August

August has been a strange month with some ups and downs, on the up for September now tho.

The first day of August was my first race of the month in Upton. This was a Nat B with some hitters in attendance, the flat and fast course didn’t suit me characteristics as a rider, and it was my first ride back after having 2 weeks off the bike so I was fresh. The race was okay, I missed the move and just rolled in with the bunch. A good hard way to get back into the swing of things.

The week after was a heavy race week. I did the first round of the YBC on the 4th crits getting some good leg speed in and finishing 9th. The day after I was at Mallory Park which was a wet affair and I was not going well, but experience was gained. Then I travelled up to Northumberland with my family to pick up a TT bike. We stayed with family up there, and the Sloan Trophy RR was on the 8th, I originally did not get into the race but then I was told there may be spaces on the day. I turned up and got a ride in the race. I felt very strong on the day spending a lap off the front with soon to be team mate James Mckay. After 2 laps in the bunch I bridged over to 2 up the road who had 30 seconds on the bunch, 2 laps up the road resulted in 6th place on the day behind the 5 up the road. A good opportunity to race the closing miles of the Beaumont Trophy in September.

After being back for nearly a month, I mad the decision to stay in the UK for the rest of the year. Dave Coulson of Cycling Sheffield gave me the opportunity to join the team for the rest of the year. I am extremely grateful to Dave for this chance. I signed for the team on the 11th and did my first race on the same day. The second round of the YBC crits, finishing another 9th, still struggling with that race sharpness and top end speed.

The next race was Lancaster GP on the 15th. This was the first round of the National series and my first prem (premiere calendar) of the season. Here I felt bad, as soon as the flag dropped I was struggling doing a crazy high heart rate for power I know wasn’t good enough for me. Feeling not right I pulled out. I had a rest day the day after, then messed about on the MTB on the Tuesday. I felt ill again Tuesday night and went to the GP Wednesday. They told me I had tonsilitis and had to go on Antibiotics for 10 days.

I felt fit enough to start Ryedale GP on the 22nd (the second round of the national series). After another week of the bike pretty much I started Ryedale with low expectations. This race did not go to plan. Mechanical issues with my front mech, a dropped chain, broken glasses, a rear puncture and lack of legs was the summary. Everything except a crash pretty much aha. Just really not my day.

Then it was onto the final race of the month at the 3 day VE day stage race. Starting on the 28th. Stage 1 was TTT I gave it my all for the lads and they finished it off with a good 7th place on the day. Then stage 2 I felt a bit back to normal. Strong attacking riding and covering moves but nothing stuck for me or the lads. A move went with 40 mins to go and stayed away until the line. Stage 3 the following day started with a ITT, personally I took this one easier to save legs for the TTT and the RR to help the lads. Stage 4 was then another TTT, this time I felt stronger and emptied the tank to finish another 7th on the stage. This was also the day I finished my antibiotics. Going into the final day George and Will were well placed on GC. I spent the first hour full on. Covering all the moved getting in breaks and giving it my all to stop anything dangerous getting away from the boys. After an hour and 15 I got popped but I knew I gave it my all to help the lads. I finished a lap down on the winner, my team mate George Wood! This made the whole race a lot better. He’s flying.

For me now I am focusing on getting more racing in and building some form for the Beaumont Trophy and the National TT championships.

As always none of this would be possible without the help of Pedal potential and the Lewis Balyckyi trust fund.

July

July has been a strange month for me with coming back home and having some stress.

Starting the month I came back from the altitude camp, had one day back in Cocentaina then drove up to the Basque on the 3rd for a race on the 4th (Besain Proiba). I had my best form of the season at this race, making it over the first climb in the front group and doing my best power I have ever done. However, a worn-out tyre put an end to my race. Having no grip on damp Basque roads is not ideal. I wasn’t too happy!

After that having been given no races, I decided to come back to the UK to see my family and race here for a while. I flew home on the 10th. Which was great as I was home in time for my birthday.

It was great to get some good training in on home roads and spend time with my family.

