Pedal Heaven are a 'team to be reckoned with'
Winner of the 2016 Tour of the Reservoir, Joe Fry believes that Pedal Heaven can be the UK's best domestic team.
Joe Fry says that his surprise victory at the weekend's Tour of the Reservoir proves that Pedal Heaven have riders capable enough to consistently win some of the UK's biggest domestic races.
Nineteen-year-old Fry's victory in the two-stage Northumberland race makes him the youngest ever winner of the event. He finished third on the first stage that was won by JLT-Condor's Tom Moses and then produced a late attack on stage two - won by Madison-Genesis rider Erick Rowsell - to win the overall. It was also Pedal Heaven's first National A victory.
Fry, who finished tenth at the 2015 Junior Paris-Roubaix, joined Pedal Heaven in the winter after missing out on selection for this year's British Cycling Senior Academy squad, despite being part of the Junior Academy last year when he also rode for RST Racing Team.
His win in the third round of the Motorpoint Spring Cup was the Hampshire-based outfit's first Elite Road Series win, but follows on from a storming start to 2016.
Secrets of the toolbox: Pedal Heaven
This is the first year that the team have held a UCI Continental license and its UCI team and its Excel Academy squad have won National B, criteriums and time trial races on a weekly basis thus far, to go with their ranking as the third best team at the 2015 Pearl Izumi Tour Series
>>> Ian Bibby: Domestic teams can match WorldTour riders
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
"It's great for the team to get that first Elite Road Series win and now we have to keep the momentum going," the Hertfordshire-born teenager told Cycling Weekly.
"We're still a relatively new team on the block and we're proving that we're as good as everyone else. We are a team to be reckoned with.
"Everyone gets on so well. It's a really good environment to be in and when you're that comfortable in your environment you really get the best out of everyone."
>>> Sir Bradley Wiggins headlines stellar Tour de Yorkshire 2016 line-up
Fry described his triumphant weekend as a "massive shock" but testamant to the camaraderie he speaks about, he now feels it is his duty to give even more support to his team-mates who shielded him from the wind and set him up for the win.
"The win's made me realise that I have the hunger for more wins and I want to repay the team now," he added.
"I want to help everyone else get their wins and do my but. They have done so much for me and I want to give it back now, whether that's me winning or helping someone else to win."
Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
A freelance sports journalist and podcaster, you'll mostly find Chris's byline attached to news scoops, profile interviews and long reads across a variety of different publications. He has been writing regularly for Cycling Weekly since 2013. In 2024 he released a seven-part podcast documentary, Ghost in the Machine, about motor doping in cycling.
Previously a ski, hiking and cycling guide in the Canadian Rockies and Spanish Pyrenees, he almost certainly holds the record for the most number of interviews conducted from snowy mountains. He lives in Valencia, Spain.
-
TrainingPeaks acquires virtual cycling platform indieVelo, aims to add ‘credible racing and realistic riding’ to its training offerings
Called TrainingPeaks Virtual it will be offered as part of TrainingPeaks Premium in March 2025, with a beta version available now
By Luke Friend Published
-
'In the summer I’ll also jump into a hot bath for 20 minutes after a ride': A week in training with a WorldTour rider
We caught up with Australian Chris Harper as he prepared for this summer's Vuelta a España
By Chris Marshall-Bell Published