The British Continental
Stories about British bike racing, teams and riders.
The British Continental
New World Disorder
The British Continental Podcast is back with a fresh look at the state of British domestic road racing. With key teams like Saint Piran, Trinity Racing, and Lifeplus-Wahoo all folding recently, host Denny Gray sits down with James McKay (Wheelbase CabTech Castelli) and Lucy Gadd (Smurfit Westrock CT) to discuss the fallout, explore its impact on riders’ careers, and debate what it means for the future of the sport.
In a candid and insightful conversation, James and Lucy share their experiences dealing with the uncertainty of team closures, the challenges in navigating their careers, and their thoughts on the evolving landscape of the UK peloton.
Also in this episode, we hear from one of the early standout performers of the season, Adam Howell (Muc-Off-SRCT-Stork). Adam talks through his remarkable rise, from taking up cycling during lockdown to winning major domestic races this year, and what it means for his confidence and ambitions.
Finally, the panel previews the upcoming East Cleveland Classic, offering tactical insights, highlighting key riders and teams, and sharing their predictions for what promises to be an intriguing race.
Featuring:
• James McKay (Wheelbase CabTech Castelli)
• Lucy Gadd (Smurfit Westrock CT)
• Adam Howell (Muc-Off-SRCT-Stork)
Keep up with all things British domestic racing at www.thebritishcontinental.co.uk
Rapha presents The British Continental.
welcome to the british continental podcast, the show shining a light on stories about british bike racing teams and riders at the domestic level welcome back to the british continental podcast, the podcast dedicated to shining a light on domestic road racing here in the UK.
Speaker 3:I'm Denny Gray and after a bit of a hiatus we're back. I say a bit. It's been several months now, but we've got a fresh run of episodes coming up and a brand new title sponsor. So a big thanks to Rafa, who are supporting the podcast this year and everything we do at the British Continental throughout 2025 and in this first episode of the year.
Speaker 3:We're kicking off with a timely and, frankly, vital discussion about the state of the domestic scene. What happens when your team suddenly folds or collapses? What impact are we seeing from the closures of St Perrin and Life Plus Wahoo, and what do those changes mean for the riders left in limbo and for the sport more broadly? We'll also be hearing from Adam Howe, one of the breakout stars of the season so far, and we'll be looking back at some of the results we've seen so far in 2025 and what we can learn from those. Particularly with the East Cleveland classic coming up, we'll be taking a big look at one of the first big showdowns of the year in the domestic world. Joining me to unpack it all are james mckay of will base, cabtech castelli, your new team, james uh, tuning in from the seven hills of sheffield. Hello, james hi, denny.
Speaker 1:Um, it's great to have the podcast back and, yeah, it's a pleasure to be here great.
Speaker 3:And we also have lucy gad, a journal contributor of the british continental uh, from the smurfett west rock team. Uh, same team, new name this year lucy uh, are you from the new forest? Have I got that right?
Speaker 2:yeah. So I'm down here with all the ponies and the donkeys. They're all out in full force blocking the roads at the moment.
Speaker 3:Great, well welcome. It's great to to hear you as well as kind of read your writing so far on the British Continental.
Speaker 3:Let's get stuck into what we were going to talk about, what I've trailed in that introduction, which is the fact that we've had several teams folding over the last few months. On the women's side, we had quite major news last year when life plus wahoo, the country's longest running uci women's team the biggest team by far, I think it's probably fair to say ceased operations. They couldn't get the finances. They needed to become a protein, which is what they were aiming for. And of course then on the men's side we've had St Piran closing and Trinity Racing closing, meaning we now have no UCI continental teams. On the men's side we've also seen Project One and the Cycling Academy disappear to elite teams that provided, I guess, useful and potentially vital pathways for riders.
Speaker 3:On the domestic side and Hesse Cycling Team have also had, I guess, a rocky start to the season Lots of reports about whether that team would continue. They seem now to have a UCI Continental license and they've got their season underway, albeit with a slightly reduced squad. But it's created a lot of uncertainty in the domestic scene and I know that both of you have, I guess, witnessed some of that uncertainty firsthand. You've both been on teams whose futures are kind of where their writing's on the wall, that whose futures are kind of, or where their writing's on the wall. James St Piran was your team last year. Of course, there was then the sudden announcement that they would close very late on in the year. Can you talk us through a bit about how that was for you as a rider and kind of what it meant for you and and for fellow riders on that team?
Speaker 1:yeah, I mean I think everyone on the team was sad to see the team fold, uh, especially given it was the well with trinity folding it. You know it was the sole kind of uk conti's men's conti team that over 23s could be part of and, and certainly with Trinity folding as well, there are no UCI men's teams left. So, no, it was a big blow for everyone on board. But yeah, I think that's just an illustration of how rocky the waters are for teams of that size budget in the UK at the moment. I mean, if you look at the men's teams post-covid that have existed, ribble um lasted four years, uh, tim elson's team, it did six years, swift carbon did three years, trinity did five years and saint pram did four, four years as well. So it's kind of bang in line with the average lifespan of the of those teams. So it was a big shame.
Speaker 3:But as a rider, I don't think if you're on a men's uci team or a women's uci team in the uk, it's a massive shock if your your team folds because they don't hang around that long and lucy, you were riding for a french uci continental team um stad rochelle maritime I think I've got that right, uh, and you were in the unusual situation in 2023 when that team kind of announced its closure but kind of stumbled on, didn't it, for a few months? I think you continued there for a while. But talk me through, yeah, the situation there and and what impact that had on you at the time uh, I think the first thing to say is, as riders we actually didn't know much.
