The 2017 season Comes to an end

The season didn't start well. After starting with some customary lower lever British races it was time to start the year in real faishon with the first UCI junior race, The Nokere Koerse. My first race in a 200 strong field. It was certainly a change to the "chipper" UK races. Having survived the whole race with a relatively unremarkable performance, there was a terrible misfortune to come. 50m from the line I collided with my teammate Ben Turner and we became entangled on the barriers. So the season did not start well.

Following some rough races in the north of Europe and some serious time in the gutter I began to find some confidence. Finish 21st in the Guido Reybrouck classic and top 40 in the tour of Flanders despite some bad luck. Following 2 weeks in Mallorca we were ready to go again with "la coupe de president de la ville de Grudidaz" which was my most consistent performance in a stage race all year. 5th overall and part of the 3rd best team. The first race where I felt confident enough to try to race and win.

Poland was followed by a loss of focus. In Axel it seemed if there was a crash I was in it and I only saw the front of the race once or twice. The race ended in tears and I would be forced to watch the final stage from the roadside having crashed out on stage 3. This disastrous result reinvigorated me and I had a new zeal to come back stronger for the next race. 3 days in Holland. This went well finishing 10th overall and winning the 3rd stage in emphatic fashion from a 2 up breakaway against a charging peloton. This was followed by a strong performance at the national championships where I was the first to breakaway and stayed clear of the favourites until 20km to go having been in front for 100km. Sadly I was incapable of going with the decisive move of 6 but I did hold on for 10th.

In the last block of races in France I won the hotspot sprint competition in the final race of LA junior coupe de France. I then crashed out of the Ronde des Vallees in the time trial, I finished the stage in 58th despite the crash but was forced to withdraw due to the injuries.

The final true Road race of the year was La Philipe Gilbert Classic- equivalent to the professional liege Bastogne liege race. This was a fantastic race and to race up la Redoute was an incredible experience. Of course my result was, much less incredible but My team mate Georg Mew-Jensen did a great ride and fellow brit Jacques Sauvagnargues rode to an incredible 3rd.

After that the only big event left was the duo Normand which I was to ride with my Friend and teammate Harrison Wood. We rode a blistering first 40 km but had underestimated the final 10-12km. Despite dying a thousand deaths we pulled each other to the 2nd spot on the junior podium and 20th in the overall competition. It was a great way to end the year among the team that has become like a family to me and I have made some friendships that I hope will last a long time.

2017 was a fantastic year. A huge thanks to everyone from HMT and all the sponsors of the team. It is a travesty to see the team folding, a great loss to British junior racing. To everyone that has helped me throughout the season and to all the great friends I have made a big thank you and I

only hope that 2018 will be just as great a year if not better.

#2017 #Reflection