Then I did a small circuit race on the 17th, I did not feel too good here today but gave it a good crack and was good to get some leg speed in and race practise. Then the day after was Barnsley Nat B, a hard race but a good course and temperature for me. However, I came into the race very fatigued and this was the cue I needed to have some time off the bike. Rest up and get fresh both physically and mentally. Coming back from Spain and planning the rest of this year was very stressful and it all caught up with me. It is very important to listen to you body and mind and this is what I have done.

I have really enjoyed 2 weeks of riding when I want and just spending time with my mates that I normally wouldn’t be able to do. I am excited to get back into it tho, with the Upton nat B on August the 1st coming up next for me.

Cheers, Ewan

June

June has been a big training month for me, my biggest ever I am pretty sure. As I am writing this, I am 2 weeks into an altitude training camp in Sierra Nevada to gain some form for the second half of the season.

My first week in June was a big one, 26 hours of training prepping for the upcoming races the week after and to improve me sustained aerobic efficiency. The last big week of a 3-week block before a ‘chill’ week.

This chill week involved a round of the Copa Espana on the Wednesday then another smaller race on the Saturday. The Copa was a hard one for me, I tried to get into several moves but in the end, nothing was sticking, then I was in a bad position for the start of the first climb then just couldn’t close the gaps needed to stay with the group. This was a shame for me, but it is what it is, this was shortly followed up by my first ever crash in a race. 55kph on a right-hand hairpin. My choice was go off the cliff or crash so I chose to go down. I got very lucky with the crash only getting a few light grazes. Nothing serious and I was able to get back on the bike. I did get pulled in the end as I lost a lot of time in the crash, but that’s how racing goes.

Then it was time to recover and go to the next race on Saturday, GP Zeneta. This was a good race for me where I had good legs. I managed to get in the break, lead out my teammate to win the Sprint classification, bagged 3rd for myself and got some new power pb’s. However, the break was raced very negatively with only 4 of us pulling turns and 6 people sandbagging. We got caught on the climb then I couldn’t hold the wheel as I was cooked from the break. In the end I clipped off with 1km to go to lead our group in with a teammate. I enjoyed the experience of being in the move, my first one here in Spain. Now I have gotten into a move I feel more confident being able to get into others.

After the race it was straight into a 5-hour journey to get to altitude. After quite the faff we managed to get in at2.30 am having spent 1 hour looking for the key to the house. Since arriving I have solely focused on training well having put in 45 hours of work over the last 2 weeks.

Next up for me is to finish the camp then I am racing in the Basque on July 4th. I am excited for this and hopefully all goes well.

Thanks for reading!

May

May has been a full-on month of racing for me, lots of new lessons learned and new power pb’s gained showing my steady progression.

My first race of the month was on the 2nd in Villena. A relatively local race only being 40km from home. This was a shorter race at 90km but was full gas the whole time. It was a pretty chill initial 20km then straight into a 5km climb which we looped round and then did it again after. I felt very good and attacked on the first climb splitting the bunch into maybe 50 guys from the 150+ starters. Then was following some moves and managed to bridge my group to the leading group on a smaller intermediate climb, after we all stuck together on the 2nd climb. Then we had a rapid descent where the winning move clipped of due to people letting the wheels go, I unfortunately missed this, but I tried to bridge over later getting within 5 seconds from the initial 30 second gap but I just couldn’t close it. Then I had to roll into my group for a small sprint finish where in the end I was 23rd overall and 4th u23. It was a great experience being able to attack and be aggressive which has helped get my confidence up in races.

After Villena I had a week to get a good block of training in before my next race on the 16th the 73rd GP Vila-Real.

This was an interesting race for me, some positives but also lessons learned, and mistakes made which prevented me from being able to help the team more and getting a better result. The course was 150km with 2,100m of climbing. After 12km I got in a promising looking move which was brought back by someone in the move’s teammate! Then it was a case of sitting in, positioning well, saving energy and taking on enough fluids. This was my first-time racing in 30+ degree temperatures.

