The British Continental
Stories about British bike racing, teams and riders.
The British Continental
Saint Piran's merger + CiCLE Classic insights + East Cleveland Classic preview, with James McKay and Jo Tindley
Host Denny Gray is joined by Saint Piran's James McKay and Jo Tindley of Pro-Noctis - 200º Coffee - Hargreaves Contracting Ltd to discuss the latest domestic road racing developments.
The trio consider:
- Saint Piran's decision to close its USKIS development team. Hear directly from James about the team's decision to merge their development and UCI Continental squads.
- The important of competition. James, Jo and Denny compare and contrast the dominance of Saint Piran in men's domestic scene versus the more competitive, less predictable women's racing scene.
- The season so far. We dissect the races that have shaken up 2024, spotlighting riders and teams that have caught the eye. Jo drops insights from last month's the ANEXO CAMS CiCLE Classic.
- The East Cleveland Classic: James and Jo dish out insider info and make bold predictions for the next National Road Series round.
Listen now to stay ahead of the pack and join the conversation about the ever-evolving landscape of domestic road racing.
The British Continental. Proudly presented by Le Col, supported by Pro-Noctis
Welcome to the British Continental Podcast, the show shining a light on stories about British bike racing teams and riders at the domestic level.
Speaker 2:Hello and welcome back to the British Continental podcast, the show bringing you the inside track on all things domestic road racing. I'm your host, denny Gray, and in today's show we will be discussing the breaking news that St Piran has decided to close its Uskist development team just months after its creation. We'll be reviewing the season so far and what we've learned from it, and we'll be looking ahead to the next round of the National Road Series, the East Cleveland Classic. To help me do that, I am joined by two very special guests. First up we have James Mackay from the aforementioned St Piran team. I think it's fair to say that James was my breakthrough rider of the year last season, so it's an absolute pleasure to have him on. Welcome, james.
Speaker 1:Oh, my pleasure, Danny. I think that's maybe a bit of an exaggeration, but if I captured your heart, then that's all that matters.
Speaker 2:Good to hear. Well, I am biased because you have written for the British Continental in the past, so I'm allowed to show my prejudices. And alongside James we have Joe Tindley from the Pro Noctis 200 Degrees Hargreaves Contracting Team one of the longest team names I think I've come across. Jo, of course, is a former National Circuit Race champion and like a semi-cycling royalty in our eyes. So welcome Jo.
Speaker 3:Thanks for having me.
Speaker 2:Absolute pleasure. So thank you both for joining us. Before we kick things off, I should just give a quick shout out to our sponsor, lacolle, and stay tuned because we have an exciting new sponsor that may or may not be related to Jo's team, soon to be revealed on the British Continental. Anyway, let's dive straight into our first topic, which is, as I said in the introduction, breaking news of sort. It has emerged that st pirin is merging its two teams. It's two men's teams, that is, the uci continental squad and its uskis development team and in a statement to us they've said that we have been in discussions with british cycling regarding the national series of regulation change since december 2023 and completely understand their reasoning to limit men's teams from the same stable racing in uk races.
Speaker 2:However, the change has a direct impact on the development of our young under 23 riders and, given the closure of a british cycling road pathway, this regulation change means up to 50% fewer domestic races for some of our riders, hindering their development pathway as world-class athletes away from track cycling.
Speaker 2:We have therefore had to take the very difficult decision to close our USCIS under 23 team and redesign our program. So, from the 1st of April 2024, all USCIS riders have transferred to the St Piran Pro Cycling UCI Continental team and this ensures they have transferred to the st pyrran pro cycling uci continental team and this ensures they have access to both national a and b races, allowing them to develop fully as riders in our exciting and competitive domestic scene. So that's a big change for st pyrran. Obviously, the idea was that the uscas team were going to operate at the elite development team level. They'd been registered as an elite development team but of course, as the statement I've just read out alludes to, british Cycling came in with a regulation this season effectively banning the two teams from riding alongside each other in National Road Series and National Circuit Series races. So it seems that your team, james, I'm sorry to put you on the spot, but has decided to kind of reconfigure how it's set up, so all of its riders are effectively registered as UCI Continental riders.
