News – Talking to Chris Opie

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Chris Opie pleased to be racing with his best friends in a new team for 2015 after an illness affected 2014 season

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News – Talking to Chris Opie

One of the country’s fastest sprinters, Chris Opie had a very much up and down 2014 season . There was a lot of time out due to illness but also many a glimpse of his brilliance in the bunch sprints against prolific winner Adam Blythe.

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Chris is second to Adam Blythe at the Circuit Race Championships in 2014

Overall, Chris had eleven top tens during the season’s major events including six podiums but he is looking to better that in 2015 with his new team. Asked about his motivation in joining One Pro Cycling from John Herety’s men in black, Chris explained “these are the best friends I have in cycling and you want to be with them in the same team if you have that opportunity”.

“I had a lot of advice from John Herety at the end of last year which I am really grateful for and because of that, I was able to make a decision on what I needed to do to keep going forwards”.

“Last season with Rapha, on a personal level was not so good because I was ill so I constantly felt like I was chasing my fitness but I learnt a lot which is what can happen when things are difficult. I didn’t have a good winter leading into last season and then my son started pre-school and I started to pick up all the nice infections that children like to bring home”.

“It was nothing major but smaller ones back to back so I’d get to train for a few days and then I’d get ill again. We were careful early on but then it did end up costing me six weeks of racing”.

The 2015 Season
Chris says thankfully, this winter is going much better. “Touch wood, I have not been ill and it’s a little bit different to other winters. I did some mountain biking and didn’t have as much time off so it’s been enjoyable”.

“I have also enjoyed riding my bike more than I have in the past as there have been more riders to ride with at home back in Cornwall”.

Prior to the 2015 Perfs Pedal where Chris, a former winner, was second, his team had a ten day training camp which he says was good despite the weather not playing ball. “The camp was interesting” Chris says . “To see how strong riders are away from racing where its pure fitness rather than racing where experience is a big part of it, was interesting”.

“You realise how strong everyone is around you and that makes you go a little harder. I think it is fair to say we were unlucky with the weather when it rained for about half the camp and it was quite cold but we did get in some good rides”.

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2015 Perfs Pedal: Chris Opie goes clear from the break only to later be joined by teammate Yanto Barker who went on to win the race.

How hard he has been training has been noticed by those on Strava and Chris was second in the Perfs Pedal where he looked very strong indeed. A sprinter he may be but sit in and sprint is not his style as I have seen on many occasions!

“I can’t wait to pin a number on and was so nervous as well” Chris said before the race. “I have done this race a few times and I am more nervous today that I have been in the past. It’s the excitement of it all in a brand new team who have never raced together before”.

“Turning up with six of us on the start sheet as the new big team in the country, there is a lot of pressure. It is though the individuals who put the pressure on themselves because you don’t want to let your team mates down. It’s that type of pressure.”

“The aim was to work to well together and we did. It all became quite instinctive on the road”.

There are a lot of races for Chris to look forward to in 2015 and he admits his aim is to get back to how he went a couple of years ago. “I’d like to win a Premier Calendar race, a Tour Series or the crit champs. I need to re-establish myself in my own head”.

Last year it was Adam Blythe who prevented Chris from winning many a major race and Chris was second no less than four times. This season, NFTO have another fast sprinter in their line-up in Aussie Steele Von Hoff and Chris agreed that the racing here is favouring sprints in some of the events.

“The competition is quite high and there are quite a lot of tactics involved because of that competition” he explained . “A break goes which establishes itself and there is a lull before the racing kicks off again. That said, every race is quite different as we have a good variety of races in this country”.

“It is good to have more competition like Steele in the races because the more competition, the more motivation you get from it and the better prepared you are for races. It’s more exciting for us and the people watching as well.”

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Back in his UK Youth days, Chris proudly Cornish!

Chris’s team will have their team launch this week and more racing and training camps follow for them ahead of the first major clash of the big teams, the Chorley Grand Prix on April 4. Good luck to Chris in 2015.

Chris Opie (Rapha Condor JLT) 2014 Season Major Events Results
Tour Series Canary Wharf (2nd)
Tour Series Woking (8th)
Stockton Altura GP (8th)
Circuit of the Fens (2nd)
Ipswich and Coastal Grand Prix (2nd)
British Circuit Race Championship (2nd)
Otley GP (3rd)
Colne GP (5th)
Beverley GP (7th)
Sheffield GP (7th)
Welsh GP Crit(3rd)

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