Ben Walsh says there are many riders to look up to in Irish cycling right now. And seeing other Irish cyclists progressing from junior riders to the pro ranks makes it seem more possible. These are interesting comments from the teenager on the eve of the Tour de Yorkshire.
Teenager Ben Walsh has said having so many Irish pro cyclists riding well internationally offers great incentive to riders like himself.
The 18-year-old is in his first year at U23 level. And he has followed riders like Eddie Dunbar and Ryan Mullen in opting for the UK scene.
Like them, Walsh is spending his first season out of the juniors with a UK-based Continental team.
It is a path seldom travelled in Irish cycling, with most of our young hopefuls going to France or Belgium.
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But for Ben Walsh it is paying dividends already. He has been exposed to very hard racing on the UK pro scene.
And now he has been picked by his Vitus Pro Cycling team for the Tour de Yorkshire.
And he believes having role models - young Irish riders who have only recently made that transition from junior to pro - has been very important for him.
“In Ireland you have a lot to look up to these days,” he said. “Eddie Dunbar rode (the Tour of Yorkshire) just after he was a junior.
“He’d got onto an English Conti team (NFTO Pro Cycling – Ed). And then in Yorkshire he got in the breakaway on stage one before he crashed out.
“So riding as a junior in Ireland, you do have hopes of making the Conti scene," added the former Nicolas Roche Performance Team rider.
“And having looked at Eddie, that was one of my main hopes too; to get onto an English Conti team this year. But when it actually works out; it’s still a bit of a shock.”
Walsh in the colours of Vitus Pro Cycling. Eddie Dunbar, whom he says is leading by example for the young guns. Riding for Ireland at the Worlds last year.
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Walsh said having met young Irish riders who had made the very same progress he was aiming for simply made it seem more possible.
And being around those more experienced riders while away on Irish teams at the Euros and Worlds was also a big help.
Speaking to stickybottle from England on the eve of the four-day Tour de Yorkshire, the mix of nerves and excitement from Walsh was palpable.
“It’s only really getting realistic now; you’re here and you’re seeing all the teams announcing their riders,” he said of making his debut at this level.
“And then you’re looking at Instagram stories; Greg Van Avermaet and Mark Cavendish getting ready for tomorrow. I suppose it’s only the nerves are really kicking in.”
However, Walsh added he had been hoping for a long time to get picked for the race. And being on tomorrow’s start line is exactly where he wants to be.
“When I joined Vitus at the start, I saw this on the calendar. And it was one of the main goals, to try and get on the team.
“And I’m glad the team has seen something in me; it thinks I’m ready to get some experience at the higher level.”
The stages, up to 189.5km, are much longer than any events in Ireland. But Walsh has raced that far of late in England; at the Chorley GP and the Klondike GP.
However, he sees the length of the Yorkshire stages as a key challenge for him.
“The distance is probably going to get me,” he says. “It’s all a steep learning curve. But you have to get that experience some way or another.
“And racing is the best way of doing that. Training five hours is OK. But you’re never going to get the same speed and distance together as you will in these races.”
The main plan for him was to ride the whole race and build up as much experience as possible.
“Getting through stage 1 will be the main thing,” he said. “They’ve been saying the first hour is ridiculously quick and then there’s a lull after the break is gone.
“And then to bring the break back, the last hour is really quickly again. So I’ll see how the legs are in the first hour tomorrow.
“As a team; it’s about getting in some breakaways and getting as much exposure as we can for the jersey.”
Asked about the one-day races he had ridden in England already this year, Walsh said there was “absolutely no comparison” between UK pro racing and Irish road races.
“There’s no comparison with any Irish race I’ve done; nothing. The speed is just ridiculous. It’s absolutely full-on, there’s so many good riders.
“You’ve got five or six Conti teams; it’s so controlled. The courses are longer and harder; 3,000 metres of elevation, whereas in Ireland you may not get over 900 metres in an A1 race. There’s a massive difference.”
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