Speaker 2:I don't know what you can say about this, james, and I recognize in some ways this might be a kind of emerging news to you, as well as because it's very recent. But what do you make of the, the merger, and how do you think it will impact on the team itself?
Speaker 1:I think it is probably the right step to take, certainly for the younger riders on the e-skis team. They're going to have the opportunity to be part of the continental team and have access to the, the bigger races, maybe sooner than they um might have done if they'd been two separate teams. So I think it's a win for them. I also think it's a win for other races that could be potentially competing against both teams. You know there was that, I guess, path. The reason this has come about, or at least one of the reasons, is because there were questions over would the two teams race together alongside um and then suddenly saint bran, as a, an entity, have, you know, potentially 16 riders in a, in a, in a prem, which is going to be, yeah, is, is is hardly fair, to be honest. So I think the fact that they're merging the teams, making it one team, is the right step okay, very diplomatically put, james.
Speaker 2:What does this mean generally, though, for the development pathway for british riders? I think we're seeing more and more riders, particularly on the men's side and, joe, I'll come to you in a second about the women's side but we see more and more riders heading abroad to further their development. Given the fact that we've only got two uci continental teams on the men's side now, what do you think it means for the kind of pathway for British riders, riders that maybe want to stay at home and and continue their development?
Speaker 1:I think it's. It's no great secret that being on either Trinity or Saint-Pierre definitely bolsters your chances of going to the next level in cycling. I think obviously you're going to need to have the legs to to do the talking at some of the bigger races that both those teams have. But ultimately if you're stuck on an elite team without the same uci calendar, it's going to be a lot harder to showcase yourself um to a potential foreign development team or foreign professional team to make the jump there. So it is a little bit of a shame that some of the races that elite teams do in the UK, notably Prems, and maybe some of the races that they do at an amateur level, aren't recognised in the same way. We definitely have a lot of talent in the UK but realistically, if you're on trinity or saint peran, you're going to get the chance to showcase that talent a lot more, I think, in the shop window of those um, professional teams.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean, I know this is a question I should really pose to ricky pascoe, the owner of st pyrrhon, but I I'm guessing the plan for st p Piran was in having this elite development team. They would essentially be having a pathway of their own, a way of kind of developing riders, and I guess by changing this, by removing their elite development team, they're kind of saying, well, we feel forced into this change. It wasn't our plan and you know, ricky may feel that they've been stripped of, or rather their plans to set up this new model for ride development has been has been removed. Do you think that's going to have implications for for road racing and british rider development in the future?
Speaker 1:I think that it has been. You know, I think people will look at ricky and saint perrin and might say, you know, they were trying to double their team size and, you know, get an unfair advantage on the opposition, and I think that is a bit of a closed minded approach. That is maybe a potential consequence of this, consequents of this, but realistically, the team was set up with good intentions to provide people with a pathway to progress on to the development team and help develop talent. They were going to be a well-supported team and have a good calendar of their own. So I don't think it is simply a attempt to try and have a stranglehold on the uk calendar, but it is. It is what it is.
Speaker 2:We've ended up with just one team and hopefully that can provide, yeah, young riders the opportunity to develop joe, what do you make of it all, kind of looking at it from the women's side of the sport? Obviously that I guess the setup is different on the women's side. There are lots more uci, continental teams, but also just a different environment generally, although the number of domestic races is kind of similar these days. But what's your view of things from your perspective?
Speaker 3:I think you know, I've been racing for quite a long time now and I've seen the sport develop. My first crit race as an under-16, there were seven of us on the start line, you know, and that was early 2000. So I'm kind of seeing it from two points here. I think that the women's side of things is just absolutely phenomenal. You know, I never, ever dreamt of being on a home UK UCI team. You know, I never thought I'd ever get to that level. You know, with with the way that my career has gone. Now the fact that we've got like all of these uci teams in the uk just shows the how far the sports come. But I also feel that it's still not strong, like it's still it's still in the balance, I think a little bit. You know we are still developing as a sport on the female side.