Speaker 2:Um, we were just being sent to races as normal. When then the tour de france announced the teams and we weren't on there, um, and that kind of, as a french team, that is the pinnacle of the sport and you, for sponsors and all the staff involved, they, they all want to be at the tour. So as soon as we weren't announced as going to the tour, we kind of had a bit of uncertainty because our title sponsor pulled out there, and then so Stade Rochelet decided they didn't want anything to do with the team anymore. That was around end of April, may time.
Speaker 2:I didn't race then for a long time I did the Tour of Brittany and then Nationals Like I don't think I had any racing in between them. So Nationals at the end of June, and then suddenly Stade Rochelet decided they wanted to support us for Plouay, the World Tour race at the end of the year, and Tour of Ardèche. So I was suddenly sent to them with very little notice and then, unfortunately, I had a bad crash in Ardèche and I never saw the team again. But they have actually continued. They managed to get a new sponsor, so they are now WinSpace, so they got a big enough budget to now go pro team as well, so it's good to see.
Speaker 3:But, um, but yeah, we were all given the opportunity to leave halfway through 2023 and I mean I I wasn't very happy sticking around, to be honest yeah, and as you've implied there, lucy and james, you were talking about the fact that we have lots of teams, kind of a big turnover of teams in the uk in particular. I mean, what's what do you think the kind of emotional and professional impact is of a team's dissolution or at least in your case, lucy, being on a team where there's just such huge uncertainty? I mean, how does that make you look at your future, lucy? I'll start with you your future in cycling, when you're, when you're facing that kind of uncertainty or closure, as it were, with many teams.
Speaker 2:It's horrible. It's not a very enjoyable experience at all. I was at a rough patch anyway in that team. I mean, the communication was pretty poor so I didn't know what was going on. I could have been sent to a race in two weeks time or never again. That was genuinely what they said to us and, yeah, I mean I wasn't really enjoying the sport anymore because I was in such a confusing, unknown situation and it's hard to motivate yourself to train and even when you are training you don't know why you're doing it. So, yeah, it's a horrible position to be in. I wouldn't wish it on anyone. And whenever I hear stories out in the UCI world and even in the UK in domestic teams, when teams are folding it, it's really hard for the riders because there's only so many spots on so many teams, so everyone's fighting for the same spots and their numbers seem to be reducing each year yeah, I mean several things that I want to you about lucy, but two things that strike me there.
Speaker 3:I mean one is just the fact that often in these cases there's just a lack of communication or no communication at all with riders, and riders are sometimes the last people to find out, and it happens very, very suddenly. Um, so many team closures are, I guess, by their very nature, unplanned, aren't they, and very sudden. And secondly, that you then have to scramble to find new teams. James, with St Piran that, at least, I guess, in some ways, the closure was after the season had finished. You weren't trying to find a team mid-season, but nonetheless, with fewer and fewer teams around, that must have caused a mad, a mad scramble, particularly, I guess, because, again for you the news was very sudden, wasn't it?
Speaker 1:yeah, it was. Um, I think it did cause a bit of a scramble, but I think, given the way, yeah, the short, those sort of half-life of teams these days, it's quite cutthroat. So, like with wheelbase, I was talking to them quite early on, um, well before I knew that, uh, saint pram, were going to fold because you need to have a backup option, basically, or at least be having the conversation, um, along a long time before.
Speaker 3:I mean you again, james. You talked about the, I guess, the impact on the, the scene more generally, um, and the fact that you pointed out you've obviously done your homework. James pointed out the kind of lifespan, the average lifespan, of a men's uci continental team in the uk at the moment. What do you both take away from the impact of those closures? Uh, for domestic riders? It strikes me that the men's and women's sides are looking very different in the uk at the moment. Um, there are no uci continental teams now for on the men's side, and there are. There are more on the women's side, although I guess none of the teams have the big budgets that some of the uci continental teams used to have in the uk. But we also have the, the phenomenon, on the men's side at least, where more and more riders are just heading abroad because presumably that's where they think, uh, their best chances of making it to the next level are. And, yeah, james, what? What do you make of of the scene and kind of where these closures leave us?
Speaker 1:yeah, no, I think. Um, the kind of closure of the men's continental scene in the uk has made it like a completely amateur sport now. So I think it's quite nice in a way. It's almost an even playing field. Everyone who goes to a prem or an atb or something is making money outside of cycling uh, more nearly everyone, I'm sure and paying the bills that way. And I think, yeah, it has to be just a sport that you do for fun. You know, it has to be just a hobby and something that you enjoy. And I think if you are looking to get a wage for racing a bike, then going abroad is the only way, because certainly amateur teams in France or you know different teams, can pay a bit of a wage. That can definitely help make cycling possible as a full-time kind of gig, uh, for someone who's young and with relatively low expenses. But yeah, I, I that's just my thoughts on that yeah and lucy, where do you?
Speaker 3:where do you what your reflections on on the women's side now in the uk?
Speaker 2:I've been in a very lucky position where I haven't ever had to apply for a team. I've always either been spotted and asked to join or have had people help me get into a team. So I've been very lucky that I haven't had the turmoil of sending out all the emails and not getting responses and I know that that is so common and it's difficult to find a new team. As I say, there's the strength in depth now is so massive that there's just not enough spots on teams for riders. And I mean last year I started the year as an independent rider riding for Le Col. I couldn't, I couldn't finance it. I managed three months and it's just too much. And you know I punctured at Sickle and didn't have a team car. So it's necessary to be in a team, even if it's just for being able to afford to go racing and for the support of the racers as well. But I think the women's side is the strength and depth has increased so much even just this year compared to last year.
