Scott Thwaites - "If I'd Gone Down the Track Route I Might Not be Here Now"

Scott Thwaites is now firmly established in the British cycling elite but it hasn't always been that way. His climb up the greasy pole of cycling has included stints in mountain biking and cyclo-cross and an apprenticeship on the British domestic scene before he finally found his way into the biggest bike races on the planet. In this interview we discuss luck in the classics, the British cycling system and how to win a National Championships.

BikeRouteHub: Thanks for talking to us Scott. You've had a good classics season, you finished all the Northern Classics and you strung a run of top 5's together before Ghent Wevelgem. How happy have you been with the season so far?
Scott Thwaites: I think it's been a solid classics season and each season I've got better. It looks good for the future and I'm learning the races a bit more now having ridden the big ones a couple of times. It was a shame though I had a couple more crashes and mechanicals during the races which affected my chances but the form was definitely there and I could've got some results. That's the way the classics go though everyone has a bit of bad luck at times. I was pretty happy to pull it round after a bad start and get a podium and a couple of top 5's like you said. The showing in Ghent-Wevelgem was a good day for me, especially in those conditions. I felt like I was getting closer to the big boys.

BRH: I saw you mention in your blog that you punctured three times in Roubaix. When that happens do you take confidence from the fact that you were so close despite all that bad luck?
ST: Yeah definitely. I didn't know how I would go because I was sort of getting a bit tired towards the end of the classics season. The legs were really good on the day though and I rode a good race tactically, I was always where I needed to be and I managed to avoid the carnage. It was just a shame that it came down to the fact that I punctured so many times really.

Looking at home on the cobbles.

BRH: It was your first Roubaix but people were a bit surprised at how together the race was at the finish. There was a tailwind but how different was it to ride a race like that compared to say, Ghent Wevelgem where it all blew apart?
ST: I think obviously you could say that Roubaix was easier. The wind was favourable to keeping the race together with the tailwind pushing the peloton. But in the end it was a tough race and it still split up towards the end when it really mattered. Ghent-Wevelgem was a totally different race though because you had to have the legs, there's no hiding with the conditions and it's a tough parcour anyway. So I was happy to be in what was left of the peloton and get a top 20 out of that. I really showed that I am capable of riding those races in the typical classic's weather and over the longer distances.

BRH: As you've said you are getting closer to that first pro victory, are all those 2nd's and 3rd's building confidence or building frustration?
ST: It's a bit of both really. It's always nice to get some good results and get on the podium - at the end of the season you can use it in contract talks. Of course I would like a win though, that would be a good start. You have that decision though where you can either go and try and get a win in the smaller races or you can focus more on the bigger ones and try and build for years in the future and not really worry about how you're doing each year. I've kind of got caught in the middle really, it's always difficult to get a contract without any results so I've got to take the small races and make sure I'm getting results each year and focus on the bigger races because that's ultimately what I want to do well in.

BRH: How have you ranked your time in the pro peloton? Has it been what you expected?

ST: I don't really know what I expected to be honest. Obviously I knew it would be hard but you only get out what you put in and all those phrases that get thrown around but it's definitely true. It's certainly hard though and you notice it more when you get to the races that don't suit you like the Dauphine last year and that just showed the difference between me and the top climbers. But it's doing things like that that make you stronger and wiser for the future. It's been tough but I've enjoyed it certainly and I can feel myself getting stronger and hopefully in a few years I'll get the big one.

BRH: You didn't come through the standard British Cycling conveyor belt of track squad, academy and then on to Team Sky. You've done cyclo-cross and mountain biking, why was that and how do you think it's affected your career?
ST: Well, it's a difficult one really. I was never really interested in the track and it's always difficult to get yourself to do something that doesn't interest you but obviously the chances were better if you did that. I did the mountain biking and the cyclo-cross and quite enjoyed that and started doing quite well at that but obviously the road is where more money is being pumped into the sport. I was also pretty keen on getting a good education because I went to a good school and I did well in exams and I didn't want to throw that all away. I didn't want to go down one route either I wanted to try and keep my options open. I went to university as well and I think that kind of stalled me in those years and I'm now playing catch up to those guys that are my age who I was competing with as a kid. I took the path that I took because it suited me the best and if I'd have gone down the route of the track then I think I might've fallen out of love with the sport and I might not be here at all. Although it's been a bit harder going this way and I'm still a bit behind I've still got plenty of years left to keep chipping away.