Speaker 3:The women's side is is very similar to the men's side, like just how James was explaining, sort of that stepping stone up to pro ranks. You know, like pro teams aren't that bothered that you win Lincoln Grand Prix, for example. You know it's how you are on the continent. So you still need that stepping stone. So I think it's great for the juniors coming through. You know, you see these incredible juniors that are coming through at the minute, especially in the women's scene, like it's phenomenal, like they're insane, but I still think that they need that level to race at to then step up.
Speaker 3:But that's the only place to get seen is to go out on the continent. So, yeah, it's. I think the women's side is in the wrong place, but it we, we certainly don't have the budgets like what you know, back in the jlt days, where they have big budgets. It's not like that anymore. Like, and certainly the men's side's not. You know, I reckon there's probably two teams in the uk that pay a wage and the rest don't in on the women's side, like there's no there's. You know, people are still volunteers at the end of the day and nobody gets paid.
Speaker 3:So we're still not there like it used to be, you know, back in the early 2000s, like mid 2000s with with tour series and all the men's teams that we had. But I still see it's got a long way to go yeah with equality and stuff. But, um, as regards to turning pro and moving up through the ranks, it's a stepping stone, you know, for the uk calendar it's interesting.
Speaker 2:I was talking to bob lions, obviously the manager of the alba road development team, a few months ago when he announced that he was his team was stepping up to uci continental level and he said his eventual ambition was to have a uci, a well-resourced uci continental team and I think he admits they're not there yet but then, alongside that, to have an elite team, an elite development team. So what he was describing was very similar to the setup that St Piran had until a few days ago when they merged. Is that? What do you make of the fact that St Piran have basically been, or feel they've been, forced into removing their development team? I mean because could that model, for example, work on the women's side, or any men's or women's side for that matter? I mean, is that a problem in terms of rider development in the UK from your perspective?
Speaker 3:in all honesty, I think that you know if like, it's a great idea, but I just don't think there's the depth at the minute in women's racing to do that. Not yet it is changing. But when you look at the national series, there's a significant cutoff point of riders that are in the top 20 all the time and then the people that get dropped straight away. There's still that huge divide. You've got the majority of the peloton work for a living and then you've got the some that aren't, that are full-time, the young juniors under 23s that coming through, but it's it's still not. There's still not the depth.
Speaker 3:I don't think that what there is or has been in the men's side of things, and I think we will get to the point where, yes, teams can have the, the full-on development teams and draw from that. But I just think there's such a wide, varied availability at the minute that we're not quite there. I mean, that's sort of my opinion there. But we do need them because we've lost the club system and there's riders coming through that just have no idea. The sport's changed in all the years certainly kobe's been a big instigator of that and there's, there's riders that just don't come through the club system anymore. So they're coming into elite teams or uci teams with very little knowledge of race craft. So having a development team would be superb. You know, the ideal would be having that development team picking riders from that up into the uci team. But at the minute there's not the depth, I don't think in women's cycling okay, so I might you're.
Speaker 2:Am I reading from that, joe, that you think in principle it's, it's not a bad idea. It's just that the women's side of the sport isn't ready for that yet?
Speaker 3:pro teams do it. You know you look at all the other. You look at all the top teams. They've got devo teams. You know you've got DSM that take, you know, like riders from little lower teams, so they have that pool, not necessarily under the same umbrella. Well, they are under the umbrella but they're not like named DSM or whoever. So these bigger teams are picking up juniors, you know from like they're signing. You know they're signing juniors at the minute and put them on retainers and stuff like that. So I think overseas and at that level there is, there is that capability, but at the minute in the uk I think it would be great, but I don't, I don't think we're quite there yet. I just I'm not.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I'm not convinced that we are yeah and james, what do you think, I mean on the men's side? Do you think that's going to have any ramifications or implications either for the riders on your team? I mean, you kind of described the change, the merger, as a win-win in many ways, but do you think it will have any kind of negative connotations for the scene as a whole?