The course meant it was an attrition like style of racing with people going off the back and not really off the front. I managed to be in the front group over the first climb but positioned poorly I was at the back for what was a very technical descent. I wish I has known this at the time as it meant a lot of rider let massive gaps open on the descent which meant by the time of the 2nd climb, I was nearly a minute down on the group I was in. I chased very hard to get back in and after 20km I managed to get back in the group. Having taken ¾ mins to recover my team leader told me to get on the front and bring the break back. I worked for as long as I could maybe 15-20km before I had to peel off and sit-up only 15km from the line. This was promising for me as it showed I can now chase back on, something I couldn’t do in my first race and that I can also work for the team and be strong enough to near the end of the race. I eventually rolled in with a couple of teammates finishing 60th place.

The week after was another race week for me and another race in 30+ temperatures! This was as local as you can get with the finish line being a 5 min ride from my front door! I did a course recon/ activation in the morning as the race did not start till 4.30pm. a good race for me feeling strong but not riding as smart as I could do. 4km into the race was a narrow cami road with a 15% climb, meaning positioning was key. I sent it into the descent into the climb splitting the group then staying in the group up the climb, I was just chilling in the group then pressed a little on the next descent to drop some less technical riders. Then the next climb was a tough one, 5km @6% avg with some rolling sections to it. I stayed in the front group of 35/40 riders here when they had to stop the race due to a motorbike crashing on the initial downhill, meaning we had no ambulances behind the race. So, then we waited for 15 mins before a neutralised roll back into town before we re started the race for 2 more laps. The laps following followed a similar style to the first lap for me. Pressing on the downs and staying in on the climbs. However, 1km to go on the last climb I had to slow down to get a bottle as I was overheating and thirsty. This was poorly timed as just as I slowed to get a bottle as I was on the wrong side of the road someone attacked, and I just couldn’t close the gap. So, I had to roll in with 5 other guys who I beat in our sprint to get 28th place and 4th u23. Happy with the legs I just need to race smarter!

Next up for me is a 2-week training block before a double race week with a Copa Espana on the 9th then a smaller race on the12th! Hoping to do well in the Copa as its local and got 2 20 min climbs in.

As always as massive thanks to the Lewis Balyckyi Trust Fund and Pedal Potential for their outstanding support.

April

April’s blog sees the start of racing for me and the first race in over a year.

My April blog starts at the end of March, with my first race of the season.

On the 21st of March we headed up to the Basque country to Astilleros. A ‘flatter’ course that featured 120km and 1700m of climbing. This was my first race of my U23 career and a shock to the system. I was happy with my legs and the team roll I played in the race giving my team leader my front wheel when he had a puncture. However, there were some negatives to take away and useful lessons learned such as positioning and being confident in the bunch more and being able to ride back into the bunch using the cars whilst keeping a cool head.

After Astilleros I had 2 weeks till my next race. This was used to get some good training in the legs and explore some new local roads to Cocentaina.

The next race was the Murcia Criterium championships on Easter Sunday (April the 4th ). This race was a great success for the team. We all worked incredibly hard to keep the pace high to prevent attacks so that our sprinter (Gomiz who is from Murcia) could be the regional champion. This paid off with Gomiz taking the win and our other sprinter-Nahuel- taking a 2nd place. On a personal note, this was great for me as I took my positioning error from Astilleros and then worked on them to be able to be more aggressive and move up the group more effectively. I also set a personal best sprint power and was able to successfully work on the front of the bunch.

It was then another 2-week block of training until my next and biggest ever race of my career. On the 18th of April in Torredonjimeno. The 3rd round of the Copa Espana. A tough 160km course with 2700m of climbing. The course looked ideal for me. The first 80k were relatively relaxed although I did follow 4-5 moves to mark them out as they had all the other major teams in them. My positioning was good consistently in the top 30 riders or so and moved our team leaders up the bunch when they asked. Then I made my error of going back to the car to get a bottle about 5km before the main climb. Meaning I was at the back of the bunch for the fast narrow approach to the climb then the climb itself. Lots of riders just kept crashing up the climb which meant I clipped put 3 times and had more stop starts of max acceleration then braking which really messed my legs up. I felt good on the day, but I needed to prepare more and get a bottle earlier or later on in the race and hold my position better. I got pulled 25km to the finish which was unfortunate but that’s the way racing is. Lots more important lessons learned which I can take forward to the next races.

