Following a season when he first began riding stage races, double Irish champion Ryan Sherlock has decided to focus completely on road racing in 2011 and is hoping to find an overseas team. This season, the 28 year old became the first Irish competitor to win both the road hill climb and XC marathon championships in the same year, and also rode strongly in the FBD Insurance Rás.
Former basketball player Sherlock began competing five years ago, concentrating primarily on MTB racing. He has raced for Ireland in both road and MTB discipline, was voted 2009 Irish male cyclist of the year and was ranked 17th in the world for Marathon racing.
Now he wants to go a step further. “For the 2011 season I have decided to completely turn my focus towards road racing. Thus, I am looking for an opportunity to ride with a team to further my abilities as a professional cyclist,” he stated. “Financially I have been fortunate to put myself into a situation where maximum remuneration is not a key issue for the coming season.”
Sherlock’s new focus on road racing dates back to a solid ride in the Rás Mumhan this year and his subsequent guest slot with the Eurocycles team in the FBD Rás. That 2.2-ranked race was a turning point for him, cementing his interest and completely changing his focus in the sport.
“I absolutely loved it, and I felt that my abilities are much better suited to road stage racing than MTBing,” the software consultant explained. “I felt I was getting stronger as the days went by - and I believe that I would have been able to finish top 6 had I had more experience and less misfortunate…I was caught up in a major crash. In the end I finished top county rider, 2nd Irish, 17th overall, being 6 minutes 45 back.”
Now, seven months on, Sherlock states that his aim is to become a world class cyclist, riding races outside Ireland. “I believe that my performance in the Rás [FBD Rás], which I rode without any specific preparation, and other road races, e.g. the hill climb champs and my power profile [FTP of 407W] show promising potential and ability, and I believe that with the right guidance, training and experience I can do well in higher level races too.”
He doesn’t yet have a ride for 2011 but has been working hard to get ready for the season ahead. He’s determined to be in good shape for what he hopes will be a big year “My road-focussed training this winter has been going very well,” he said. “My FTP power is highest it has been for this time of year, and my weight is two kilos less than my racing weight for 2010. I think I'll be able to shine through next year. Lots of teams in Ireland have asked me to race with them, but I'm looking to compete at a higher level.”
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Sherlock’s online blog is available at http://ryansherlock.blogspot.com.