Speaker 1:I mean, to a certain extent I think we had some very talented or we do have some very talented riders who are moving up from the development team onto the continental team. So, if anything, the only downside for the scene is that it just makes the UCI team even stronger and can potentially be even more dominant, as opposed to if you force them to split up and race separately. Potentially you can kind of, yeah, spread the firepower around a little bit. So I think that is a potential downside. I think ricky has had said himself that ultimately the best thing for the uk would be to have you know, like I think I think he said a professional continental team and then like several continental teams below that to feed the progression of riders. I think ultimately what we need is it's not really St Brans' fault that they have such a stranglehold on the calendar. I think they'd encourage opposition to come out there. And if another continental team or several other continental teams popped up next year, I think it would create a healthier environment and probably help everyone kind of raise their game with some competition. But yeah, at the moment when you only have one content to see in the country on the men's side, it's going to mean that talent pool is is concentrated there. So maybe that helps develop things when they go abroad, because you have a very, very strong squad, as you've seen.
Speaker 1:Last year when saint brand went abroad to do race, like in france and in norway, they were. They were pretty rampant with zeb and and jack so you know harry as well winning or coming second out there in the ECI. So it does mean that when the team do go abroad they can showcase British talent and then those riders can go on to professional ranks. But at the same time, if you had talent spread out a little bit more, maybe they would be quite as dominant. But it might create a healthier environment in the UK and I still think those best riders would still have a chance to shine when they did go away as well. So, yeah, I like all things. It's easy for me to say, oh, just yeah, make, make everything bigger and better and have more of everything more races, more teams, whatever. I hope I don't have that adds anything no, that's, that's really useful.
Speaker 2:I mean I was to come on to that a bit later, but let's talk about it now. I mean I'm interested in the idea of competition between teams. Obviously, last season St Piran, as you've said, james, they were dominant in the National Road Series. There were so many podium lockouts and St Piran are continuing to be dominant, so far in the National B level at least anyway, Whereas on the women's side, joe, I get the well, I don't just get the impression you can see it.
Speaker 2:I mean, there's been some really healthy, what's felt like really healthy competition from the outside. It's been exciting as a fan anyway, to watch, because there seems to be some really good rivalry between the teams and you never quite know which team the winner's going to come from when it, when you go into a national road series race. So I just wondered what, joe, what you thought of of that, whether you know how important it is to have a peloton that is competitive, where one team doesn't dominate, whether you happen to have any observations, having kind of been in a more competitive women's environment compared to what you're seeing when the men race I think is really important.
Speaker 3:I think, um, I do. I do feel that when one team dominates the way you know, in a certain way I just feel it's it's quite demoralizing for other people, isn't it? You know it's sort of yeah, it's not, it's not like I just don't think it's very healthy. However, you can go into a national series on the women's race and you could probably pick several riders from all from different teams who could potentially win. And you know, sequel this year it was, it was something else like this level stepped up again this year. You know, and I've been doing this a long time now, and every year it just gets harder.
Speaker 3:But then you know you've got the likes of hess suddenly appearing on the scene doing a national series. That changed the dynamics of everything, and again the juniors coming through like it changes. You know they're not I wouldn't say the juniors are one big team, but you know you've got a particular bunch of them that you know stir it up, you know, and it's certainly for us as a team as to make us really rethink our, our approach to it all. But I just it's exciting.
Speaker 3:Even when you look at the world tour, you know it's sort of this year's changed a little bit with SD work, so to speak. You, you know, it's kind of it's a bit more open now and it does. It brings in that engagement with people and fans and it's not like, oh yeah, it's so-and-so again, you know, or whatever. And I do feel that we've got several strong teams. You know Alba have stepped up, you know Hesse are in there. I do hope they continue to support the national series, whether they do or not, I don't know. You know, and that's got a good, good, strong team of riders that are used to riding on the continent, you know, and that makes a huge difference because it, when riders race abroad, they bring it back and it makes it harder, you know, certainly yeah, well, let's.
Speaker 2:I mean, you mentioned the cycle classic there, joe. You call it the sequel classic. I never, never quite know what to call it, but anyway, whatever the, the official title of the race should be what? What do you think we can? I mean that was that that seemed like a particularly exciting race. As you say, in the injection of hess and exciting juniors from from the shipton team and others really made it a very competitive event. Looking ahead now, well, looking back to that race and the rest of the season for that matter, what do you think we can learn from what you've seen in the women's national road series and the domestic peloton so far for the rest of the season and the rest of the national road series? Are there any kind of riders that caught your eye or kind of things, big talking points coming out of those?
