This article was first published in Rouleur Issue 142.
Victory at the Tour de l’Avenir in 2024 firmly put you on the radar internationally. How did that result change the way you saw your career?
When you see the previous winners of the race – not to put pressure on myself but – there's obviously a pathway through winning or podiuming in the race and then having a good career. In the moment of the race, you're just in another bike race and focusing on what you're doing but after, you sit back and think ‘as long as I carry on working hard and getting stuck in, you are in a good place to have a good career.’
Do you feel extra pressure because of that?
No, it's fine because in the moment, it's just another race. When you get into World-Tour racing, it doesn't make a difference. You still have to work hard and focus on training.
Were you surprised by anything when you first moved into the WorldTour?
I had done the training camp with the pros before anyway and the team integrated some of the races like the Tour of Rwanda before I did the WorldTour races. So, I think in that aspect, nothing was too surprising. It's a good team that shows their belief in me, by taking me to the Tour and exposing me to the biggest races, where obviously I'd like to perform in the next few years.
You can climb, time-trial and come from an off-road background. How would you identify yourself as a rider?
I probably wouldn't go back off-road. I think it was a good pathway into professional cycling, but I found out once I started racing on the road that I was just naturally better at it. I think I was good off-road, but it probably wasn't my strongest point.
Then in terms of racing, I think it’ll be so hard to do three weeks for GC, but some of these punchier one week stage races suit me. They are about just getting stuck in with racing. Not just if you have good legs, but racing on your instincts and where you can make time. So I’d like to go for GC, every now and then. But also there are other good races, like the Ardennes, which really suit me too.
Do you have any riders that are idols?
Chris Froome was my teammate last year and because I grew up watching the Tour de France every year, Froomey was an inspiration and so were other guys, like Mark Cavendish. And then in the last few years, you have the trio of Mathieu van der Poel, Wout van Aert and Tom Pidcock, who have combined off-road and road riding, which shows it's possible to transfer between disciplines as well. And they’re all nice and cool guys that portray a good image, and I look up to them.
Have you become close with Froome?
Yeah, I’ve done a few races with him. My first race with the team was the Tour of Rwanda with him, and then Tour de Suisse last year and a few training camps. He's just a lovely guy.
What kind of race conditions bring out the best in you?
That's hard to know. I think I've done all right in some cold weather races. I like the pretty tough days. I wouldn't say I'm out there looking for the rainy days and I’m not one for those sprint finish chaos days, but the Ardennes Classics suit me, where you want to be focused all day. They’re pretty demanding days.
What's your dream race to win?
It would be a stage of the Tour de France, any stage.
If you could replay one race in the last kind of season or two, which one would it be and why?
The day I was in the break at the Tour on stage 10. We had started off as a massive breakaway, and I wish I was more conservative at the start of the stage. On the radio, they were saying, ‘watch out for Simon Yates. He's just been sitting at the back all day’. A few times Lenny Martinez was going for polka dot points, and I was distanced a bit at times on the climbs, and the group was just whittling down as the day went on. Eventually I finished sixth on the stage, but I did the last 20km solo. I was just off the back of the group with Yates, Ben Healy and Ben O'Connor and a few others. I wish I was more conservative at the start of the stage, as potentially I might have left myself with the energy to actually make that split at the final and be with that top five group. I may well have ended up sixth again, but you just don't know.
That was also just a cool day – I say the more times you're exposed to that environment and thrown in at the deep end, the less you're going to make mistakes. In two or three years’ time, I will probably be more capable of winning that kind of stage.
What’s your perfect rest day?
A long café stop with a cake and then maybe an attempt to play golf with my mates. I say attempt because I'm terrible at it. But when one in every ten shots is good, it gives you hope. And then maybe just driving my car around and some dinner with mates.
What area are you focusing on the most this year to improve?
I’d like to improve my fatigue resistance on long days and be consistent as well. When you have UAE riding a hard pace all day, you need a bit of that fatigue resistance. But in general, I think the main focus I have is just to be consistent, keeping my weight consistent all year, so I never have crazy ups and downs. I want to try and have a decent gap in between the races, and have that time to lock in and train properly for like, two weeks or something, and then hopefully that just keeps me at a high level the whole year.
What would success be for you if you looked back in five years’ time?
A good couple of wins under my belt and just being present in races. In five years, I'd probably love to be in a position where I have worn a jersey at a Grand Tour or something, or to have won a stage. For example, like what Ben Healy did this year.
What's your earliest memory of riding a bike?
Since I can remember I've pretty much always ridden a bike. So the earliest memory that was actually good was going every weekend to Herne Hill, not for the velodrome, but the off-road stuff – getting stuck in there every Saturday morning, just a good club session.
What's the weirdest thing you've eaten mid-ride, racing or training?
A pack of custard creams. I'm not saying recently, but when I was a teenager. I’d just go to the local corner shop and buy a whole pack of them.
What's your coffee order?
A cappuccino. But at home, I drink Yorkshire tea. I don't really have coffee at home.
What's the hardest race you have ridden?
That Tour stage last year and probably the other hard one each year is the national champs road race. The last three years that I’ve done national champs, it’s been one of the hardest days, just because it's such a crazy race and you always have to be on it.
Where is your favourite place to ride a bike?
Everyone says home roads, but it's not for me. I liked Rwanda, because it's completely different. It’s a pretty cool place to ride a bike. I've been there a few times so I know my way around a bit.
Do you have a dream location for a bike holiday?
Probably the Swiss Alps because the scenery is incredible there. I've been there, done some mountain bike races there, so I know a few places. And I've done some training camps in Livigno in Italy and you can go straight into Switzerland from there.
What's your favourite session?
Probably just three to four hours of endurance. Get it done, and you're done for the day. You're not destroyed after it, but it’s still a productive day.
What is your advice for a young rider who dreams of following a similar path to you?
The progression doesn't have to be a straight line. For me, I grew up doing offroad, and if you're good enough, you can transfer across disciplines. Don't focus on anything crazy too early, because you'll burn out. If you are determined enough, you can do whatever you want.
