be illegal, to be honest,” Pithie laughs. “Hopefully with age, I'll start to be able to really back up each day. I think I just struggled to keep focus for that long every day. I really want to do more Grand Tours and be able to learn and grow as a rider.”

The next few years are going to be crucial to Pithie growing as an athlete and he’s decided that in order to do that, he needs a change. For 2025, the New Zealander has signed for Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, one of the most dynamic projects in the current men’s WorldTour. The addition of Red Bull as a sponsor has meant a big influx of funding and equipment for the team, and Pithie’s is one of a number of new recruits they have made in order to bolster their Classics roster.
“I would have been happy to stay at Groupama-FDJ but I definitely struggled with a lot of aspects of the team. There was the language barrier, which was difficult for me. As I became more of a leader this year, I realised that it was difficult to express myself in a different language and I felt like I couldn’t always get my point across in the way I wanted. I feel like joining an English speaking team was probably a good start for me and my future.” Pithie says.
“With Red Bull coming on, it's such a massive brand in the sports and marketing space so it was an opportunity I couldn't say no to with the resources that Red Bull has. I really wanted to get on board for their team for the Classics for next year. I knew they were signing some strong guys and they were all super positive and motivated to have me there. It seemed like the correct and logical decision for my career development.”
Pithie notes that he will be working with Marc Lamberts as a coach this winter, who formerly helped Wout van Aert to the Belgian rider's Classics success: “He has a lot of experience with the Classics so hopefully that can step me up a level in the in the training space, we're both super motivated to to improve. I'm really happy to have someone like him in my corner and helping me on a day to day basis.”
Learning from the other riders on his new team is also something that Pithie expects to be crucial to his growth as a rider – he’s not concerned about having fewer opportunities on a team full of superstars, instead he feels like this will give him motivation to fight for his place.
“If you're at a high level and your teammates around you at a high level, you're only going to bring each other up. It’s not like I think I’m going to be a leader and rock my way around Belgium,” Pithie says. “I’m also happy to work for other people, I did that a lot in my first three years in Europe and when a teammate wins it feels like a win for me as well. I’m super motivated to take my own chances when I can but also happy to work for others.”
If there’s one thing that seems to set Pithie apart, it’s his mindset. He comes across as both self-critical and confident, realistic but ambitious, prepared to learn, but also sure of his ability. When he says that he hopes to win Milan-Sanremo next season, it doesn’t feel like an arrogant statement, but like a necessity for Pithie to perform. He has to set big goals for himself, that’s what keeps him moving. In a WorldTour peloton where the level is higher than ever, Pithie is fighting to stay at the head of the race. He’s got this far already, and just like when he came over to Europe for the first time to race and struggled to finish bike races, he won’t give up on his dreams.
“Sanremo is where it will all start with me in terms of the big Classics and then Roubaix. Roubaix can be a bit of a lottery sometimes but at the moment, Van der Poel is on the top step and dominates those Monuments. Really, I want to start competing with him. I know it’s ambitious and I’m young, but you have to start somewhere,” he smiles.
Photos: Zac Williams/SWpix.com Words: Rachel Jary


READ MORE

Giro or Vuelta decision on ice, but Tadej Pogačar certain 'I can improve some more'

Giro or Vuelta decision on ice, but Tadej Pogačar certain 'I can improve some more'

The UAE Team Emirates rider revealed his plans for next season and says things can still get better - the question is: how?

Read more
‘I champion everybody to follow their dreams’ - Shanaze Reade on building a better future for the next generation

‘I champion everybody to follow their dreams’ - Shanaze Reade on building a better future for the next generation

The former multiple BMX and track world champion is focusing on how she can help create opportunities for those less privileged

Read more
Ben Healy’s weakness is his strength: ‘It never makes me indecisive’

Ben Healy’s weakness is his strength: ‘It never makes me indecisive’

The EF Education-EasyPost rider knows where his strength lies, and he is focussing on this in the pursuit of success

Read more
The peloton

Do bigger budgets and salaries in the WorldTour really make cycling better?

With limited income streams and job security for just a select few, how sustainable is the growth of the sport?

Read more
Pidcock's next page: What does his future look like with Q36.5?

Pidcock's next page: What does his future look like with Q36.5?

The British rider officially terminated his contract with Ineos Grenadiers earlier this week, but what next for him at the lower division Q36.5?

Read more
‘There’s work to be done' - Joanna Rowsell on driving progress in women’s sport

‘There’s work to be done' - Joanna Rowsell on driving progress in women’s sport

After winning two Olympic gold medals, the British woman is now passionate about inspiring the next generation

Read more

MEMBERSHIP

JOIN ROULEUR TODAY

Independent journalism, award winning content, exclusive perks.

Banner Image