Charlie’s next step
CHIEVELEY’s Charlie Ager is relishing the chance to compete against the best cyclists in the country when he represents his new racing team.
The 24-year-old has signed with Vredestein Basso, a team who are based in Church Crookham, having previously been with Jam Cycling RT (sponsored by BPC).
Ager recently lifted the Richard Kell Trophy after coming out on top in the seven-week series and now he’s looking ahead to the next challenge with his new team.
He said: “I got contacted by the team after the results I got in the Richard Kell [trophy] really because there hasn’t been a lot of races this year.
“They called me up and asked if I was interested and I now I will be competing in the premier races, as well as some races in Belgium and France.”
Ager also competed in the National Hill Climb Championships at Streatley, but has had to alter his training regimes because of the coronavirus pandemic.
He said: “This year has been challenging because we couldn’t do much and I wasn’t even sure if I would be racing towards the end of the year.
“Next year, I want to see how I can fare against some of the country’s top riders and see if I can progress to the next level so I can keep pushing.
“I think it will be better with a strong and much more experienced team around me,” he added.
Ager has been cycling for around four years now, but he’s only been involved with racing for 18 months.
“Once you get into it, it’s hard to stop really,” he said.
“So many people have taken cycling up and it’s brilliant, so hopefully the sport can keep growing.
“It’s a good sport, it’s very sociable and everyone is happy as there is a lot of competition, but it’s fun competition and everyone gets on.”
Throughout winter, Ager is going to be using the opportunity to go on his turbo-trainer as it’s difficult to enjoy long rides outside.
“It is all I am really doing, but it is good as I am getting in some solid sessions at the moment and I am trying to get in the miles so I can get used to the longer races that I will be doing.
“At the minute, all I have been doing is two and threehour road races and the premier races are going to be four and five hours so it will be a big change.
“I love to train, but it has been difficult not knowing when I would be racing next because that is the best part of it all.”
The sponsors of Ager’s new team are: Vredestein, Basso Bikes, Beaufort Financial, Stolen Goat, Coopers BMW, Fabric, Mallorca Cycling, Abus, 100% and OTE Nutrition.