Speaker 3:that first race, I think, I think for me as an individual rider, I think the big talking points coming out of those, that first race, I think, I think for me as an individual rider, I think the big talking point was sort of I, I guess how hess came along and took control of the race. But other than that, I I think it's I personally still think it's too early to to see, and I I think that sequel always throws up an unusual result. So, yes, it's always a very deserved winner, but it's such a bizarre race that it's not a road race at all and that's not how you look at it. So we've now got East Cleveland coming up, which is going to be more of a road race, and we've got other races Again, lincoln's something completely different to a road race. So I think the series will develop and I think riders will shine through and I just you can't take too much from sequel, all right, I just I don't think that you can.
Speaker 3:I think it was. It's just such a unique race, it's a fantastic race and I think it's too early to really just, you know, take too many learnings from it as well. I think we need the series to develop, you know, and obviously we've had the task force these recent months. You know and we've sort of all input in our like input into that to see whether we see any of that come through. We'll see, but I think it's too early. I think there's some riders out there that still haven't got going yet that we need to watch, you know so okay.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I'd just like to add on that I think it's very different dynamic in the men's kind of side of things, where we've had a kind of gradual rise in kind of excitement towards bondite or east cleveland, which for us is the first prem, and it does feel like, you know, april is the sort of logical time to to really kick things off, whereas I know many women who their first race of the year was sickle, so it. It is a very different dynamic there and I feel like, yeah, I don't, I don't, I don't want to say it's a bad thing having having a big race that early, because it's great that that race is that you don't, you know, and don't get me wrong, if you had races that of that size throughout the entire year and even better. But I personally, as a rider, a little bit grateful to have had the chance to kind of find some rhythm with some national v races and find my legs in training, you know, just a little bit later in the season in the year to build up towards the first round.
Speaker 3:I think you know you're right there. You know we as a team, we set back and we've re-evaluated what we're going to do next year, because obviously last year we had Cape and Rain before that. We had opportunities to race prior to that. So we've we've gone straight in and I'm I'm a big believer of like I like to test the waters, test and adjust. You know, where's we're training at? Where am I at? What do I need to look at for bigger races? I mean, I just love the race. I don't care like I'll go into that any time of the year, you know.
Speaker 3:But you know, as a team we were like, okay, well, we've just come back off training camp, but where are we at? You know, we've had no opportunity, like the guys have already had national b's or whatever. So it's a case of like we're just going to go into it, we're going to crack on, see where we're at, and then that's how our season develops. Whereas, like James was saying, you know they're coming into Klondike with a really good idea, east Cleveland, cleveland with a really good idea of where they're at. But we certainly will. If the season looks like it is, next year we will be changing the start of our year as a team like we'll stop.
Speaker 1:You know it's just a little thing, but the Prems are always very nervous races, and especially the first Prem of the year, is always the kind of sketchiest and race with so much nervous energy and there's often, unfortunately, crashes like there is in kind of any country at the start of the year with racing. So I feel like putting the Women's Sickle Classic as the first race of the year is yeah. I'm certainly glad we don't have sickle as the first race of the year because I think, yeah, you're always nervous for the first one putting a number on it. You know that is cycling, it's not uh, it's yeah, it's not just a. You're not on a club, run your racing bike, it's pretty serious.
Speaker 2:So yeah well, I mean, I have to say from a, from a fan's perspective, it makes some brilliant images, even if it's not, uh uh, that great from a timing perspective. But it'd be interesting to see how, how teams adapt. I mean, I know, I know that Colin Clues, who organizes the race, moved it to a slightly earlier March date this year because last season gone, like Kat Ferguson and others had gone to race, there was a clash with with some junior racing anyway, so he decided to move it a little bit earlier, which, as you say that, joe, that meant that races like cape and ray or other national b races weren't available beforehand. So you, just you went into it pretty cold. Anyway, we should move on and talk about the racing to come.
