After the highs and lows of the last 12 months, Archie Ryan could be forgiven for being guarded when asked about his prospects as he prepares to return to racing this weekend. However, the 21-year-old is upbeat and loving life in his base in Girona. Mostly, he is extremely eager to get back into the peloton and, from the get-go, he says he has no intention of merely making up the numbers.
He will do a one-day race this weekend - his first competitive outing for 10 months - before going into Tour de l'Avenir. It is the most prestigious and hardest U23 stage race in the world with major climbs, including a Col de la Loze summit finish.
The prospect of riding that event with just one race day in the legs this year would frighten the life out of most riders. But Ryan's overriding feeling as the nine-stage event approaches is curiosity - "it should be interesting... but I want to win". He seems intrigued to test himself after such a long-term injury-related absence and a recent bout of Covid-19.
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There is a lot to unpack in this conversation, at this time, with Ryan; the dream 2022, the recurrence last winter of the knee injury that had already wiped out his 2021 season, his imminent departure from Jumbo Visma Development and his new deal with EF Education-EasyPost. First things first, the knee injury that has ruled out any racing this year before now, how is it?
"It's perfect, 100 per cent I'm super super confident it's fixed - touchwood - forever," he says. "And this time, genuinely, I'm sweet. It's time to get back racing. I'm pain-free now, but I went to team camp in July and I got Covid so that was a setback. Now I'm just back, and fully training, so it's going to be interesting. I'm ready to give it a good crack."
That "good crack" he hopes to produce is at Tour de l'Avenir. While he was 4th overall last year, the fact he is even starting this year is an unexpected bonus after not racing yet in 2023. But Ryan has big ambitions. He hopes, even strongly believes, he is ready to ride the race at the pointy end and he wants to win.
"It's a really weird one because I'm going into the unknown a bit because I haven't race," he says. "But at this level, in these under 23 races, I'll always be going in with the mindset that I want to win. And I know I can win if I was at my best shape. So I just don't know if I am, I've had a pretty shit run up recently."
Ryan joined Jumbo Visma Development straight out of the juniors, four years ago, but his first his first season in the U23 ranks was badly hit by the pandemic, when so many U23 events in Europe were cancelled. He still secured some results and suggested he was destined for big things; 8th overall in Ronde de l'Isard (2.2U) and 7th overall Karkonosze Tour (2.2). But after starting his 2021 campaign in early March, he raced for a week and we never saw again, due to his knee injury.
He then returned last year with a bang. He placed 4th in Tour de l'Avenir and won stages at Ronde de I'Isard and at Tour of Slovakia, the latter on debut with the Jumbo Visma World Tour team. Overall, he was among the very strongest in the world every time the road kicked up. And the harder the climbs were, the clearer his abilities came.
But late last winter the knee began to play up again, resulting in an enforced lay-off that will only end when he returns to the peloton this weekend for Jumbo Visma Development. He lines out in Gran Premio Sportivi di Poggiana – Trofeo Bonin Co (1.2U), some 166km starting and finishing in Poggiana in northern Italy. And with that one race under his belt he goes to Tour de l'Avenir, starting the weekend after next.
He was able to resume training in May but says that meant "doing one-hour spins, and building up super, super slow". By mid June he was "doing some half decent training". However, a team camp last month resulted in Covid-19, with a forced lay-off for a week or two and some complications with his lungs afterwards - "just typical post-Covid stuff".
"But since the start of the month, it's back to being full gas," he said. "I'm in good training nick, the weight is good as well. So that's good. But it's a whole different ball game when you're three hours deep in the race and you've got to do your best numbers, you know? So it's gonna be interesting, and I'm really really excited. I can't wait to get racing again, genuinely."
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Looking to Tour de l'Avenir, Ryan says he is hopeful the first stages, which are flatter, may help him ease into the event before the big mountains arrive.
"I almost think the first couple of days might be the hardest for me," he said of the flatter days, perhaps with crosswinds. "And then really half of l'Avenir is about getting to the mountains in one piece. It's the sketchiest race of the year, everyone thinks it's their opportunity to get a pro contract, and they're kind of right. So it's really sketchy and it's just about surviving the first couple of days. Hopefully the only time loss will be in the team time trial, realistically that would be okay."
He will ride the race in an Irish team that includes Aaron Wade, Kevin McCambridge, Jamie Meehan, Odhran Doogan and Dean Harvey. Ryan believes they can have a big impact and if he reaches the level he believes he can, even with no racing yet, that can including winning.
"I'd be saying to the boys. 'look we're here to win, we're not a third world country in terms of talent' We don't need to be sitting at the back of the peloton on all day, let's get up there and show ourselves and be part of the racing and have a good go at it."
But with his knee back on track and a new World Tour contract for the next few years, surely the pressure is off and he can go to the race and take any success as a bonus? "Yes, that's the outlook," he confirms. "But at the same time, I do want to win. I don't want to just take part. I know at this level that I can do it. So it's just about seeing what I can do."
He then jokes that he is currently "panic training" before adding - with even more laughter - that he has a "genuine excuse… if at all goes to shit" after his mixed build up to the race. "But I think it can go my way and I'm quietly confident," he says. "We'll have to see how it goes."
Ryan is clearly absolutely delighted to have secured a contract for the next two years with EF Education-EasyPost. He is excited to join up with fellow Irish riders Ben Healy and Darren Rafferty at the team next season.
"I'm delighted, it's a huge pressure off my shoulders, especially with what's happened this year already," he says. "And just to be sorted, and being in a team that I could only dream of being in… Right now it just couldn't get any better. And I couldn't be more grateful to them for the opportunity. And I'm really excited now for the next two years, and with those boys as well it's going to be great craic. And hopefully we can put an Irish stamp on pro cycling."
Like Rafferty, who will also join the team for two years from January 1st, Ryan says seeing the freedom that EF Education-EasyPost has given to Healy over the last two seasons was something that attracted him to the squad.
"There's definitely a sense of freedom in the team," says Ryan. "It's not all built around one rider all the time, which is great. "So that's obviously a huge part of it, and especially seeing what Ben's done in the last two years. It's an inspiration."
He also wants to get through the Tour de l'Avenir before getting a block of end-of-year racing with Jumbo Visma Development. He feels it's really important to end his time with that team on a high given how they kept confidence in him, and helped him through his injuries, over the last four years.
"I'll have a few races with Jumbo to see out my time in black and yellow, which I'm excited for. And hopefully I finish on a good note because they have been so good to be over the years".
