First Belgian Team and Fall Classics

Summer is winding down, and the Fall brings a second round of one day 'Classic' races. This late part of the season is going to be very different for myself and my teammate Will E as we were both invited to join Belgian team T-Palm as Stagaires. (A stagaire is the cycling term for a guest rider) Will and I signed a contract with the new team through the end of the year. Joining this team has allowed me great opportunities to compete with the best in the world on a regular basis at races like GP Wallonie, Primus Classic, and Putt Kappalen to name a few.

My time with T-Palm got off to a great start with our first race Rhonde van Oost Vlaanderen (RVOV). Last year this is where Will and I launched an all or nothing move on the 5th day and took the stage and final overall victory. We were going in with similar ambitions this year, and I am happy to say we pulled off something great!

The first three days of the race are usually bunch sprints with the climbs coming on the last two stages, this year looked very similar. It is very important however to remember that anything can happen. I was very motivated for this race, and everyday I was able to ride in the top 20 of the peloton. It was a good thing I did so as I was able to make the lead split on the second and third day which propelled me up to 4th on GC heading into the hill days. The fourth day was a very good one for us. I stayed with the leaders all day and put in a number of moves to take the KOM jersey for myself whilst defending fourth on GC. With one day remaining, I told the guys at dinner that I believe I can still win this race overall, I am only 10 seconds away from the win. And only 3 seconds off the podium. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I asked the guys to support me and help to try and finish the job on the last day, but the team supported me 100%.

On the last day, the climbs were all around the middle of the route and the finish was technical but flat. So with over 60 km to go, I started to show my hand, attacking on a section that had three climbs in quick succession. The group was vastly diminished, but I had no teammates left. We carried on hesitantly for about 15 km before the peloton caught us again. I had however picked up a time bonus and was now in third overall on the road.

On the last lap Will was setting me up for a final do or die move to try and take the overall. As he came up along side me and started to pull the group really hard leading into tricky section with cobblestones, he looked back at me and said he had a flat tire. This was bad news, he had just started pulling. He was there for about a minute and I was watching his tire go flat in front of me. After he was nearly on the rim he pulled off, nothing else to be done. I hesitated and decided to wait as the road we were on was not ideal for any kind of move. A few kilometers later though I went for it on a short incline but I was unable to shake the Lotto-Soudal guys who were one and two in the race. We ended up going back to the peleton and it was a big bunch sprint a few minutes later. Overall I was very happy, the team helped me greatly and through our efforts we came away with 3rd overall and the KOM jersey for the team.

Next up was my first ever pro kermesse, a local race in which only UCI registered riders can compete; RaceClean was not a UCI team so we were unable to attend these races. The field was quite good at the Geraardsbergen kermesse, more than a dozen worldtour riders were present with many pro-conti riders as well. Wanty-Group Gobert was a team that brought 14 riders, we were a little unhappy with that, but little did I know it would later work to my favor.

It was an amazing experience to be riding with these top notch pros for the first time. The races started at the bottom of the famous Kapelmuur and we went up it each lap. I found myself in an early break of ten riders and we all committed ourselves straight away and we started to pull away. It was about 30 km later that the heavens opened and the rain came down on the course. A lap later the cars were being pulled over behind us, that is always a bad sign as it means you are getting caught. A group of 15 comes across to us, featuring six Wanty-Group Gobert riders. The new riders decide to keep it going and we slowly pulled away from the chasing peloton. We were going very hard all day long, riders slowly started to vanish as they would get dropped on the climb that we hit 15 times (once a lap).

With two laps to go the attacks started flying. I was alone and had to choose who I follow very carefully, luckily, I nailed it. Getting away with a perfect group of 8 we went to the line together. One Wanty-Group Gobert rider solo'd away for the win, but I was still very much in it for a podium spot. The finish line was half way up the Kapelmuur right in the center of town with a few thousand people watching in the rain (they really love their bike racing). I was to launch, I went before the cobblestones started and looked to get the jump on the guys before the road really steepened. As I charged for the line I could see wheels appear in my peripheral vision and they slowly gained on me. An Metec rider timed his sprint perfectly to take 2nd, but 3rd was a 4 way bike lunge (see above photo). I came out worst of it in 6th. I wasn't too worried though, I gave everything and I was bike lunging with a Quickstep and Wanty-Group Gobert rider so that means I am can competitive with them.

For some of the big remaining races I was trying to get myself and the team some exposure, that meant riding the breakaway. I tried at multiple UCI races but was only successful at one of the smaller races and we were caught with over 50 km remaining of the 200+ km race. The longer race distances were a big change for me, racing over 200 km is a lot different from 150 km. I found that it is impossible to be 'switched on' mentally for an entire 6 hour race. At the U23 level I find that I can be 100% focused for 3.5-4 hours. But the extra takes a lot more energy. Another part of the equation was mental fatigue. I had now been in Europe for going on four months with only Will. I found that it was starting to take it's toll on me.

It was time to head home. Take some time away from the bike to recharge not only the legs, but the mind. I had never taken my coaches advice on this before because I never raced so much that I wanted to take some time away from the bike. But after my longest ever season, starting in early February and ending in late October, I needed it. Thanks for reading. Off season here I come!