Feature: Q&A with Cormac Nisbet

Joining Soudal Quickstep’s Wolf pack (dev team) in 2024 is Britain’s Cormac Nisbet – we quiz Cormac about his 2023 season and the insights into his racing are just amazing! 

Feature: Q&A with Cormac Nisbet

1. The team you are joining is iconic… has it sunk in that you are going to be part of the wolfpack?
Cormac: It is very special. With the history of the team and loyal fanbase, it has been a surreal few weeks. The only way I can compare it is with Ferrari F1, Italy’s love affair with Formula 1 and the diehard ’Tifosi’ is similar with Belgium to cycling and Soudal Quickstep.

To start my career as an Under 23 here of course brings pressure, but I have had a really great vibe and support from riders and staff so far so can’t wait to settle in. Ultimately, I am looking forward to pulling on the kit for the first race of the season and getting stuck in, but there is a lot of work to be done first so it’s about staying in the present and keeping focused for now.

2. In your journey to signing for the team, what do you think were the key moments in getting noticed by teams?
Cormac: The thing I am most happy with is the consistency. I have no DNFs against my name for this year, 3 letters I became accustomed to in 2022. However, no doubt, two stage wins and 3rd on GC at the Junior Tour of Wales and 2nd at Trofeo Buffoni (Italy), largely respected as the hardest 1.1 on the calendar for juniors, made the difference and gave me the opportunities ahead of me now. While I am no doubt a climber, as proved by those results, I have a passion for time-trialling and I think that can be a slight differentiating factor; while I would prefer some mountains – I can certainly help out the team with lead-outs and on the flatter parcours.

Climber Cormac! Racing away from his rivals on the Tumble in the Junior Tour of Wales – Photo: John Pierce / PhotoSport

3. In what ways was the team you were part of, Zappi Junior Race Team, important in helping you get the racing you needed?
Cormac: I seriously can’t say how much. The racing is one thing, we have a great calendar. However, the time and faith Patrick, Paul, Gabe and Co. put into the team is something else. I had a collapse of confidence in 2022 after crashes and team troubles. The environment this year really let me focus on the racing and enjoy some amazing opportunities with some great friends. Those guys know how to get the best out of riders and have brought me on no end. Cycling is the easiest sport in the world when it is going your way and the hardest when it is not. Having a team like Zappi around has balanced that rollercoaster out.

4. It’s finished with a bang for sure with that signing but overall, how was your season on the bike?
Cormac: It has been really good thanks. It started well back at Kuurne Brussels Kuurne in February where I got into the early break and hung in there for a top 25. I sadly had a bit of interference in Spring due to exams and COVID but once that was behind me, I have had a nice end to the season. I was starting to feel under pressure in August at Ronde des Vallees as teams were filling up and I didn’t have a spot for 2024.

Cormac kicking his season off at the Perfs Pedal alongside Zeb Kyffin who is also heading to Europe

I was racing with an urgency and it wasn’t helping my case. After that race, I stepped back and re evaluated how I was racing. I needed a breakthrough result to push myself into a roster in an incredibly competitive season. Getting the wins on the two Queen stages (Junior Tour of Wales) was a really nice surprise and the confidence boost I needed. Stage 2, I felt super strong and managed to get away in the final kilometre. Then on the last day, I was in the right place at the right time to make the key breakaway and was able to ride away on the infamous Tumble mountain. The Tour of Wales is the only real race in the UK that attracts the eyes of the big Devo teams so to perform there was key, yet I still needed a big result on the continent to back it up. Thankfully, my favourite race of the season, Trofeo Buffoni, was up next where I managed to pick up 2nd. Everything clicked into place after that.

5. What was the best performance of yours in 2023?
Cormac: It’s a weigh up of the Tumble win and 2nd at Buffoni. I think the performance at Buffoni probably edges it due to the slightly higher caliber field and harder parcours. That race requires you to be well positioned, a good climber and descender and came down to a 10 man sprint. Having made a lot of tactical mistakes during it in 2022, it was nice to learn from that and get a result.

6. What race was the most fun to do in 2023?
Cormac: I would say Bizkaiko Itzulia (Junior Tour of the Basque). It was a great race with a lot of mad Basque fans and the course really suited me. We spent two weeks away as a team and I was rooming with my best mate Matty Cole who conveniently brought his Xbox. We were training hard, racing with good vibes and then chilling out in the evenings. It was the perfect balance and I managed some nice results too.

How’s this for a memory to have! Ten years ago Cormac meeting the iconic Sean Kelly. Photo: John Pierce / PhotoSport

7. When racing abroad, was it better than racing here in Britain and if so, what were the big differences?
Cormac: It is night and day really. I don’t want to moan at the reasons why because to be honest it’s not one person’s or organisation’s fault. It is a combination of factors and culture which means that proper road racing on British roads just isn’t possible. On the continent, cycling is a mainstream sport, in the UK it is an inconvenience. The thing that really puts me off is the open roads.

When I speak to the euro guys in the bunch they don’t believe me when I say our National Championships are raced on open roads with oncoming traffic. For example, on stage 2 of the Tour of Wales, an early crash on an A road sent riders sliding onto the other side of the road with cars coming the other way at 50 mph. It doesn’t take many variables to change for that to be a really bad situation. When you pair to that the fact that British races rarely carry much prestige or value to the palmares, the risk-reward ratio really isn’t there.

8. What are the key things you learnt in 2023 that you feel will help in 2024 when with such a team?
Cormac: I would say the approach I was taking into races. With results behind me I was able to race the way I wanted to, aggressive and on the front foot. I peaked where I originally planned and was keen to be in the right mindset going into races. It is an amazing honour to pull on the Soudal Quickstep jersey but I want to be able to do more than just wear it. I will give it everything I can to prepare well and fight for wins with the team. If we can have as successful a year next year as they did this year, we are doing something right!

 Coach for the past six years and close friend for Cormac and family, Pablo Marcos on the left, Cormac Nisbet and his father Tim Nisbet (right). Photo: John Pierce / PhotoSport

9. What was the toughest bike race you did in 2023?
Cormac: This is the easiest question in the Q&A. Aubel Thimister Stavelot is a 3 day UCI in Belgium. It rained from start to finish and sadly my teammate Matty Cole had a really nasty crash while close to winning stage 3. As a team, we were pretty shaken up after that stage and going into the brutal stage 4. The combination of the mental and physical stress of that weekend made it the hardest. We were able to see him on the way home and he is recovering amazingly well!

10. Is your winter already mapped out and when do you think you’ll start racing?
Cormac: To a certain extent, I am settling into training in the new environment nicely and will likely get started racing again at the end of February or early March. There’s still uncertainty on exact dates for some races from the UCI and cycling is a pretty fluid thing when it comes to race selections. It’s nice to have a 2 year contract as it enables me to learn as much as possible in the first year and hopefully try a range of races.

11. Finally, what are your goals for 2024?
Cormac: Similar to above. The team is really keen about learning and development in the first year. I am hoping to learn the new style of racing and also working as the Wolfpack. Ultimately, I think my greatest strength is in the long mountain climbs and stage racing format, so to be a factor in some of those races in 2024 would be a dream come true.

As well climbing, Cormac likes to do a good time trial too.

Before the start of racing, the team portrait for Cormac, a team that has helped him move up the achievement ladder in cycling as well as enjoy that journey.

 

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