Speaker 1:So I think we're in a really, really strong position yeah, I might add that I think there is a decline in, maybe, participation of road racing. Uh, on the men's side at least that's how I see see things I remember a time when it was really hard to get entry into certain races, and now it seems like pretty much anyone who wants can can turn up, which is good in a way. But certainly there is, yeah, a decline in the number of races and the number of people racing. I think the the absolute level of the best riders is probably higher than ever.
Speaker 3:I don't think it's it's necessarily any easier to win, uh, a national series race than than in the past, but I think, um, yeah, there has been a sort of reduction in the size of that pyramid yeah, and it strikes me that one of the benefits of having a uci continental team in the uk is not just the fact that gives riders international experience, uci road racing experience, because you can get that at club level as well, but it keeps riders at home, doesn't it? I mean you we have a lot of. There's a big contrast between the men's and women's sides, where we've got a healthy number of UCI continental teams and women's sides, and most of the strong riders that aren't kind of picked up at the pro level are based in the UK, whereas a lot of riders, young riders on the men's side are going to france in particular to try and ply their trades. And it it does affect the numbers at races. We've seen beck cc road race announced today well, told us today that they're not going to continue.
Speaker 3:That was a race, a national b level road race, that can was around since 1983. So and that's really just down to the participation and the numbers not being there anymore. I guess without a UCI continental tier on the men's side, then riders probably have less incentive to stay in the UK and to race in the UK and feel they perhaps need to go abroad to get to the next level I think it depends on the rider's age and maybe what they're looking for in the sport.
Speaker 1:I think if someone's young and they're looking to try and become a professional rider, then yeah, absolutely going abroad makes more sense now than ever, or at least in recent times.
Speaker 1:But I think if you're, you know, closer to 30 than than 20 and you still want to race your bike, but maybe you've got a job or you've settled down somewhat, the strongest of those guys are still going to be wanting to race and whereas five, 10 years ago maybe they'd be on a UCI team that would take them abroad to race the most you know the strongest of those kind of riders, now all they've got to hit is the National Series and National B's. So I think it can actually make the level of them even higher in a way, because previously you might have had that older generation who are maybe in their physical prime, being taken to bigger races, and now they are left with just a club team or riding for themselves and doing the national series. So yeah, it's a it's a bit of a mix, I think. But I think what, um, what appeals more is probably due to the the person's individual circumstances yeah, lucy, you're.
Speaker 3:You're doing a phd, aren't you?
Speaker 2:so I guess being in the uk is paramount for you and being able to combine your studies while also racing yeah, I mean we've, we've settled as well, like jordan works full time, so in the office, so we can't really be anywhere else but here, um.
Speaker 2:But I would just like to add to what james was saying there. Like riders going abroad, it does seem more appealing, because I don't I don't know what pro teams and world tour teams look at, but if you're winning nat b's and nat a's without any continental riders in them, what does that say? Like we know that the strength is higher than ever and it's harder to win than ever before. But you, you can't just say that to a team and be like, oh it's really hard. Of course it's. So I think that it is obviously more appealing to go abroad, because everyone knows that the French national race is essentially UCI races and if you get in the top 10 there you could be offered a World Tour contract. But if you get a top 10 and then that A in the UK, I don't know what teams would make of that anymore.
Speaker 1:And it's not just the kind of physical demands of the race, like if you win a national b or a national a race and there's only 80, 100 guys or girls in that race, kind of what does it mean?
Speaker 1:Because even if you're doing crazy numbers and it's a, it's a really hard physical performance. It doesn't translate to doing a race with double that bunch on closed roads with point to points and you know the. The racing in europe is a lot different from a technical and tactical point of view. So if you're a professional team, it makes way more sense to sign someone who are doing the races that you're. That look like what you're going to be doing if you sign, you know, if you're a world tour team and or a pro conti team and you you sign a someone who's been mopping up the national series. You know they might be good at racing with oncoming park cars but it doesn't mean that they're going to be, you know, great, uh, point to point race, because that's just not something they've ever you know they would ever have that experience and exposure to in the uk right.
Speaker 3:Well, we'll leave it there, because I think we could spend a long time talking about state of the scene and, uh, we we've got other things to talk about, more positive things to talk about, let's hope, uh, in the rest of the episode. Um, first up, we hear from adam howell, uh of the muck off srct stalk team. He is a 20 year old who has been one of the breakout stars of the season so far and won a stage at the Peaks today, then won the Kennel Hill Classic and is going into the East Cleveland Classic with a very, very strong looking team now certainly one of the teams to watch. Let's hear what he had to say when we had a chat with him. Yeah, adam, just to start with, then it'd be good to find out a bit about your, your background. Really, how did you first get into to road racing?
Speaker 4:kind of a long-winded way really. Um, I only started properly cycling about four years ago. All started through covid. I was just having my mountain bike and I was just riding, riding on the road to keep fit, started doing little local loops, only like six miles, and I'll just do that every day and I was like, oh, it's good fun, I'll get a road bike. And um, I bought my first first road bike off ebay 90 quid. Bottom racket was completely destroyed. It is it's a viking sprint and um, it weighed a ton and I put my guards on it and everything. And um, it was a pile of crap really, but I loved it and I've still got the frame now. And yeah, I just started that way really. Um, and then I joined farnham road club. Yeah, it just welcomed me in, really, and they didn't really do any racing themselves apart from, like, local time trials. So they did a local 10 along the a31 every saturday and I did a couple of those and I did a french in one as well and hill climb, um, yeah, I just loved it. And gary, gary taylor and roger taylor, really, uh, who sort of steered me in the direction of racing. Have you ever thought about racing? I was like, but really I was just enjoying cycling. At that point I didn't really have any plans to race. To get me more into racing, they steered me toward BC Moodle, which is my club.
