Spot Interview – Adam Blythe

2014_March_DolanBikes_DF4-banner

With his first win for Orica GreenEdge in the bag, Adam Blythe’s season heats up in February ahead of his first goal – the classics.

RST Cycle Clothing & Trigon Bikes

Spot Interview – Adam Blythe

NOTE: Send your results as well as club, team & event news here

Riding in borrowed kit at Revolution a few weeks ago, Adam Blythe had the first win in Orica-GreenEdge colours and his season is not so far away with the Tour of Qatar on February 8 and then shortly after that, the Tour of Oman and Tour of Langkawi. All races with plenty of warmth and sun which I am sure will please the Yorkshire rider.

AdamBlythe2015_Dolan

Adam was already looking tanned though after three weeks in Australia during November at his first Orica-GreenEdge training camp in Canberra and Bright. That was good he explained before adding he’s never trained that hard in November before.

“The Aussies were training for their nationals so I was doing the rides but not as much as intensity as they were doing!” Adam then headed back to Monaco before some time at home in between Revolution meetings on the track.

Adam says there was a good vibe in the team at the training camp. “The management are former bike riders which makes it better and relaxed. It’s a good crew”.

Asked what his role is expected to be in the Aussie team, Adam replied “I think I will be more a lead out man for Caleb Ewan who is going quite fast at the moment. I will be helping him as much as I can in the sprints and then into the classics, I’ll be a helper but hopefully looking for my own chances along the way”.

Adam famously in 2014 won the RideLondon Classic and whilst that race had a classic style about it with some classic heros like Phillipe Gilbert and Ben Swift, he admits the Spring Classics will be another kettle of fish altogether as the WorldTour teams queue up to win them.

Adam Blythe3

Adam Blythe is congratulated by Ben Swift (3rd in Milan San Remo) after Adam had won the Ride London Classic. The aim now is for some the classics in Europe!

“I don’t think I’ll be doing the Ardennes as the team has riders like Gerrans and Michael Matthews for them so I think Tour of Flanders and Wevelgem hopefully. I’ve got to see how the form is”. Adam is aware that back in the WorldTour, riding the big races is not a given and that he will have to earn his place. There is time to earn that place however with the classics in late March and April.

Looking further ahead, nothing has been decided upon such as the Grand Tours but having not ridden the Tour de France before, getting in the team for 2015 would be a good year to do it with the Tour spending time in Belgium. “The race will go there with a lot of stress for positioning for the first week” Adam explained before adding that there is so much more to the Tour, a place in the nine is a tough call.

With racing in February, January is a training month mainly with more base work before the training camp in Alicante when things are stepped up a level in intensity. After that, it’s a series of stage races and then resting in between.

Finally, away from the road, I noticed Adam was sporting a new bike, a Dolan DF4. The last hill climb I saw him on his old faithful Kevin Winter track bike, one that goes back to his junior days. The DF4 is the latest Dolan track bike and Adam admits “Terry makes very very good track bikes. I have had it for a year and it’s good bike, I love it”.

AdamBlythe2015_Dolan2

Adam will be one of the stars in Glasgow for the next round of the Revolution Series.

Prendas480

Prendas Orica jersey

Send your results as well as club, team & event news here

Other Results on VeloUK (including reports containing results)

Other News on VeloUK

Tags: , ,