Josh Scott out to defend junior world title
Christchurch cyclist Josh Scott says he is well prepared ahead of the 2017 UCI junior track cycling world championships in Montichiari, Italy next month.
The 18-year-old left for Belgium in May to race for professional team Isorex and said while his results were"average’’ he feels he is on track for the main event which begins August 23-27.
Considering Scott was recovering from a broken leg he was pleased with finishing in the top ten in the last of his six races – winning two of those.
‘‘These races were all at the highest level for racing in the world. To get race wins and have nine out of 12 races finishing in the top 10 is something that is difficult to achieve and there are very few people even in Europe that have such consistency.’’
Scott is one of three Canterbury cyclists who will represent the New Zealand team in August, along with teammate Matthew Trenchard and Kate Smith in the women’s junior team.
The former Burnside High School student aims to defend his world title gained last year at the junior championships in Switzerland. Scott is now in Melbourne where he will meet the rest of his New Zealand junior track squad which includes Corbin Strong (Invercargill), Trenchard, Harry Waine and Aaron Wyllie (both Auckland).
‘‘I can’t wait to get stuck into my second campaign for this year with the team. We have big goals, we are training hard so anything is possible from here.’’
In Belgium Scott said one of the biggest challenges was the GP Morgan Blue race, which covers 116km of long cobblestone sections in Oude Kwaremont and Paterberg.
‘‘This being my first big road race, I was coming in with an open mind with no clue how I would race and how strong everyone would be. I had bad luck on the Paterberg with someone crashing in front of me so I had to run to the grass and avoid it, but because of this I missed a winning move that rode away.’’
He was content however with his 15th place. ‘‘This is a good result in one of Europe’s biggest races knowing that with some strong training ahead of me I will be able to improve on this result.’’
It was in Scott’s fifth race in Belgium that he began to find his stride and finished 4th overall. He came 1st in his sixth and seventh races, which has left the 18-yearold full of confidence.
‘‘Two race wins in a row is something that very rarely happens.’’
The Menen Kemmel race was one of the hardest for the Kiwi rider who ended in 6th place and the only rider from the southern hemisphere in the top 20. The Menen Kemmel is one of the toughest races in world cycling and similarly well-known as the Paris-Roubaix challenge.
‘‘This is a great result for me. A world stage race, bridging a 20-second gap solo and doing the work I did in the final stage of the race, I am happy with sixth.’’
Scott finished fourth in his last race before leaving Belgium -the Omloop het Nieuwsblad – a 120km prestigious race in Belgium next to Paris-Roubaix and tour of Flanders.
‘‘Again, a great result on the world stage against the best juniors in the world/Europe. I was gutted to miss the podium but I left that race really happy knowing that I am able to win bunch sprints if it comes to it again.’’
‘‘Everyone is happy, I’m happy also. Knowing that I am one of the strongest racers in Europe consistently is a really great feeling as I think about my future in professional cycling.’’