With the future of IG Sigma Sport not looking completely secure and Madison-Genesis expanding, Ireland's Peter Hawkins has decided to make the jump. And at the age of 28 years he believes he can still develop further as a rider.
By Gerard Cromwell
Back in May, the 2013 season was full of promise for Belfast rider Peter Hawkins. Having gone into his home tour in the form of his life, the 27-year-old London based professional finished fourth on stage two of the An Post Rás into Nenagh and donned the yellow jersey of race leader.
With the backing of a strong IG Sigma Sport professional team behind him, Hawkins looked like he would be tough to shift from the top of the general classification. But the very next day he was taken out by a cruel twist of fate when he broke his collarbone in a crash and his season took a turn for the worst.
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“In the weeks leading up to the Rás, I’d been riding at a new level,” Hawkins told stickybottle.
“I’d stepped up a level when I joined Sigma in 2012 and was in really good form at the start of this year and looking to make another step up. I was pleased with how the season was going, until the crash.”
Brought to hospital in Limerick, Hawkins went home to Belfast a few days later and had an operation to stabilise the collarbone.
Keen to hold on to that golden spell of form which had seen him lay third overall in the British Premier Calendar before the Rás, Hawkins was back on the bike within a fortnight, something he admits now may have been too fast.
“The plate to secure the bone generally means you’re back on the bike quicker,” he says.
“And obviously the bone heals better and in the right position rather than just hoping it would stay there. I didn’t take too long off the bike. I was back training in two weeks but I think my body was still a bit beaten up from the crash.”
“And I felt a bit wonky on the bike from riding with one arm weaker than the other. I was sitting third overall in the Premier Calendar in the UK at the time and I sort of rushed back to try and ride the next rounds. I did end up riding them, but I never scored a point in July.”
Having ridden an aggressive Tour of Britain in 2012, winning the combativity prize on one stage and bagging sixth on the opening day, Hawkins returned to the event in September but he was nowhere near the same form.
“An injury is always hard to come back from but it was quite tough having it happen the way it did,” he says.
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“I never felt quite as strong on the bike, but it was also a mental blow for me really, especially the way it happened. It took quite a lot for me, mentally, to get back to where I had been. By the end of the season, I was competitive again, able to get a few results and make a reasonable show of myself at the Tour of Britain. But I never got back to that form.”
While British teams seem to have suffered as much as European based squads this year, with UK Youth folding and the IG Sigma Sport squad and others yet to confirm their existence next season, it was announced last week that Hawkins will ride for Roger Hammond’s Madison Genesis team for 2014.
“I worked with Roger at the 2012 Tour of Britain,” says Hawkins.
“He was a guest directeur sportif for us and it was pretty much his first experience of being a manager. I got on very well with him. As a DS, I found him really helpful. He’s got so much experience and I think he saw something in me as well. He put quite a lot of faith in me during the race.
“He challenged me and it definitely worked. I probably had the best week of my career in that race. We kept in touch and when I heard the team might be expanding next season, I approached him and he was pretty keen for me to come on board.”
“It’s quite difficult for British teams to get invited to European races purely because there are five or six teams competing for the same places. But I think Roger’s profile will make it that bit easier for us to get into some races. Also the budget is slightly bigger then IG Sigma’s and the race program is slightly better.”
While he is unsure of his exact program yet, Hawkins would like to lay the ghosts of this year’s Rás to rest if he gets the opportunity to ride it next year. A ride in the Commonwealth Games is also a big target.
“The team didn’t ride the Rás last year because the squad was pretty small and they were more focused on riding the Tour Series. But if we get to ride it next year it’s definitely something I’ll be looking forward to, especially after this year.”
“I actually quite like coming back and doing the really big races on the domestic scene like the Des Hanlon Memorial and others. I think the level of racing in Ireland is pretty decent.”
“The racing is more aggressive than any of the domestic races in the UK so hopefully I’ll be back and forth. If I do ride the Rás, I’ll be there to win it. I definitely want to be at the Commonwealth Games too; do a good ride there.”
Now in his third season on the British circuit, Hawkins admits he still harbours dreams of the big move to Europe.
“I think it’s still a big ambition,” he admits.
“I didn’t grow up dreaming of riding in Britain. I’m really happy to be able to do that for a living. I spent a lot of time unsure if that would ever happen, but it’s still a big ambition of mine to progress as far as I can.”
“All I wanted when I started cycling was to see how far I could take it. I think having a break at the end of the season has done me a lot of good and I’m getting back training now and am feeling fresh. I’m 28 next month and still feel like I’m developing so, hopefully, this year will be another step in the right direction.”
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