Having emerged as one of the strongest riders on the home scene, Ryan Sherlock is traveling to train and race and now hopes to compete on the biggest stages off road. Above, on his way to the Irish hill climb title in 2012.
By Shane Stokes
Planning a complete change in approach this season, Ryan Sherlock will use road events to build up towards his new focus, having gotten his campaign underway at last Sunday’s Newbridge GP.
“I have been doing the road since 2011 and this year that will take pretty much a back seat, outside of a couple of races if it turns out they suit me quite well,” he told stickybottle.
“Basically [the prime focus] will be the marathon mountain bike race series and maybe a few a few mountain bike stage races during the year.”
Advertisement
Sherlock is a multiple national marathon mountain bike champion and has long been regarded as someone with considerable ability in off-road events.
However he has focussed primarily on road racing in recent years and clocked up a number of strong results, including the national hill climb championship, the Leinster championship, victories in various one day events and stage wins in races such as the Suir Valley Three Day.
He was also runner up in Rás Mumhan and won the 2013 Tour of Connacht.
Sherlock already has a hatful of MTB titles to his name and this year will focus on the marathon event, using road races to prepare for it.
He has spent considerable time racing in Belgium, placing highly in kermesses there. He had hoped to earn a pro contract but, being in his 30s by the time he got serious about road racing, teams were more inclined to opt for younger riders.
Sherlock decided in recent months that he wanted to redirect his focus to off road racing and is excited about the season ahead.
“The last time I did a proper season was 2010 and I really enjoyed it,” he said.
“I got a decent world ranking in it and then also… it was just very enjoyable. You go out, you race hard, and it is the strongest, most gifted rider that usually wins.
“So it is a little bit less about tactics and more about fitness and strength.
Having collected a lot of wins on the road in recent seasons, Sherlock’s bid for Rás Mumhan glory ended in the rain, and in a crash, on the last stage in 2012 (Photo: Pat Doherty)
“Also, the races themselves are all over the world. Outside of say cross country where it is the Olympic Games, any race you go to you can race against the very best people in the world.
“That is what is a little bit different from road racing. If you want to be able to race the big races, you need to be on a big team and be at the level to be on that team.
“In a marathon, it is set up where you could have maybe three or four thousand people starting now.
Related News
“Maybe only 40 or 50 are truly elite and ten are world class, but you are still against the absolute best guys in the world.”
Sherlock and his wife, fellow international Mel Spath, both work for the Identity Mind Global company. Their knowledge of computer programming serves them well in that regard, and enables them to work remotely.
Racing with Team Tomacc in Belgium last year. Sherlock has ridden well abroad and may had secured a pro contract had be gotten serious about road racing at a younger age.
This gives them freedom to spent time abroad and Sherlock prepared for the 2015 season by training in California where the company is based as well as Gran Canaria and Mallorca.
He has been doing between 20 and 25 hours a week, and got a chance to test his form in Newbridge last weekend where he was runner him to Sean McKenna (Aquablue).
He will continue riding Irish events in building up to the marathon races, with the first big target of the season coming at the marathon world series race in Italy in April.
“The general way marathons are built probably suits me a lot more,” Sherlock said, adding he hopes to perform strongly in those international events.
“Stage races tend to be two person teams, but outside of that you rock up to the start line, you are lined up at the start based on your world ranking and basically that is it.
Finishing runner-up in the Newbridge GP last Sunday, a good ride in what was his first outing of the year (Photo: Sean Rowe)
“You can have support along the way but at this point I know enough people who are in mountain bike marathon racing that I will be able to get feed zone support and things like that, so that is not an issue.
"It is a very level playing field against other riders.”
The European Marathon Championships is one goal; another will be the Marathon World Series, while the World Championships is likely also a target.
Click below to watch a video interview with Sherlock, recorded in Gran Canaria in recent weeks.
In it he speaks about his new direction, his build-up to the season and his frustration about having a big crash in last year’s An Post Rás while in contention for a stage win.
Topics