Then the original plan was to have another 2 weeks of training then race again however on Thursday the 22nd I found out I was racing the Masters in Yecla on the 24th. A very Spanish way with only 2 days’ notice. But the more racing the better as I need practise and just more racing. This was only a shorter race at 85km. It was mainly on narrow cami roads it was important to have a good position which I did so I was happy about that. However, I wasted a lot of energy moving up into the wind on the side of the bunch and on the front. I made the split over the top of the main climb but then ran out of energy on the finish climb which could have been good for me. More lessons learned and I am slowly getting stronger.

The Spanish is coming along well and I am excited for more racing!

My First Month

It’s March the 12th and here is my blog of my first month in Spain.

On February the 12th I got through customs no problems and had a real smooth journey. Met by my team manager Jose in Alicante’s airport carpark, we set off to the team house and set off to commence my year in Spain.

When we got to the team house, I met the lads, unpacked and got settled in. The team kit and bikes were delayed due to some virus as per! So, for the first 2 weeks I was in last years HMT kit but when we did get our brand-new Ale kit that was an immediate swap. The Ale kit is class, and the design is a smart monochrome look. I am planning to do a kit and bike review video on my YouTube and a review blog too so keep posted for that. The bike was a more complex affair to say the least. Initially I was on a BH climbing bike for a week borrowed from a friend on the team but then it was taken away the day before the big team ride. This meant I had no bike for that which I was pretty annoyed about initially as I had trained specifically for the team ride the week before. However, at the end of the day it was one ride and none of it was in my control. Then the day after (Sunday) I was on an old team bike from a few years ago. This served me well then for the following 3 weeks managing to get some decent hours in. Finally, today I have me team bike which should be ready to go from now, it is a BH RS1 4.5 with pics and a review to follow.

The roads round here initially took some getting used to, but I am slowly but surely adjusting to them, and will be able to send it some more now I am on my permanent bike for the year.

The weather has been interesting to say the least. The 2 weeks were lovely, loads of sun and not much else. Then for the past week and half it was- to put it bluntly-crap. Rain, low temperatures and wind made it difficult to do a bunch of stuff, from drying clothes properly to staying on the bike. Yep, that’s right I managed to have a get down last Wednesday. Going up the Puerto de Tudons I started an effort that was meant to be 20 mins long, however 20 seconds in I went round a chicane at maybe 5% at 30kph and my front wheel just went on some oil. I landed hard on my left cutting up my knee and hip (tearing my new shorts in the process), but it was my wrist that was worse off. I had to go to the doctors here where the wrapped it up in compression bandages gave me some drugs and said I’ll be reet (alright for those of you not familiar). The bandages weren’t working for me, so I walked round Cocentaina (where I live) to find a wrist splint. I did manage to at 16 euros!! This better last a while aha. Fortunately, I was able to ride from Friday onwards, but it meant my week went from a planned 18 hours to 10 hours (on the bike, I still managed to do some adapted gym work).

The language barrier is hard, but I am learning more and more Spanish daily. Personally, I am finding just practising Spanish with the locals and team riders is the best way for me to learn. Also, although people slate Google translate for its inaccuracies it is proving a really useful tool for me too learn. A great example is when I had my first massage by Davide (a soigneur who works with Astana occasionally and who’s whole family is involved in cycling, from is dad who is a ex Vuelta podium finisher and agent for Superman Lopez to his sister who also has ties as a soigneur for Astana!) Davide speaks Spanish and Italian and not so much English. So I managed to have a massage length conversation with him (50 mins ish) using translate to ask him questions and also to understand some of the words he was saying to me. I am slowly getting there!

Other than all of that the food shop is cheap split 6 ways and Mom and Dad have said they’re saving a bunch by me being here! And the coffee stops are a euro each- a personal highlight.

Now then that’s a wrap for my one-month lowdown. Overall a class month despite its downs. Now I am in a nice routine and settled it can only go up from here, especially as racing is just around the corner.

Adios.