Speaker 2:We've got the east cleveland classic coming up. James, you called it the klondike. Obviously there used to be the klondike grand prix which was the, I guess for a few years the opener to the National Road Series, until it disappeared a couple of years ago. But East Cleveland brought back the East Cleveland Classic, partly linked to the deal to bring the Nationals to the area. But last year at the Nationals the course was, I guess, particularly brutal. Many riders reported, but the course for the East Cleveland Classic isn't quite as challenging, at least it doesn't look quite so challenging on paper. I wondered what you both made of the course and whether Saltburn Bank, which of course is the steep climb up from the coast just before the finish line, how decisive that might be. Maybe we'll start with you, joe. What do you, what do you make of the course?
Speaker 3:I've, I've um, I'm not very good at planning ahead with races, so I have had a quick look at the manual. I don't do it until like the night before. I've had a look at bello viewer and I've looked at the course and I like the look of it. I really enjoyed nationals. I love the harder races. I'm not a climber, so I love the fact that I can, you know, just crack on and and ride myself into the ground sort of thing and just hang in there.
Speaker 3:I think it's great that we've got a sprints competition in in that. I know that was something that I'd sort of I missed from having not having the tour series. Is that competition within a competition? I just think it makes racing more fun. It gives you something else to do within the race instead of just bowling around and waiting for Saltburn Bank kind of thing.
Speaker 3:And I think I guess, like Nationals, it'd be whittled down and I also think that Saltburn Bank, last time up it to the finish line, will be fireworks and I think if there is a group coming into it, it'll be decisive. From there it's about probably getting into that. Quite good really, but that's if you know, you never know who's left. You know, you don't know whether it's going to be a really aggressive race, if there's going to be a big bunch left, a small bunch. But it's a tough old climb. You're like, you know, we're only doing it, but I would suggest that it would be quite decisive in the women's race for the final time, because the finish is not far over the top of that.
Speaker 2:James, have you had a chance to look at the parkour? What do you think of it?
Speaker 1:Yeah, I have. I think it will probably be the race. Well, the parkour is a lot more similar to Klondike the old prem than it is National Champs, and I think we can expect a more similar to Klondike the old prem than it is National Champs and I think we can expect a more similar racing to what we've seen there as opposed to National Champs. And I also think the race won't be like National Champs for a few other reasons. Firstly, it's a decent bit shorter and also you're just lacking those 15-20 world tour riders who are going to absolutely detonate the race. Even if 20 guys on the start list want to go in with kind of approach, I don't think they're going to have quite the same effect. So don't get me wrong. It will be an attritional race and a National A-Rode race is never a walk in the park for the bunch, but I don't think it's going will be a nutritional race and a national a road race is never a walk in the park for the bunch, but I don't think it's going to be quite as brutal.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean, it may be not quite so brutal for your team, james. I mean, is this looking at the start list? Is there anybody? I mean, obviously you're biased and it's maybe a difficult question for you to answer, james, and I'm sure you'll give me a very diplomatic answer, but is there anyone? Can we look at a result other than a subparant win?
Speaker 1:Oh, there's definitely some riders on the start list who I think are dangerous, I think. But you know, damien Clayton has been going better than ever, I'd say, this year and he is slacking a sort of strong team around him, but the way he's going at the moment he's a very dangerous rider. I think wheelbase come with a strong team and Tom Martin is really hitting some form. And then, yeah, I I also think that ollie reese is first reserve. He's coming from portuguese conti team. He wrote for him last year and he's he's felt very dangerous.
Speaker 1:And then I've got a bit of a, a dark horse. My uh kind of outside pick is Alex Lurz is he's going pretty well this year. He um didn't race since. Since covid he hasn't raced except for a couple road races last year, but this year he came second at Gifford in Scotland, that be. But for people who don't know, he Alex was a was a class act and vote for a rebel. I can't assume. And last time Klondike run as a prime in 2019, he was sick, and the same year he was sick, but sick. So he is a very strong rider and he's he's running for lead out performance team, which is not not the most well-known team, so I think he could fly under the radar. Not the most well-known team, so I think he could fly under the radar. Yeah, he's not flying under my radar. Sorry, alex. To give you a shout out for this podcast, you don't have a tiger on your back now there's a.