Speaker 4:Last year and the year before, yeah, I think I did a like a race. I think I did a race readiness course at the Cyclo Park in Kent. Anyway, I did one of those and did my first Cat 4 race. I was just sat on the front the entire time because I didn't know what I was doing at all. I just sat on the front pulling away. Obviously, I lost the bunch sprint because I knackered myself pulling everyone along. I think I got like fifth or something, but everyone was like double my age and I felt a bit embarrassed really.
Speaker 4:Um, but yeah, I really really enjoyed it and started doing a bit more. Didn't actually race much at all the first year, only a couple. Um, there was a surrey league one. I did that. That was really good fun, but I was hanging on the back the entire way and during the during race with all races. You're why, whilst you're doing it, it's like what am I doing here? Why am I? Why am I doing this? Um, I feel horrible. As soon as you finish, you just love it.
Speaker 4:Yeah, and from there I just started into more, actually got a coach, uh, and that helped massively because I was just doing just rides after work. Um, I was laboring at the time, so just outside all the time lifting, start digging loads of holes, and then I'd just do a ride in the evening. But it wasn't structured at all. I'd just go out and try and keep the power as high as I could, which now I know is nowhere near the right training or anything. Yeah, it was from there really. Um, so Farnham Road Club and VC Mooden, that really really built me up. Uh, definitely, last year with VC Mooden they've well, they helped me out massively. I was that only racer, so I didn't have any teammates at all, which is a bit different this year yeah, so I mean I'm curious.
Speaker 3:So you got into cycling generally during the Covid period? Yeah so was that generally on your own? I mean, did you have friends doing it? Was it kind of something you just got into by yourself?
Speaker 4:it was more by myself. I'd always go out with mates on mountain bikes and try and do jumps and then crash and stuff like that. But it wasn't proper. We would just go out for a ride and try and find some cool trails, but then it was just on my own. Really, I don't mind riding on my own. All my people I do ride with find it just a bit weird because I've got I'd like I don't like stopping, I like my own speed, but yeah, it's just on my own. Trusty old cube attention mountain bike yeah.
Speaker 3:So it was really that just you kind of had this kind of inner something. Something inside you just kind of drew you to to racing. It wasn't through friendships or groups, you're with, it's just. You just kind of drew you to racing. It wasn't through friendships or groups, you're with, it's just you just thought something drew you to it. Yeah, fascinating journey from kind of picking up that first heavy bike on ebay to to where you are now.
Speaker 3:Adam, I think I said in an article earlier this year that you were having a breakthrough season. Somebody pointed out social media that perhaps some of your results last year indicated that you, you know you were capable of the results you're getting this year because you'd already had top tens in nat b's and other good results. But I think this year really has been a breakthrough for you. You've got. You've got had two national b road race wins, the first coming in the peaks two-day race, which is one of the biggest national b races around, and then of course, you won the kennel hill classic a couple of weeks ago to kind of reinforce and back up just what? Um, a great season you're having. What were those races surprises to you? Um, yes, I mean yeah, yeah, I mean, do they feel like a big turning point for you in your career?
Speaker 4:yeah, 100, like you said, I've had top 10s in that piece last year and I was super happy with those. Um, like, yeah, I didn't really expect to to win at all. Um, I think this year, just being in a proper team, I've all these teammates now and I can like trust them and it's just good fun, isn't it?
Speaker 3:like it's nice to have mates around that you can just go racing with yeah, maybe talk me through that moment where you won that stage on the peaks two-day race because you didn't even know you'd won, did you?
Speaker 4:no, no, oh yeah, I didn't know I won at all. I crossed a line and I was expecting, well, coming into the finish, I was looking around for people's bikes. I was like where, where is everyone? I thought there were still people up the road. But yeah, I crossed the line and and finished and someone came up to me like you're right. I was like, yeah, like you've won. I was like what is? Um, yeah, never, never had that before. And yeah, I was super happy, obviously, um, but it's just to win. I just I jumped away from the group on with that course.
Speaker 4:The last top section is sort of just a long drag with a kicker. At the start. I managed to just sling myself, slingshot myself down the descent a little bit and pick the perfect line out of that kicker and just give it a kick. And I got to solve the thing and look back and there's a bit of a gap. I was like, all right, let's see how long I can keep this up.
Speaker 4:And, yeah, I just put my head down, dug in and managed to get a gap and, um, I remember the motorbike guy came alongside you, got 30 seconds and I was just like, how will? Was in the in the group behind. So this is real true love, of course, yeah, yeah, yeah, um, teammate obviously was just rolling through, not attacking I guess, but that must have got me a bit of time, but I just put my head down, carried on. I was just waiting for my legs to give up, really, and then I got over the crest and coming into the finish. Yeah, I couldn't quite believe it. I thought there's still at least one person up the road and obviously when I found out I won it, it was a different feeling I haven't had that before.
Speaker 3:Yeah, you back that up then with the win at the Kennel Hill Classic. I mean, talk us through how those two wins, how your start to the season has kind of changed your mentality, changed your mindset, your approach to racing so it's just given me more confidence.
