Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Ross Lamb – “You don’t get so many opportunities to climb in Belgium”

"In Belgium you learn how to handle your bike and you have to be able to sprint so improving my climbing [in France] will round me off as a rider."

-

HomeInterviewsRoss Lamb - "You don’t get so many opportunities to climb in...

It doesn’t seem like it but it was season 2017 when last we spoke to Ross Lamb, a David Rayner Fund man ‘doing good’ in The Flatlands.

Flanders gets under a man’s skin so we were surprised to hear he was moving to La Belle France – that said, times are tough with teams folding everywhere from the UK to Columbia and all points in between.

But that was our first question…

Ross Lamb
Ross is joining GSC Blagnac for 2019. Photo©supplied

Why the move, Ross?

“It’s a pretty strange one, I was trying to sort out a team; my squad T.Palm–PCW, told us on October 1st that the team wouldn’t be continuing into 2019.

“That was disappointing because I’d been talking to teams but had turned opportunities down – and now the market is pretty difficult.

“But of the blue Ali Slater messaged me to tell that there was an opportunity with GSC Blagnac V.S. 31, they’re a French Division One team. I didn’t chose them, it’s just the way it turned out.”

What’s the Blagnac setup like?

“Apparently it’s one of the oldest clubs in France, founded in 1897, they’re very professional in approach with nice vehicles and good staff.

“Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne winner and Tour de France stage winner, Fred Moncassin and ex-French pro road and time trial champion, Nicolas Vogondyare among the management team.

“Sky DS and ex-pro, Nicolas Portal; former World u23 Champion and l’Avenir winner, Romain Sicard and Tour de France stage winner Blel Kadri all came up through their ranks.”

Ross Lamb
The move from kermis to stage racing is one Ross is looking forward to. Photo©supplied

Is your accommodation sorted out?

“Yeah, there’s an apartment for us in a town south of Toulouse; I’ve ‘Google Earthed’it and it’s a house on an estate in a village pretty close to the Pyrenees.

“There’ll be a couple of other guys there too – British and Irish.”

How’s the programme looking?

“It’s not fully sorted but it’ll be races like the Tour de Normandie, Ronde de l’Oise and of course, all the Coupe de France races.

“One of the attractions for me is that I’ll be riding more stage races, there’s not so much opportunity for stage racing in Belgium.”

Ross Lamb
Ross is keen to develop his climbing skills. Photo©supplied

Wee bit of a difference in parcours between Flanders and France…

“There’ll be lots of opportunities for me to work on my climbing, you don’t get so many opportunities to climb in Belgium.

“It’s a bit of a risk for me but that said I was looking back on races I’ve done which had climbs in them I’ve performed well enough.

“In Belgium you learn how to handle your bike and you have to be able to sprint so improving my climbing will round me off as a rider.”

And you’ll have British and Irish team mates?

“Yes, Charlie Calvert, Harrison Jones, Elliot Redfern and Ben Walsh – that makes the transition easier, they’ve been over and know what’s what.

“I didn’t actually sign until recently so haven’t been over.”

You said it was Ali Slater who made the connection?

“Yes, we’d met earlier in the year and he must have seen that I was going to be without a team for 2019.

“He knew a French talent scout, a chap called Christophe Andre was looking for a team leader for a French team for next year.

“I train in the UK with Russ Downing and Russ was telling me good things about Christophe.”

Ross Lamb
Ross has won some tough races in Belgium, which isn’t easy. Photo©supplied

How has 2018 been for you?

“I had a win in March but mid-season I crashed pretty badly and was out for a while but came back to win an Inter-club and got the jersey on TV quite a few times.

“Inter-clubs aren’t UCI [ranked] so folks in the UK maybe don’t rate them but they’re very hard races.”

We list some of Ross’s palmarès below;

  • 3rd – Circuit de Wallonie 2018
  • 3rd – Memorial Van Coningsloo 2017
  • 6th – Grand Prix Albert Fauville 2018
  • 1st – Memorial Stanny Verlooy – Aartselaar 2018
  • 11th – Circuit de Wallonie 2017
  • 2nd – Stan Ockers Classic 2018
  • 13th – GP Stad Sint-Niklaas 2017
  • 20th – GP Stad Zottegem 2018
  • 2nd – Zandhoven 2017
Ross Lamb
Ross took 3rd at last season’s Memorial Philippe Van Coningsloo, as Oliver Naesen did a couple of years before him. Photo©supplied

Will you be a ‘Rayner Man’ again for 2019?

“I’ve applied again, yes and will find out soon.

“One of the things I like most about the Dave Rayner Fund, apart from the financial assistance, is when you arrive at a race and there’s another Rayner guy there it’s a nice bond that we have, you’re in a foreign land but there’s someone there in the same situation as you.

“And another nice aspect is the support you get on social media,you always get so many messages of support.”

What’s the Blagnac team bike?

“That’s a bit of an unusual one too; they’re ‘DRAG’ from Bulgaria – where they’re market leaders – the guy who founded the company back in 1989 was called Dragomir Kouzov, so that’s where the ‘DRAG’ came from.”

Ross Lamb
Ross is wintering in the Peak District. Photo©supplied

How has your winter been?

“I usually take off around two weeks but this year it was a little longer, three weeks or so.

“I’ve steadily been upping the hours since then; I live near the Peak District so I’ve been getting myself used to climbing.

“As I said, I train with Russ Downing; he’s still got it – and his fund of stories is endless.”

And is Bryan Steel still advising on your training?

“Yeah, and I’ll be talking to him more this year; I’ll be racing less than I was in Belgium where you tend to just race then recover and then race again.