Speaker 2:I mean I'm intrigued by the inclusion of the chinese team, body wrap men's cycling team. They include a rider called lee bowen, or bowen lee, who has won a stage of the tour of the chin high lake in the past. So I'm I I've got no idea why they're riding, uh, the east cleveland classic, what they're doing in the uk in april, but I'm really intrigued to see how they get on. James, do you or joe do? Does anyone have any insight on that? That particular nugget?
Speaker 1:I uh. Yeah, I've seen the start list and I don't know anything about the team. Clearly they have done some bigger races in china and they are definitely an unknown quantity, so that could be dangerous. But yeah, in all honesty I have no clue. But if they can light up the race, then great. You know, bring it on.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I'm intrigued to see how they get on, although I noticed from the latest start list that three of the riders have been withdrawn, so let's see if they have any riders on the start line. Joe, you mentioned a couple of teams when talking about Sickle just now, but Hess aren't riding at the east cleveland classic. But we do have full strength shipton apex team, including cat ferguson who of course is off to movistar later this year. What do you make of kind of the contenders? And you know is I mean, cat ferguson seems like uh one to put a ring around in terms of the contenders, but are there any others that have caught your eye?
Speaker 3:yeah, imogen, imogen Wolfe, the pair of them are like something else. So I have seen that she've done a full team in and you know they they're they're good kids, you know they're they're insanely strong. So I think, I mean, I I've. The last time I raced Klondike was well, we only had one race. It was 2019, so I have raced Klondike and I know how it it just it split to pieces. There were riders all over the road.
Speaker 3:So the the sport has changed a lot, even since 2019. So I do think that it will be an interesting race. It hopefully won't be as cold, because it was really frosty morning at 9am last last time I raced. So, yeah, I think there's albert. You know albert got some good riders. You can't discount anyone that you know within within the women's, you know, from the top teams, obviously, I think there's only, there's only one rider from hess, which is, which is a shame. Yeah, it's just the usual. You know the usual big teams, teams are starting to work together more. You know, there's more team teamwork and there's a lot more thought that goes into into racing these days and it's, you know, there's not so much just bowling around. They ride aggressive and I know that shibden will do like there's. There's no no doubt on that. That they'll have a dig at some point. So yeah, for me it's just the usuals. It's a key to my thought, really, yeah.
Speaker 2:Your team as well have got a couple of riders I'm particularly interested to see and watch. One is Lizzie Brooke, who of course is a new signing for your team Did extremely well on the Nationals course last year, having kind of made the switch over from e-racing to road racing. Is that she a right?
Speaker 3:you've got to know well over the last few weeks and months. Yes, we had a, we had a long 10-day camp with all of the team, uh, in Girona. So I I'd met Lizzie, I think once prior to to joining the team, because you know, she's based down in London, I'm up in Lincoln, so there's a significant sort of distance between the two of us and it's um, she's down there a lot but, um, it was great to get to know her. Like you know, we're really keen on having team camps with all the riders, that we all bond and we all get to know each other. And it's interesting for me because obviously I'm on the road with them as well that I can see, I can see how they ride. So I think Lizzie's incredibly strong. Certainly. She rode really well at Nationals last year and it'll be quite interesting to see how she goes at East Cleveland.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and you've got a brand new signing in Lucy Gadd, who is one of our journal contributors, and she's had an outstanding start to the season. So a very astute signing, by the looks of it. Do you do you know much about the signing of lucy if you come across lucy in in previous seasons?
Speaker 3:yeah. So you know I'm aware of a lot of riders, you know, because I I sort of you race against everybody. So I was, you know, I'll see a way. So when she has a story story racing with, with sarah and barney, and also we were down at ourche with her end of last year, so she was riding for a pro-conti team back then.
Speaker 3:So when you're out down the south of France and there's not many English speaking people, you kind of you're aware of who they are, you know, and I know that she's friends with some of the girls on the team as well and she was really impressive at peaks today the way she rode. She was also in the front group with me at Sequel but she punctured, which was really unfortunate because it was just coming into before we started the finishing circuit. So all the sectors were done, all the hard work was done and like we were on the easy bit and I wasn't aware that it was her. She's really quiet within the bunch, which is, you know, sometimes a really good thing. So, yeah, you know, I raced with her at Peaks today and she just has a presence in the bunch, which I think is really nice, you know, and she rides really well, so I'm actually quite excited to see how she goes with us.