Speaker 4:Um, last year I, my coaches, kept saying just sort of just give it a go, because what can go wrong? You either win or you lose. It doesn't really matter. Obviously it does, but it's worth trying something. And I never really had the confidence in my own attacks to do that and I think just from winning it's given me a bit more confidence in what I can do.
Speaker 3:It's changed your confidence, but also has it changed how you now behave in a race? Are you? Are people looking at you more? Are you more conscious of the fact that you might be a little bit marked now?
Speaker 4:yeah, definitely um, it kind of all those people. So it came up to me at the start oh, well done. On the other weekend and um I was like, oh, thank you, I'm not use this um and I did. I found in the peloton um just moving through the bunch, people a lot more like I don't know. They let you in um last year because I was just in vc mood and kit, I was the only rider, no one knew who I was. And there'll be like if you're not a pace line and you try and try and just cut in, everyone's always a bit not defensive but you don't trust them. But ever since, yeah, getting this win and a bit more exposure, it was sort of just a bit different in the peloton um talk to me as opposed to just like, oh, he's this chopper coming up on the outside or something.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it must be also helpful being in the Muc-Off kit. I mean you're a team that I mean now, with Alex Belden winning two races, you've got Will True Love, ed Morgan. You're probably the most successful men's team this year in the domestic circuit. So you're a team everyone's going to respect and look to, to dictate the race and provide race winners yeah, um being in the in markov, um has changed.
Speaker 4:Well, I'm not ever been in a proper team like this at all. Adam ellis and phil uh malox is the director sportif. So I had a call with them to sort of an interview to be in the team um to start with, and I I knew it was good team and like it was one of the ones I wanted to be in um. And then, as soon as I saw who was going to be in it this year, I was like, ah, need to step up my game a bit because, yeah, all of the riders, they just got so much experience and all the results to prove it and, as you can see that, yeah, smashing it this year. I basically decided to go part-time and just fit more training in, but it definitely worked sorry, you said you work.
Speaker 3:You're working part-time, so what are you working?
Speaker 4:on. I work in a bike shop pedal heaven. Yeah, just love bikes, so why not yeah, so no more laboring no, luckily not.
Speaker 4:I, yeah, when I started properly racing, I thought it would be a good idea to quit that, because I was always knackered, um, before I even started, like the session in the evening, and everything always hurt and I ended up hammering my thumbs a lot. Um, I've got many scars on my hands. I enjoyed it because it's something different every day, but to be a cyclist and labor at the same time, it doesn't really work yeah, yeah, and obviously this season's been a big breakthrough through for you, adam.
Speaker 3:Would you say there have been any big lessons? You've big things you've learned from your season so far doesn't hurt to give it a go.
Speaker 4:Like last year, I would have hesitated a lot more before doing an attack and this year I'm I'm not like just attacking all the time, but I'm. I have more confidence in my own attacks and I'm sort of playing around more with the racing and I'm enjoying it more. Like last year. I all the races I've done I've always been super nervous to get going. Um, once you're racing, you're fine. It's just a bit just waiting to start Always get super nervy and then it kind of puts me off a little bit. But this year I'm excited to race more. It's just I'm coming at it at a different angle, seeing it at a different light. Yeah, I just love it.
Speaker 3:And you've got the East Cleveland Classic coming up, the whole National Road Series campaign. You have raced a National road series race before, haven't? You did the rydell grand prix last year where you became. You came 15th, which was an incredible result for where you're at. What are your hopes now for the for the season ahead? How far do you think you can take things?
Speaker 4:um, obviously, how it goes. I like to, obviously like to do well in them. Um, it's a bit, just a bit, of step up from a nat b. I did lancaster last well, did lincoln and lancaster last year. I punched it in lincoln and lancaster I basically slid for a while on the corner, um, there's a u-turn, and I just took it way too quick and just slid along the road for a while and got a nice scar because of it. That taught me a lesson. But, um, from from bridal, it's just with a nat b it's, it's hard but there's always time to rest, whereas in that a there's just attacks constantly, like it's just attacks on attacks. Uh, you don't get a chance to rest and it's it's a lot more. It's not chance, not quite luck, but does help. If you got some luck because it's so much faster, like from the gun, and longer than because you've only got a number of attacks in yourself. Um, because there's so many, well, you can only use however many matches you've got.
Speaker 3:So as soon as you burn those out, then you're screwed, unless you stop for a coffee, which I think would go down very well in the middle of a race and and finally, adam, I mean you strike me as someone who obviously goes well uphill, but how would you describe yourself as a rider to those people that don't know you so well?
Speaker 4:definitely the longer drags suit me the better. Um, probably down to me when I didn't have a coach, just smashing it all the time, just constantly on the pedals, not really doing any. Zone two, as we call it now. Uh, I didn't really know. That was as soon as I got introduced to it. I didn't really like it. It was just too slow. Um, it felt a bit boring. I was like why, why am I going slow? To go quicker in a race? Probably more of like a lead out man slash the mystique. Definitely better at the longer sort of efforts like like time trial and really, and I'd say, better in a breakaway than I am in a sprint, right, I mean, that's quite a modest thing to describe yourself as a kind of lead out man, domestique, somebody who's won two nat b races.
Speaker 3:And you also came second in that uh hill time trial, hill climb time trial in the peaks today up whole moss. So that strikes me as someone who can climb well as well as uh do.
Speaker 4:A good lead up I think if it was a three minute time trial it would have gone a little bit differently. I do like um, do like. Climbs around me is a bit of a mix. I'm quite lucky where I am. Yeah, I guess I'm still finding out what I'm best at. I do enjoy the longer efforts, more like in training. I prefer the, the eight minute as opposed to a one minute max.
