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09
Oct
‘This year’s been pretty perfect’ – Harry Hudson on winning the junior world championships
Harrogate cycling prodigy Harry Hudson has had a whirlwind couple of weeks.
On September 26, the Sheffield-born 18-year-old, who represents Harrogate Nova nationally, won the UCI Road World Championships junior road race in Rwanda.
Immediately after, he signed for the Lidl-Trek racing team. This is the same team Harrogate cycling icon Lizzie Deignan raced for.
With the off-season now underway, the young cyclist has been training to get into the best shape possible for next year’s campaign.
The Stray Ferret spoke to Hudson during his rest period to find out what it was like to become the first Brit to win the championship.
He said:
It was pretty crazy. One of my big goals was just to get selected for the race, so to win it… yeah. I haven’t really thought about [being the first Brit to win it]. But a lot of good Brits have competed in this tournament in the past, so it’s a big achievement.
Hudson said he got into cycling when he was around five-years-old. He added that he always biked with his dad and that the two used to watch the Tour de France together when he was young.
As he wanted to be a climber, the cyclist said that Chris Froome and Mark Cavendish were his inspirations. Hudson got to meet Cavendish after his victory in Rwanda, who called it "incredible".
Hudson is a lighter rider than others and he is a specialist in hill climbing. The course, which had a total elevation gain of 2435 metres, suited him well.
He told the Stray Ferret how he tackled the race:
I didn’t feel particularly different to how I would in any other race. I was just thinking about what I was going to do. I liked the course; it was very attritional which suited me well. I knew I had the legs to compete, but I wasn’t confident I could win – the world champs is the best level of cycling you can get. I would have been happy with top 10.
In the neutral stage behind the motorbike, I ended up near the back. In the first few laps, I was just in the bunch trying to avoid crashes – then I started to work my way to the front. With 60k to go, I tried my first attack, but it didn’t work. Then, with 36k left, I tried to attack again with the intention of creating a small breakaway group. The guys behind me weren’t coordinated, though. I wasn’t sure I had it until about halfway through the last climb.
Photo: @_harry_hudson_ on Instagram.
Hudson admitted that this year has been "pretty perfect", but it has not all been smooth sailing for the 18-year-old.
In June last year, he broke his wrist after a training crash. As a result, he could not race for around eight months.
Although he said it was hard to deal with, the road cyclist came back stronger.
His first UCI race (a race sanctioned by cycling’s global governing body) came shortly after his recovery, in which he placed 13th on the hardest day. Knowing that he wasn’t at full fitness yet, Hudson said that was the moment he knew he could really compete on the international stage.
Harry Hudson broke his arm in June last year. Photo: @_harry_hudson_ on Instagram.
Signing a professional contract was on Hudson’s to-do list, but he did not think he’d get one until next year. So, what are his ambitions now?
He said:
Just to develop and see if I can get on to the world tour. My coach is part of the Lidl-Trek team, so we’ve been working on getting me in the best shape to compete next season.
Hudson is not forgetting his roots, though. He acknowledged that none of this would have been possible without his junior racing team, Harrogate Nova.
He said that Harrogate Nova has had a massive effect on him nationally, facilitating his being in a racing team, accommodation, transportation and providing him with exposure on the international level.
He also offered advice for any other aspiring racers in the area:
Just enjoy it. Enjoy riding your bike and the training comes easily.
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