March

So, I just thought I would do a short update before my one-month review on the 12th. The races I mentioned in the Feb blog have both been, unfortunately postponed. Meaning my first race now is on the 21st of March at a place called Astillero near Santander. I will do a pre race review before hand, not sure what on yet may make a Instagram reel or TikTok to experiment on my socials. Trying to expand and do more so let me know if you have any ideas! Team bike YouTube video and kit review coming up also some more exciting Path to Pro’s coming up. Now I am in my routine consistency is coming.

February

February for me so far has been getting everything in place for my move to Spain. I have my Spanish residency now so I can fly no worries, the PCR test is booked, and suitcases are down from the attic ready to pack. I am writing this on the 7th of feb and from today are only 5 days until I fly out to Alicante. I will be joining my other British teammates; Tom Martin, Louis Sutton, Matt Watson and Joe Bennet in our house based in Cocentaina on the outskirts of Alcoi. The area is very mountainous, well suited to my preference as a rider.

The first race of the year was due to be the Spanish cup Don Benito on the 28th (Spain’s equivalent of the UK national series but on a large scale). This race has been cancelled due to some virus that’s going round. So, the next raced planned on the calendar is the next round of the Spanish cup- Guerrita on March 7th. Fingers crossed that goes ahead.

The plan when I arrive in Spain on the 12th is to move into the house and get settled. Then collect the team bikes and kit (very excited about this) then the next step is to the training camp on the 18th to the 21st. Here I will get to meet all the other Spanish teammates and practise my newly learnt Spanish- or what I can of it.

Other than the excitement of moving to Spain and getting all my team kit, for the 2021 season I am being supported by Pedal Potential and the Lewis Balyckyi Trust Fund. These funds do an amazing job in supporting young riders chase their dream of becoming professional. I am extremely grateful of their support for this season and will do my best to achieve the results deserving of the support they give. Check out my sponsor/support page on my website for their links!

Team Announcement 2021

A late change of plan but I'm delighted to announce I'll be riding for Fundación De Ciclismo Benicadell in Spain next year.

They are part of Bahrain Mclarens feeder setup. Living out there and racing and training, looking forward to hitting some big races and stage races that suit me.

A huge thanks to everyone who's helped get me here on this journey so far. All in now for a big winter of traning with cycling performance coaching.

Nettlar Telecome-Ale

An elite/U23 Spanish team with many years of experience. Last year the team moved 4 riders up to the pro ranks, and with direct links to the Bahrain Victorious world tour squad there is some exciting pathways to follow.

Everesting (2020)

With all my summer racing cancelled this year at the start of June, I told Oli (my coach) that I wanted to work towards an Everest. With previous experience of this discipline, taking the youth off road record a few years back, I decided on a climb which would require the same amount of ascents, 65.

Careful planning and a lot of maths went into this, we wanted to make sure we didn't make the mistake of under estimating how many reps we would have to do and utilised the knowledge from Andy Nichols, a big shout out to Andy for his advice on my nutritional strategy.

I also set up a Just Giving page, in order to donate towards Cardiac Risk In The Young and Alzheimers Society where £3000 was raised, truly amazing. Support on the day was incredible, many gave up their Saturday to help marshal and support the attempt, it was this support which helped me through the hardest reps in the second half and the fact that people didn’t choose to lose their loved ones really put the pain I was experiencing into perspective. A completion time of 8:53 puts me in the seat of the fastest junior rider worldwide to complete an Everest. Something I am incredibly proud of.

Thank you to all those who came out to support, with special mentions to Ilkeston Cycle Club, my mom and dad and Oli for their continued support.

Everesting (2018)

I set myself the target of ascending from High Peak junction to Black Rocks 63 times in one day to achieve 8940 metres of climbing for my Everesting challange. It was on Saturday 14th April, and I started at 05:30am. After a mammoth 17 hours of riding successfully completed the challenge at 22:30 that night. I was aided by Steve Heading who rode with me almost all the way. I was totally physicallly and mentally drained after the ride.

I would not have been able to complete it without the amazing support of my friends, family and Matlock CC members who were there throughout the day. My Everesting raised £2651 for Cardiac Risk in the Young and CLIC Sargent.