Speaker 3:That just yeah, that's horrible maybe a better question, maybe a better way of putting it is what kind of race, what kind of big race do you see yourself winning in an ideal world one day?
Speaker 4:in an ideal world, I think parry revay would be amazing, but I mean that is a long, long way away. I've got a lot of work to do before I come anywhere close to that. But yeah, like a just a long, hard race yeah, so we've got a.
Speaker 3:You'll have an opportunity later this month with the cycle classic to, I guess, try your hand at a race with off-road sectors and that kind of style of racing. So, uh, that would be a first opportunity to to test how you can get on that terrain, wouldn't it?
Speaker 3:yeah so that was adam howell, um one of the standout riders so far this season. Lucy and james, you've both been in the thick of it so far this season. Lucy, your team in particular has been absolutely smashing it this year on the domestic scene. You won the North Lincolnshire Classic, which was the first Nat B of the season. You won personally and the team won the Peaks today. Then another of the Lucys on your team, lucy harris, won the the cycle classic and you haven't had it all your own way, but certainly your team in particular has, I guess, been probably the standout team on the domestic scene so far. What can we learn from the success of your team? Uh, and, and the racing so far on on the women's side, do you think, lucy? I mean, where does this stand us now as we approach the second round of National Road Series and the season ahead?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean it's been a great start to the year. I think it's come from just being such a happy team and a happy environment and we all just absolutely love racing together. So you know we all understand each other in the bunch thing together. So you know we all understand each other in the bunch. And, um, I know, as a sickle classic, lucy and Bexie had a little conversation like are you going to go over the top of that? No, I'm tired. Okay, move out of the way and I'll go over the top of it. And then she won. So you know, like we just sort of we want to have fun racing our bikes and it obviously started really really well and success breeds success, as you say. So, yeah, we were really happy and I think they've all been hard fought as well, like not been easy and we've needed the strength of the team and the numbers that we have in each race to win these races Like peak two day. The second day I was on potentially the worst day on a bike I've had in a very long time and I would have lost minutes without my teammates. So I think that just shows the strength and depth within our own team as well and yeah, it's really exciting for the rest of the year for us.
Speaker 2:The strength and depth generally in the peloton in the women's side has increased massively in the last six months over the winter. My first race on UK soil was the peak two day and within the first five minutes of the race everyone was just attacking each other and I was like what's going on? We this? This doesn't happen in women's racing. Normally it's up to the bigger teams or people don't want to burn matches too soon, like it was a tough parkour on that day and but people were going for it and I was like right, we're racing, you know, and I love it because it makes it a much harder day out.
Speaker 2:So yeah, I think it's very unknown. Actually, going into East Cleveland Sickle Classic's the easier race to sort of control and expect because although you have can have bad luck, the narrow roads, you just as soon as you're at the front you can't stay there, whereas East Cleveland Classic with the undulating terrain but also the, I guess, easier part, certainly in the women's race going out to Gisborne back, the roads are wide and people can do stuff or not do stuff, like last year we just kind of rode round in a peloton and then sprinted up salt burn, um. So, yeah, it's a lot more unpredictable, I think, and we have so many riders that can climb so fast. So, yeah, um, I don't really know what's going to happen to east cleveland, but we can certainly learn so far that the strength of the women's peloton has increased yet again yeah, and do you think the the kind of the pecking order has shuffled a bit?
Speaker 3:I mean, your team certainly, I guess, turned heads in the first few races. That's hutchinson kind of struck back a bit, I guess, at the kennel hill classic, taking a one, two. Of course some teams have been riding uci races, others haven't. The programs have been different so it's been always difficult to know the form of riders and teams at this early stage. But it feels like it's kind of subtly changed the pecking order and kind of maybe the teams that might be expected to to take control in the National Road Series aren't the ones that perhaps you might have looked to last season.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I'd like to think so. I think it's exciting. I think last year for my team we had a tough year. It didn't go to plan at all, and I think Rick would be the first one to admit that. So he made changes and we have, like half the team has changed, um more than there's only five or six of us remaining. So he's made the changes. He's put so much hard work in and I think, yeah, it's showing how much effort has gone in behind the scenes. And, um, yeah, I'd like to think that the pecking order's changed a bit james.
Speaker 3:On the men's side, of course we don't have a uci continental team anymore. As we've discussed at length already. St pyrran were that were the team to to watch. Last year there were the team that would, I guess, in many ways dictate races. We've got a kind of new world order now where we've got a number of elite teams raptor, muck off, foran, wheelbase and others. That I guess mean we should have a lot more unpredictable racing when it comes to round one. What, what's your take?
Speaker 1:yeah, yeah, I'd say yeah, new world disorder, if anything, I think, um, it's going to be a really cagey race at east, uh, east cleveland, I think there's oh yeah, there's there's um kind of a throne for the taking, to be fair for the men's side, and, uh, there's a lot of potential riders and teams who can step into that kind of spotlight. So, yeah, I'm expecting a very messy race.
Speaker 3:Uh, from a from a tactical point of view, it's going to be a headache and I guess is it fair to say James or is this a bit cheeky of me to say but in contrast to Lucy's team, smurfett West Rock, which I guess is now having a much better year than last year, so far this year, I mean, I picked out wheelbase as the strongest team at beginning of the year on paper and I thought your team would be the team to watch, but in the early races the team hasn't been as dominant as I would have expected so far. I mean, it's early season, early doors, maybe we shouldn't read too much into it, but it certainly seems that some of the other teams have at least at the very least caught up. Or maybe your team isn't kind of firing on all cylinders so far. Is that a?
