Cycling Competitions such as the Australian Road Nationals are fertile ground for making a name for yourself while also catching the attention of international teams. These races also attract international teams that select lucky racers for sponsorships and enrollments. Hoping for a strong a bright future, James Whelan is one of those riders that are focused on earning themselves a chance to return to the World Tour, motivations levels are high, and this time he is awaiting hopeful results.
Things have been bumpy but also ambitious for the young Australian rider, he recently joined the Australian Continental Squad Team BridgeLane, although this was after he failed at getting the World Tour contract for 2022, although this was a loss, he also secured a tremendous win for himself. James Whelan has a strong portfolio though, before joining Team BridgeLane, he was part of the American Cycling Team EF Education-Nippo, where he performed exceptionally.
Although this year it seems highly likely that he will be able to take secure his big win, his performance at the Road Nationals is nothing short of impressive.
Take a bow Jimmy Whelan!
What a ride by you and performance by the team. You did us and yourself proud. #TeamBridgeLane #RoadNats2022 pic.twitter.com/fNbzLuWgyA
— Team BridgeLane (@TeamBridgeLane) January 16, 2022
During the race, there was a really tough competition between James Whelan (Who Came 2nd) and Luke Plapp. Jimmy Whelan had nothing but praise for his rival, after securing the second position, he explained his feelings, and how the competition made him feel.
Whelan Stated in an interview,
I obviously gave it a bit of a long flyer with about three laps to go there. I gave it everything I could. Unfortunately, there was a Lucas Plapp in the field and he is a pretty good TT’er and he is a class act.
I knew I was in trouble when he was coming across solo. I thought maybe if he was with a few other guys maybe they would muck around and I’d stay away but with the class of Plappy I knew If he caught me I could just try and just get on his wheel, but he caught me right at the right time.
There is always a need to go beyond and this time Whelan had all the reasons, first the World Tour and the second reason being him pushing his boundaries. Standing at the podium and smiling at the crowd is a unique form of excitement, it shows how far you have come, Whelan certainly has a bright future ahead of him.
Whelan is showing that he is actually working for the title, even the training sessions are becoming hardcore. From heat training to other intensive methods, he is not giving up.
Whelan Stated,
I would still love the opportunity to go to the WorldTour, I fell short with a few teams. Maybe this ride will help some negotiations.
Whether Whelan wins himself a shot to the WorldTour or not, he is not going anywhere. His partnership is Team BridgeLane is only going to be stronger from here on. The Santos Festival of Cycling also holds a great opportunity for him to show his skills.
We hope that either way, he gets what he wants and rises to fame and glory.
Featured Image Via YouTube/Cam Nicholls