Feature – Joshua Edmondson (NFTO)

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Feature interview with Joshua Edmondson (NFTO) who has been in the breaks two days in a row.

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Feature – Joshua Edmondson (NFTO)

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Joshua (right) in the break with teammate Edmund Bradbury.

As we walked into the hotel, all Joshua Edmondson could say was I need a chair to sit down! The hard work from the two days had taken its toll and he knew he had a harder day to come on stage 3 as he explains in this interview.

“The break went almost straight away to be fair. James Lowsley Williams (Hank) attacked straight away and I thought that was going to go as the bunch split and then I saw, as it came back, Edmund (Bradbury) go and I was lucky I went to the left as everyone went to the right, and I followed Richard Handley and he went flat out and I realised we’d gapped everyone.

As soon as we got in the little group, I went really hard and pulled hard for a few minutes to try and get away and that was it.”

“I think the others expected us to do a lot because there was two from NFTO but they did work well too. It was very up and down and there was a mix of abilities in the break. Like some guys who couldn’t climb and then some guys like the Topsport guy who was an animal on the flat.”

Asked how the conditions were different from stage 1, Joshua said “It was a lovely day today and I liked the course which was a little hilly and even though I was in the break, it wasn’t too hard a day. Seeing so many people out on the course who seemed to know me got me going a bit more as well.”

“The crowds were ridiculously big. Growing up watching the Tour de France and stuff like that, I never expect to see crowds as big in Yorkshire so it is amazing to see that on roads I ride a lot.”

It was a shame we couldn’t get a bigger gap today though. We were riding hard so they were clearly keeping us pegged for a reason and if it had of switched to a tailwind, it would have been hard to close us down. I think the only reason it came down quick was the headwind. Then Cofidis’s Nicolas Edet joined us and attacked on a climb and I went with him as did the Katusha rider Michael Morkov and Stijn Steels from Topsport Vlaanderen.”

 

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“We worked really well together and were going hard so I think if it had been a tailwind, we would could have gone close to staying away. We started to attack each other and I made a few because I wanted to be the last man standing but in the headwind, I couldn’t get a way where. The body is fine after two days out front. I didn’t know how I was going to go coming into it as I’ve been building up to it and been ill as well but I think a lot of racing is about confidence and by riding hard all day, that gives you that confidence. I’m glad I’ve done it.”

“I really enjoy being in this team and everyone sticks together and out on the course so many have got behind us shouting ‘go NFTO’, so it’s nice.”

Final word was about stage 3. “It’s going to be brutal. It is ridiculous and like a classic. It’s near 200k and the climbs like Sutton Bank are brutal ones. We recced it and it was a very hilly ride and in a race it will be so much worse. Even the finale is hard and in the final 15k you think it’s done but there are still some brutal climbs. It will be a hard day.”

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