Speaker 1:fair assessment. I think that is a fair assessment. I think, to be fair, I think only four or five of our riders have done any racing in the UK so far. I know Tom Martin's been off doing gravel racing as well, and I think we have another guy in Belgium atium at the moment too. So yeah, I would say our kind of attack has not been that uh, well organized so far in the uk. But, um, I think the national series is going to be a bit different to the national b so far. Um, yeah, you've got yeah we'll see.
Speaker 3:Well, you hope so. Yeah, I mean, these things are always a bit unpredictable. I mean, you've got tim shorman coming back, who's obviously now working, uh, in an engineering job, I think, um, um. But coming back down to race, he was second last year, you were, you were third. Of course james um and uh. And mitchell mcclaughlin's told me he's racing his first national road series race this weekend, um, the irishman, so you should have a, I guess, a different team to the one that's been been uh, racing so far. How does that feel, james, now going into a race where you perhaps aren't the team to watch? This year it'll be a very, very different race to the east cleveland classic where, of course, rowan baker kind of rode off uh and solo to victory yeah, I mean, I quite, I quite like it.
Speaker 1:It's, um, there's no pressure. Yeah, everyone's got everything to play for. I know I haven't raced with, yeah, several of my teammates who are, who are on the start list for sunday, but I know how strong they are. So it doesn't mean that we can't work well together, uh, and I can't trust them to to put a shift into. So, yeah, it will be. It'll be an interesting race. I think it will be interesting to see if someone can pull off a move like rowan did last year without, yeah, I think, the strength of saint perron. That's fair to say. Um, I don't think any of the elite teams have quite the combined strength of the St Veran team of last year. So it will be interesting to see if someone can really grab the race by the scruff of the neck, like that.
Speaker 3:And Lucy, do you think there's any indication that the race will be different this time around? You described last year's race as kind of all riding around together and then a sprint up salt burn. Um, uh, of course we won't have kat ferguson and imogen wolf, who were incredibly powerful juniors. Um, but your team I mean your team always seems to have a plan. From what I've picked up so far, you've, you've, you've. Even when it hasn't worked, you've kind of tried to, I guess, use your numbers, uh, and execute different tactics, either kind of that you've dreamt up on the road or beforehand. And I mean, do you think you'll be? It'll be the same again, and can you see any different outcome?
Speaker 2:it's important to talk about the race beforehand, like we don't necessarily have a strict plan. I think more that each rider thinks about how, like, what are their strengths, how are they gonna, what can they do in this race? Can they wait for the final or do they need to get away earlier? Um, and then, yeah, we just talk to each other on the road. Um, I wouldn't say we have a set plan as such, but, yeah, we talk about ideas and what can happen so that everyone's on the same page.
Speaker 2:When you come to a scenario, yeah, I don't know how the race is going to go. To be honest, I think, yeah, like, there's a lot of teams that have really strong riders and if they can work together, I think that it could. You know, a breakaway could go this year and I'd love to see it. I'm a big breakaway fan. That would be really exciting for the women's racing, because it doesn't often happen in the UK. But that relies on strong team members behind to do a job. I guess, like Zemperin probably did last year for Rowan, there's plenty of riders strong enough to be in a break and be in a move and make it stick. It's just what's happening behind. So, yeah, it's very, very unknown, as is any race on the british calendar, to be honest, for the women, but yeah, it's very exciting as well yeah, and you have the position now where you or lucy harris has the national road series leaders jersey.
Speaker 3:So does that affect when you know, when you're riding for a team that has the leaders jersey? Does that affect how you play? Uh, you know, does that affect your strategy in the race?
Speaker 2:I've not had much experience of riding on a team with the leader's jersey. Lucy did have it last year when she transferred over to us, but I think it we've obviously only had one race. It's all still to play for, but equally, yeah. So I guess I mean by that is we can't just go in defensively already, like we've got to be attacking the racing and see what happens at the end of it. I think that we have so many strong riders that any of us could take it off Lucy, but equally, she is so strong herself that she could hold it. I think we have to see how it plays out on the day, um, but we're certainly not going to be giving it away intentionally, if that makes sense yeah yeah, it's quite exciting.
Speaker 2:To be honest, like I'm, I'm ready for it.
Speaker 1:I'm really excited yeah, I'd have thought that probably becomes more of an issue later in the series. If you're, you know you've got one rider well up there in the rankings that you're, you're maybe trying to get to win the overall, but this early on, yeah, like Lucy said, you can just swap it to your teammate and let them. Let them take the win instead. So I think it's uh, yeah, it's only an asset to have.
Speaker 3:I don't think you need to be on the defensive yeah, yeah, I mean, I guess last year we saw George Kimber having to be very defensive because he didn't have the strongest teams behind him and he had to try and cover a lot of moves. So that was that required be very defensive, because he didn't have the strongest teams behind him and he had to try and cover a lot of moves. So that was that required a very defensive mindset from him, didn't it? And, of course, I guess we'll see a very different George Kimberley, who's in excellent form already this season, going into the East Cleveland. I just wanted to to finish by asking you a couple of things both. What are your? Are there kind of any key lessons or key takeaways you've got from the season so far? Any big kind of surprises, any kind of thing? You, you think you've learned about the peloton, the way the racing's changed? Yeah, what are your? Do you have any thoughts on kind of a key takeaway or takeaways from the season so far? James, I'll start with you.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I would say Scott Redding's team look like they have a really solid lineup this year and obviously Raptor are a new team, so it's interesting. It's going to be interesting to see how they race at the National Series because I think, yeah, the National Bs are probably more where individuals can shine, but National Series away see team tactics come into their own. So, yeah, it will be interesting to see how those two teams in particular use their strength there. But, yeah, apart from that, no massive new learnings. It never gets any easier, that's for sure. The first few National Bs always are kicking the teeth, the teeth. But um, yeah, really looking forward to racing and lucy.