BRH: Do you think guys like yourselves and Dan Mclay, who haven't gone through the British Cycling regime, are viewed differently?

It's been a long road to the top for the
Yorkshire man.

ST: I don't think so. I think the British Cycling guys know that their system isn't for everyone. It's a great system and it's brought out some great champions and some amazing bike riders. It's like everything though, people take different paths. I've had support from the British system for the last few years and I've been in contact with them, they've put me on long lists for the Worlds and stuff like that. They've kept me involved and I really appreciate that they've not just forgotten about me because I haven't gone down their path and they're still interested in me. I think it's great that the British cycling system do keep all their riders in check and supports them all not just the ones that have gone through their system.

BRH: How do you see your role at Bora-Argon 18 evolving over the next few years?
ST: I think obviously I'm in the Classics part of the team so I think they've given me free role in the smaller races to try and get some results which is obviously important for this team and they want me to keep learning in the bigger races in more of a supporting role. But I also have that role that if I do make it to the last part of those races in the front then I can ride for myself and that's been good for me so far.

BRH: Do you think that British Cycling have been slow to pick up on the love of cycling in Britain? Until this year we only had 1 UCI ranked stage race in Britain.
ST: I think obviously the Tour came to Yorkshire, I'm not sure how much of that was British Cycling, it seemed to be the Welcome to Yorkshire who did a fantastic job and they've obviously been the ones again who brought the Tour de Yorkshire which is good to see. I think British Cycling are doing small bits though, they've had the Velothon Wales which has just gone on. Obviously they support the sport as best they can but they have to be fair across all the categories. Like you say though it would be nice to have more, you see with the Tour de France last year and the Tour de Yorkshire just what massive crowds come out and how big cycling is now and it would be nice to race more on home roads.

BRH: What are your ambitions for the upcoming British Road Race Championships?
ST: I'd like to get a good result and the ultimate goal is to win it although I appreciate it's going to be very difficult with the full teams stacked up against me, being on my own. Sky are always strong and they ride really well as a team so it's tough to try and shake all of them off and then you have a lot of other guys like Cav and the Yates brothers. It's a really difficult line up, there's some top guys but I'm definitely going for it and I just hope I have the form to do a good ride and I just want to give the best account of myself and if I end up on the podium or not I'll be happy as long as I've been in the race.

BRH: What are those races actually like? Are they similar to youth races where everyone is riding for themselves?
ST: A little bit yeah but obviously the British domestic teams have become a lot more professional over the years and they will be riding for a certain guy. A lot of the continental pros will be riding for themselves and will be trying to be their own team mates. But the British teams will have a few guys that they know can do well and they will be riding for them and it makes it difficult because it you do get in the breakaway there's no guarantee that it will actually stay away because the domestic teams have got a lot of firepower. But you have to just keep going and keep going and try and pick that split that will stay away and just make the best of it when you're in there.

Despite being on his own, Scott is hoping for a good result
at the Nationals.

BRH: Where will we see you racing after the ZLM Tour?
ST: Not till August and then I'm not sure, I haven't got my programme yet. I'll be training in between though and then we have a team training camp as well. I have to be prepared because it gets quite busy in August and September and I want to give it a really good crack to get into the World's squad.

BRH: So I like to end all my interviews with a quiz to test just how much of a cycling nerd the interviewee is, first question; who am I? I've been a team mate of yours since 2013, my best result for this year was 12th in the final stage of the Four days of Dunkerque, I'm German as well.
ST: Ermmm, right.....I'll go for Schwartzmann (It was actually Ralf Matzka 0-1 BRH)

BRH: Who is the current Canadian national champion in both the road race and the time trial?
ST: It's the guy from Orica isn't it? Svein Tuft? (That is correct 1-1)

BRH: Last one, from which country does the Dauphine Libere King of the Mountains winner come from?
ST: King of the Mountains aye? I've got to take a guess at this haven't I? Ermm, I don't know. (It was Daniel Teklehaimanot from Eritrea 2-1 BRH wins)

BRH: Thanks a lot for your time Scott.
ST: My pleasure, thanks.