“But in France there’ll be less racing and I’ll be more into building up to and peaking for races than I could do in Belgium.”

Ross Lamb
For 2019, Ross’ goal is to do well enough to take a step up. Photo©supplied

And 2019 is about…?

“That’s a difficult one but I’m hoping that in France where there are more pro-continental teams than Belgium I can land a stagiaire ride with one of them.”

[France has five proconti. teams: Arkea-Samsic, Cofidis, Delko-Marseille, Direct Energie and VitalConcept whilst Begium has four: Correndon Circus, Sport Vlaanderen,Wallonie-Bruxelles and Wanty-Groupe Goubert, ed.]

“I want to make a name for myself like Connor Swift has done, get myself noticed!”

We admire the man’s ambition and will be keeping an eye on those French results for him in 2019.

Ross Lamb
Ross is aiming for a stagiaire opportunity in 2019. Photo©Fien Vanhooydonck
Ed Hood
Ed Hood
Ed's been involved in cycling for over 50 years. In that time he's been a successful time triallist, a team manager and a sponsor of several teams and clubs. He's also a respected and successful coach and during the winter months was often working in the cabins at the Six Days for some of the world's top riders. Ed remains a massive fan of the sport and couples his extensive contacts with an inexhaustible enthusiasm for the minutiae and the history of our sport. In February 2023 however, our dear friend and beloved colleague Ed suffered a devastating stroke and faces an uncertain future; Ed has lost his ability to speak, to read, and has lost movement on the right side of his body. He's working with speech and physical therapists on rehabilitation, but all strokes are different and each patient responds differently, so unfortunately recovery is one day at a time. Ed ran his own business installing windows, and will probably not be able to work again. Please consider joining us to make a contribution to Ed's GoFundMe page to help stabilise and secure his future.

Related Articles

Michael Mørkøv – Early Tour de France King of the Mountains

Men of the Tour, thus far ? Wiggins, definitely; Sagan, for sure; Greipel, yes - and, Michael Mørkøv. The Danish ex-World Madison Champion and six day star's stage one breakaway to grab the polka dot jersey and his defence of it for the first week was one of the talking points of the race. Not content with taking all the available points on stage one, he joined the break on stages two and three to make the jersey his own until the stage to La Planche des Belles Filles where the 'bigs' decided to fight it out. We caught up with him on the rest day at the team hotel in Mâcon.

Julian Wheat – Winning French Races in the ’70s, and ‘the Mafia’

Brittany, the summer of 1977 and a group of Scottish cyclists are over there as competitors in the Roscoff–Lorient road race as part of the ‘Festival Interceltique de Lorient.’ At one of these races, a criterium on a sunny day at a venue long forgotten, we met an English chap called Julian Wheat who had chucked his job and set up shop in the depths of Bretagne.

Shaun Wallace – Part One; Worlds Pursuiter in the 90’s

Shaun Wallace was a multiple British champion, twice Worlds silver medallist and three times a Commonwealth Games silver medallist as well as a world record holder on two occasions. High times we caught up with the man; he was at home in San Diego where he settled 22 years ago to ‘escape the winters.’

Alex Coutts – in Asia

Scottish rider, Alex Coutts, who is a regular interviewee on VeloVeritas, has been riding in Asia this season for the Giant Asia Race Team; it's now been five months since his season started in the Tour of Langkawi. As "The Burntisland Buzzard" is training again in Spain for a hard six week period of racing in China, Japan and Korea, we thought it was about time we got an up-date on life competing in the UCI Asia Tour circuit.

At Random

Giro d’Italia 2015 – Stage 21, Turin – Milan; Eeeel-yoh!

Well, as our amigo Dave is won't to say at this stage; "our creds are no good to us now." Just a curiosity on the windscreen; the Giro is won and lost, Contador confirmed as one of the all time great stage racers - he's won all three Grand Tours - one of only six men in history to do so, along with Nibali, Gimondi, Anquetil, Hinault and Merckx, and now stands fourth in the all time Grand Tour winners list. The route from Torino to Milano today was as bland as you could get but Radio Nostalgia was cool and our coffee stop was a cracker. The Milano circuit was similarly bland and it's one aspect where the Giro doesn't quite get it right but Iljo Keisse and Luke Durbridge delivered an exciting finale as you get.

Dave Gardiner – a trip down Memory Lane with the 1960’s Kirkcaldy & Dist. CC

It was 1971 when I first joined a cycling club; Kirkcaldy & District CC with their red, yellow and black strip. One of the coolest guys in the club was Dave Gardiner, a signwriter to trade so whilst we rode somewhat mundane Mercians, Robertsons, Andy McNeils and Flying Scots his bike would be liveried up in proper red and white Faema trim, a la Merckx, right down to the little Duomo motif on the head tube.

Ben Swift – On the Milan-Sanremo Podium!

Kristoff was no surprise to us – especially with Paolini as his wingman; Cancellara – enough said. But the man on the third step of the podium was a big – and it must be said, pleasant – surprise, Sky’s Ben Swift, back from the wilderness. Last season was compromised by injury picked up in 2012 and subsequent surgery but there were green shoots of recovery to be seen at the start of this season – two podiums and a top ten in Nokere.

Gary Hand – the New Scottish Road Champion 2013

At his ninth attempt, Herbalife-Leisure Lakes Bikes' Gary Hand finally 'done the business' in the Scottish road race championship; timing his move to perfection on the final climb inside seven miles to go and holding off a desperate chase from reigning champion James McCallum (Rapha Condor JLT) and David Lines (MG-Maxifuel Pro Cycling) to win on his own. We caught up with the man who eats the miles - but not much else - on the Monday morning after his win.