discovering Life on the continent
Scroll down for an insight into the life of a young cyclist chasing his dreams
12/9/2020 0 Comments End Of "Season" Round Up
FINALLY ! I'm back in the UK and back writing blogs again. It seems like a lifetime ago when I was last on here giving an update about how I was fairing throughout the pandemic. In my previous blog i hoped to have a few more exciting things to talk about and luckily since then and now there has been many great experiences and changes in my life, more good than bad, which will probably be a shock to most people in a year like this one.
Lets take it all the way back to the start of July when I set off to France for an action packed month with my team Van Rysel-AG2R La Mondiale U19. First stop was the Vercors Massif, we were based in a small town called Sainte-Eulalie-en-Royans. It was a perfect set up for the team and catered for all of our needs at this camp. The aim of this camp was to train at altitude and rack up the miles in the process. Its safe to say it was a real shock to the system for me riding in the proper mountains for the first time but i loved every second of it, The views were insane and 100% worth the pain! On the fifth day, after 20000ft of climbing in just 185 miles already endured, we set off for the big day. The ride started up Col de la Croix De Fer, a big descent and after some flat dual carriageway riding we arrived at the next climbCol du Télégraphe where I buried myself to stay with the climbers group only to find out 3 miles over the crest I was going to have to tackle Col du Galibier!! I think its safe to say that this ascent of Galibier was definitely one of the hardest things I've done on a bike due to the fatigue I came into the climb with, my time up the mountain proves that haha. After this we descended back to the carpark for around 15 miles which was a big relief, however when i arrived at the carpark i realised some of the riders were missing, only later was i told that a little group of them had gone to ride up Alp D'huez just to finish themselves off! The camp wasn't just about riding however a lot of fun was had in the downtime! Due to the extreme heat we found ourselves heading to the local water spots to cool down. The camp was a massive boost of morale for the team and a sign of improvement in the quest of getting back racing.
From the the cobbles of Roubaix I headed to Jonzac, a small town just North of Bordeaux in the west of France as this is the place I would be calling home for the next year. My team mate Yanis Sequin and his family welcomed me with open arms when this situation was proposed to them by our staff and I am very grateful for what they're doing for me. I stayed at the house for a week, got to know the family, friends and the area in which I would spend the next year of my life in. I would be lying if I was to say I didn't love it there, just waking up to the view below each day sold it to me haha!
On the 22nd August it was finally time to say goodbye to my family for the next 3 and a half months, It was the longest time i had ever spent away from my family and was a really strange feeling at the airport when I waved goodbye. I was super excited but also very nervous to be starting at a new school and speaking minimal french at that time. However, I didn't go to my new home straight away, I headed to Clermont Ferrand for my first race since Covid-19 hit. After 1 plane and 4 different trains I made it some 11 hours later, its fair to say it wasn't the best preparation considering it was my first race back, the hilly nature of the course and that the french had been back racing for a few weeks at this point. I was also riding junior gears unlike the others in the race which made for very little rest on the descents. After a tough race I ended 10th and 4th junior only being beaten by 3 of my teammates. I was happy with this result considering my situation. From here we headed to the Jura mountain range for another weeks training camp. The aim of this camp was to get some more intensity into the legs now that racing was back underway but also to select the riders for the last few UCI races that were still on the calendar. It was once again a super tough camp with 20 hours of riding in the legs in just 6 days!
Next stop Jonzac! (my new hometown). After arriving back to my new home at midnight, my team mate Yanis Sequin, it was straight to bed getting as much recovery as possible for another race day at the Tour des Landes. This time 150km with some of the best international U23 teams on the start list. It was full gas from the gun with all the teams wanting to get in the breakaway. Once the break had gone up the road it was left up to the Caja Rural U23 squad to chase as the they were to be the big losers otherwise with just 1 or 2 riders in a 14 man break. At the halfway marker, I was comfortable but could start to feel the weeks efforts setting in. Then after one of the KOM sprints and soon after a dropped chain, from this point onwards I was on the rivet until i reached the 3km circuit where I got what felt like a 2nd set of legs. It was a perfect situation coming into the final technical sprint. In the end I finished 16th, 2nd in the bunch kick, and 2nd junior as one of the best french juniors had managed to get in the days breakaway. This result was a big confidence booster for me especially after the week I had.
As we all know the highs don't come without the lows and just 3 days after the race I crashed whilst out training during an effort. All seemed to be okay and just gravel rash until the next morning when i woke up with a bad headache. Just a couple hours later i started to feel nauseous and immediately headed to the local hospital. For somebody who has only been sick once in my life I knew something wasn't quite right and so I was taken by ambulance to the city of Saintes to have a brain scan and was checked for concussion. Luckily test results came back clear for concussion but showed a blocked sinus which the hospital ruled as sinusitis. The next week was probably the worst I have been in terms of illness, which wasn't helped by my unknown allergy to the prescribed medication. Luckily, once on the correct medication, I started to recover just in time for my birthday so I was fit enough to have a little celebration.
Two weeks on from my illness I was back racing another 1st,2nd,3rd category race, this time it was the Tour du Brissac. It was due to be a tough race with crosswinds right from the start. After 5km I was stuck behind a big crash which spread across the whole road, it was a less than ideal start but I made my way back to the peloton only to suffer a front flat tyre. I waited on the side of the road for my wheel but the team my wheels were with didn't stop. I waited for 2 minutes at the roadside before I was able to receive a wheel. Now it was time to chase the convoy which was out of sight at this point. After around 20 minutes full on chasing i joined the back of the race convoy and then it was about picking off the cars slowly but in the crosswinds it was not the easiest of tasks bearing in mind the way the french attack the first hours of racing I was shocked that I had even managed to reach this point. After hitting the hour mark jumping from car to car and being within touching distance of the peloton we reached a small drag and an attack went over the top which I was unable to follow my legs blew up and that was the end of my race and the end of my season! I think its fair to say that this year didn't turn out to be what everyone had planned for, however I am extremely grateful for the support I received from family, my Team staff, Team mates, sponsors and mates to make this year as best as possible in the given situation. I have managed to make the best out of a bad situation and create many unforgettable memories, all whilst still managing to get some racing in the legs post Lockdown. I would also like to say a massive shoutout to Pedal Potential who continued to support me and all their other riders even when times got tough and without their support a lot of what was achieved wouldn't have been possible. Check out the gallery for more pictures from this years travels and be sure to keep your eyes peeled for another blog post coming in the next few weeks where I will talk about life in France, plans for 2021, and some exciting news on a new team sponsor!
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