Speaker 3:What about you? Anything that struck you so far, uh, in the season?
Speaker 2:I think there's a lot of strong riders who come down from life plus and kind of spread themselves throughout different teams in the uk, so that will be really interesting. Um, as james says that, national series races are usually more about team dynamics than individuals, so they have spread themselves out. So it'll be interesting how, like the individually strong riders can be backed up by their teams. But yeah, I, just as I mentioned earlier, the strength in depth is insane and I think anyone can win east cleveland if they put their mind to it. Like at kennel hill classic, we drilled it out. The first climb turned around there was 25 people still there and I was like, oh no, that was pretty hard and there's still 25 people here, whereas the year before it was less hard and there was only like a group of 10.
Speaker 3:So I think, um, yeah, it's all to play for this year in the UK and do either of you want to make any bold predictions about who might win on Sunday? Everyone's nodding their heads, shaking their heads, rather.
Speaker 1:I think I don't know if it'll be that race for this first round of the series, but last year at Rydale, where we saw yeah, a bit like Lucy said where the level is is so high that it takes a long, long time to break the race, or, in the case of Rydale, it never, really nothing ever broke away. There were basically 40 35 guys who all fit enough to whack each other for four hours straight up some climbs and still be there at the end, and you had a reduced sprint. So yeah, I wouldn't, especially with the lack of a one singular super team. I think we could see a few more races like that this year, um. So yeah, maybe I'll. I'll say put my uh prediction as a mystery reduced bunt, sprint, and maybe we can have a breakout ride, um of someone that we're not quite expecting, a bit like how tom williams did last year.
Speaker 3:That would be cool to see yeah, lucy, is anyone going to beat your team?
Speaker 2:uh, no, I'll say no, I've got to go in confident. I think, uh, yeah, it's going to be an exciting race. I think it could be quite cagey. I think, yeah, it's going to be an exciting race. I think it could be quite cagey. With so many big teams now and strong riders, who's going to take it up? We'll obviously be there to race and it's just whether other teams want to race the way we want to race. Yeah, I don't think I can put a prediction, but I'll probably say my team.
Speaker 3:Okay, all right, I've actually just written our preview and made made a couple of bold predictions myself, and I think, on the women's side, uh, esther wong looks particularly strong at the moment, having won cape and ray, and you obviously raced against her, didn't you? At the peaks today where she won that final stage, she's got a ride. I'm not quite clear whether she's riding for torelli who, on her british cycling license, is her team and she's got a ride. I'm not quite clear whether she's riding for torelli who, on her british cycling license, is her team and she's riding for tomorrow on a uci race, or shibden uh, who she's down to be racing for this weekend, but either way, um, she, she'll have to, I guess, ride more, potentially ride more individually, but she, she looks incredibly strong at the moment, doesn't she?
Speaker 2:yeah, she is, I think she can. She can spring up hills very quickly, so it's about it's about getting ahead of the race if she's there at the end yeah, yeah and it.
Speaker 3:I find it. Although rowan baker had that incredible performance at the peaks today where he rode away from everyone and won by four and a half minutes on the final stage, um, he didn't have it all his own way in the last couple of races. I would have thought he would be perhaps the rider to watch, but maybe that means it's going to be very difficult, on the other hand, for him and Mokhoff seemed to have such a strong team at the moment. They've got four potential winners in their team with Alex Belden, william Truelove, adam Howell and Ed Morgan. I would have thought I think I'm going to be kind of if I had, if I was a betting man. Of course, betting is something we should never do, but I think I would. I would be thinking maybe they the winner might come from that team. What do you think, james?
Speaker 1:Yeah, I would. I would say Rowan probably won't thank me for this, but he has got a tiger on his back, uh, whether he likes it or not. So, yeah, it will be um even more impressive if he can pull a similar, similar solo move like his uh, he did last year I don't know if he's fast enough fast enough up that silk burn, climb um from a group. So I think going solo would would be his best option. But yeah, I think, if you do have a reduced finish um, there are a lot of potential winners. There's a lot of punchy riders on good form, uh, like you said, some of those, those muckroft boys um, are pretty small and springy. So, yeah, it should be a should be a good watch well.
Speaker 3:Thank you very much both of you for for talking us through, uh, what we might be expecting this sunday and for talking about, uh very candidly, about, kind of what it's like to be on a team when it's uh folding and what that means to you personally as a rider and for the scene generally. I think we probably could have talked for ages about the problems with the scene, but I guess, as ever, the issue is how do we solve them, which I'm not sure anyone's come up with a cogent answer to yet, apart from maybe the task force. But anyway, we can talk about that another day. But thank you both for joining us. I genuinely wish you both, uh all the best of luck for sunday. Um, I'll be watching out for you both. Um, not that I have any favorites here at the british continental, but uh, yeah, I hope it goes well. And so, yeah, thank you, james for joining us, yeah, thanks for having me, and thank you, lucy thanks for having me.
Speaker 3:Thank you thank you for listening to the British Continental podcast. Find out more news and views about domestic road racing on wwwthebritishcontinentalcouk. You.