Speaker 2:Yeah and Jo.
Speaker 3:one final question on the race for you, no-transcript kind of leave that to rick and management, really, because I don't like thinking about the race way out like I prefer to get there, sort myself out and then think about it on the day, almost. You know, I think we are going to have to come in with a plan, having seen how SQL unfolded. Obviously we did a UCI race out in France last week. Now that we've raced obviously we've had a couple of races under the belt we know how people are going. You just don't know at the start of the year. So SQL is a bit of a loose plan. We will be coming in with a more substantial plan, but that will be decided nearer the time, how everybody's faring um and how they are coming into the weekend.
Speaker 2:But yeah, well, I look forward to seeing how you and your team get on. James, what about st pyrrhon? I mean, you've got an embarrassment of riches on the start line, an interesting mix of former uskies, usies, riders, however you pronounce it, but all now kind of part of the UCI set up. How do you think the team will play? I mean, do you have any kind of inkling?
Speaker 1:We haven't discussed tactics quite yet, but I do know it's a very young team. So that is probably a good thing, because you know you've got a lot of firepower there and people are going to be, you know, gunning to make a name for themselves. So I think it will be the, you know, probably a chance for richie to steady the, steady the ships, and and and cool the shots really. But we certainly have a lot of cars to play. So, yeah, I I can't tell you right now what our game plan is, and I certainly wouldn't if I, if I did know. But uh, you can, you can be sure that we, we will be, uh, we will be organized and we will have a plan on the day.
Speaker 2:James, is there pressure on you and the team, given the fact that you were so dominant last year? There were so many podium lockouts? You've already run, I think, six national b road races this year. I mean everyone will be looking at you. Does that add a lot of pressure for you?
Speaker 1:I wouldn't say I'm feeling too much pressure.
Speaker 1:Maybe it's because I'm not quite up you know the peak of my form yet, but at the same time I'm still confident that I can perform at high level. So, yeah, personally speaking, I am not putting a load of pressure on this race, but I expect my form to be, I expect my top forms to be coming soon. So if, if I surprise myself, maybe I will be be up there on sunday, so yeah, I'm not putting a lot of pressure on for this race, I think, yeah, I had a few setbacks this winter. I think I'm starting, uh, to find my legs a little bit later than last year, which may, may not be a bad thing for peaking later in the year with races there. For me, I wouldn't say I'm feeling a lot of pressure and certainly I'm in a lot clearer position that if I'm not on the best day, then I've got seven other teammates who are probably going to be in top shape. So, yeah, we'll see. I'm certainly not gonna, you know, go out there and and say I expect to be winning it.
Speaker 2:No, well, quite right so, james, even if you were thinking that you shouldn't be revealing all your cards. But one final question. I'm curious, james, because last year, obviously, you started the season with Cycling Sheffield and I remember at the Lincoln Grand Prix you were up against St Piran, fighting off Alex Richardson, zeb Kiffin, and was it Harry Burchill or Jack Rook and Gray the other one?
Speaker 1:Jack was up.
Speaker 2:So you kind of know what it's like to be on the other side of fighting against St Piran and trying to hang on to their coattails. Do you feel sorry for the other teams?
Speaker 1:A little bit. I guess I've been in that position so I know that it is very hard to beat an organised St Brant team at the moment. But it will make it even more impressive if someone can triumph. So I think, if anything, you know there's a chance to embarrass us. So yeah, you know, fair game all to play for, and if someone can can beat saint brown on sunday.
Speaker 2:I think they'll be a very deserved victor. Very well put, james. Well, we should wrap up, because I'm conscious of not making these, these shows, too long. Does anyone want to potentially embarrass themselves talking about embarrassing yourselves, james, by by making a prediction about who's going to win on sunday? Does anyone want to just put a name out there?
Speaker 1:uh well, I don't you know. I think what we should do is joke and predict a men's victor, and I'll put it to women's victor can't do that to me james, you seem to be willing to to nominate a women's victor, then. So come on um, I think imogen wolf is is going going very well and I also think, as a sort of alternative, robin clay is is is super strong and
