Interview: Jacob Scott

The South Coast Classic winner Jacob Scott who was as much a winner at Ryedale as his teammate James Shaw, spoke to us after the race about his season.

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Interview: Jacob Scott

One of the most impressive riders this season has been Jacob Scott. He won at the South Coast Classic and then, at the Ryedale GP, he was in the two up breakaway out front with his teammate James Shaw and the two of them coasted across the line together to win the brutal race.

The former An Post and One Pro rider has had to do the season the tough way but still shown the hunger to be a winner was there and that is the difference between him and so many other riders who spent the season making up the numbers which is a team manager’s nightmare.

Asked if he was happy with his season, Scott says “yeah, very much so.”

Scott has had to work whilst also racing and whilst he is by far not alone in that, he has shown he can do both and still be a big winner in the bike racing game. Scott explained how he’s managed to balance the two.

“I make it up as I go along! It’s been the biggest challenge all year doing things myself. I do my own coaching although it’s by feel and not by numbers. I try working enough so I can also train enough too. Some weeks my boss will get one of the other lads in so I can have some time off to go away like next week I’ll go away and do some pro kermesses in preparation for the Tour of Britain.”

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“It is a massive balancing act and you have to take everything into consideration, even having a dog LoL, and I think if I hadn’t of done what I have done this year, it would have been a lot harder. I have known I have the ability to win races. I had my seasons with An Post and then the seasons with One Pro when I thought it was taking me somewhere else and I have proved I can win bike races. 100 per cent I’m happy with this season and happy how I managed to balance everything. I have a lot of good people around me like family and friends who have helped get me where I am this year.”

In the pro bike game in Britain, there are riders on good wages and being well looked after but that doesn’t guarantee a team manager the results they are chasing. What does get results are talented bike riders hungry to achieve things in their chosen sport. Jacob is one of those riders.

Focused on the goal of racing at the highest level possible

“When I saw the first result of the year which was Klondike, we were the last team out of the UCI teams and I thought this could be a really rough season but once we found the balance and James put his hand up for stuff and I put my hand up for stuff and other lads too, it fell into place. Hungry to do well, I guess so. We wanted to qualify for the Tour of Britain in a team with probably the smallest budget of the four teams going which is a great accomplishment.”

[pullquote] During this season, despite having to work and race, Jacob Scott was among riders with the second most top 10s along with Max Stedman and Mark Christian. I like how he filled almost every position in the top 10 along the way!
1st. S/Coast Classic
2nd. Stage 1 Reservoir
2nd. Ryedale GP
3rd. Stage 1, Manx
4th. Stockton GP
5th. Stage 4, Manx
7th. GC, Manx
8th. Lincoln GP
9th. GC Reservoir
10th. Stage 2, Manx[/pullquote]

It’s season end, Team Wiggins have just announced they are folding, Madison Genesis are leaving the sport and there is just so much uncertainty in the sport now with only three UCI teams next season certain to be on the start line of the first major races (Vitus Pro Cycling, Canyon DHB and Ribble Pro Cycling).

So I asked Jacob finally, what are his goals? “The goal is going pro conti and going from there. I really want that. If you don’t have that ambition, then what is the point? If that is next year, or the year after, I don’t know.”

“I’ll be 25 next year and it’s not old but in cycling terms that’s different. I don’t think my ambitions are over by any means. The Tour of Britain will be a take it as it comes race from the first stage.”

“The ambition is from next season to go as high as I can team wise so I can see myself going forward”.

We wish Jacob the best of luck in that goal for 2020 and thank you for the chat.

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