CIC Cervelo Super Series Interview

Over the past three weeks I've raced the first three rounds of the CIC Cervelo Super Series and here's a quick few questions I've answered that were put to me by the organisers of the series. Everything from my past, present and future, enjoy the read.

Van D’am Racing’s Shaun O’Callaghan has started the CIC Cervélo Super Series with a bang. After taking out the iconic Hell of the North road race at Wallaroo, O’Callaghan briefly snared the leader’s yellow jersey from Tom Chapman. Unfortunately for the Van D’am Racing star, SASI’s Tom Kaesler claimed the GC lead following an impressive display during Round 3 at Kadina. 

O’Callaghan is in second position on the general classification leader board and will be looking to keep the pressure on Kaesler come Round 4 at Victoria Park. We had a chat with Shaun O’Callaghan ahead of Round 4 to discuss the series so far and what he’s hoping to get out of it. 

Q | You’ve started the series with a bang, briefly claiming the leader’s jersey. Was the GC something that you had identified before the start of series?

O’Callaghan | I think for most people GC was something they targeted before the start of the series. For me personally, of course taking GC is the aim but I’d prefer to be leading after round 10.

Q | You’re currently sitting second overall, with a 21 point gap between you and third placed Harry Carpenter. Are you expecting a dramatic change in the standings during Rounds 4 and 5? Or do you think the shake up may come during the Norton Summit Time Trial?

O’Callaghan | I don’t expect any round to cause a real shake up, as we’ve seen across the first three rounds the outcome of the race is probably going to be a surprise, such as round 1 and 3 finishing with a breakaway taking the win as opposed to bunch kicks. Then with an uphill time trial thrown in the mix I think it shows everyone is going to have to bring their best to each race and hope they have some luck on their side.

Q | What is Van D’am Racing’s plan for the rest of the CIC Cervelo Super Series season?

O’Callaghan | To be honest, we’re such a young team only having raced these three CIC Cervelo Super Series races together, we take each race on its own merit and all give it our best shot. We certainly go into each race with a plan, but plans change as we saw last Sunday (with Callum and Tom crashing) it’s just lucky that we have some talented young guys who are mature enough adapt. 

Q | What are your plans for the upcoming season 2016?

O’Callaghan | One of the good things about starting a new year with a new team is that we have a pretty clean slate to start with. So far the team has outlined a few NRS and VRS races as well as making the most of South Australia’s racing scene. Personally, I’m also looking at heading overseas through the middle of the year to try my luck on the European scene, I’m not sure where just yet, but at the moment I’m taking it all a week at a time. 

Q | When did you start cycling?

O’Callaghan | I started cycling on the track when I was just six, an auskick style learn to ride/race clinic run by Olympian Alan Grindal taught me the ins and outs of riding, racing, bike handling and basically everything a cyclist needs to know on and off the bike. I owe a lot to Alan as well as my family for all of their help thus far in my cycling.

Q | What are your future goals in, and out of, the sport?

O’Callaghan | I want to take my cycling as far as I possibly can, of course living in Europe making a living as a professional cyclist is the dream, but if I can look back down the track and know that I gave everything my best shot then I’ll be happy. 

As for off the bike I think something in the hospitality industry will be where I work. Much like cycling, there’s a lot of hard work that goes into it, a lot of time and dedication but you will reap what you sow. 

I have myself in the right circles on and off the bike so I know that whichever path I take, I'm going to be doing something I love.

Q | Anything else you may like to add?

O’Callaghan | With an exciting season ahead and causing a splash in its first few races, anyone out there who would like to join the upcoming journey with Van D’am Racing please feel free to get in contact with myself or Lachlan Ambrose and help this young South Australian team make a splash on the big scene.

I hope you enjoyed reading a little more about me, my team and my history. Lets get ready for another race this coming Thursday night and see how we go.

Cervelo CIC Series Round 3 - Kadina Criterium

Another stunning day this time in Kadina, the sun was shining, the wind was blowing just a little and it was my first day in the yellow jersey. All of the guys had a pretty relaxed night and were looking forward to defending the jersey and take it forward into the next few rounds. 

As the race started we had our plan to ride the front at a solid tempo hoping to restrain the amount of attacks and bring the whole race back together for a bunch sprint. The first 10 minutes sailed by and I had Tom Allford plus Callum Pearce for support on the front with a few little attacks going away and coming back as the pace lifted and dipped with each lap we completed. Less than 15 minutes had passed and as we crossed the finish line Liam Nolan (SASI) and Matthew Gassner (Lightsview) attacked up the inside, then slid out around the corner crashing and taking down Tom Allford and Callum Pearce in one foul swoop, I narrowly missed the crash heading into the gutter and pulling up just in time.

Two laps out was little relief as Tom was sitting in the gutter unable to stand, that was his day done. Callum stood with me as we assessed our situation, took a breath and got ready for the next 40 minutes of the race. As we rejoined the race Callum and I did the best we could to control the bunch, as time passed Callum’s crash started to take a toll on his young body and he started to struggle with the pace. I took over control on my own and the onslaught began. Twenty minutes down, 30 minutes to go, the one thought to cross my mind was “This is going to be a hard day”, no team mates to help and everyone in the bunch knew that.

It felt as if each lap there was another attack and a few guys jumped away, all I could do was keep pushing and pushing, not allowing anything to get too far up the road. I was always hopeful of someone trying to jump across so I could get a draft, a rest and some respite. As those bridging the gap and ultimately assisting me, assessed the situation behind, saw me sitting on, the pace eased and another move went, everyone sat up and let it go and once again I had to take the reigns and continue to push on. 

Laps passed, Tom Kaesler and Harry Carpenter attacked and my legs were starting to buckle and I was starting to lose grip on the race. I just pushed and pushed checking my Garmin every now and then watching the time tick by, the power numbers rise along with the heart rate and pain filling my legs. There was no way I was going to be able to bring back two riders with such ability, I could feel the remainder of the peloton sitting behind biding their time before they flew past. 

The lap board came out and I saw two laps to go, I now knew there were only a few minutes of pain left and just kept pushing. One and a half laps to go still everyone was behind me, coming around to get the bell and I could hear the gears start to change and most of the peloton came rushing past. Head down and only 800 metres to go, all of a sudden I was dodging bodies for the second time as Tristan Jones (Lightsview) made the same move as his team mate in Gassner and met the same fate sliding across the ground just in front of me. I dug deep and just tried to get a sit on the back of the bunch as I had to chase to catch the guys who had just passed me, my legs just wanted to stop and as I crossed the line just on the back of the bunch thats exactly what they did. Eleventh place meant a few points to go towards the overall series but not enough to hold onto that yellow jersey.

Today was probably one of the hardest days racing I’ve had in a while, not just physically but mentally. I wont usually put up numbers from a race where I didn’t have a successful result due to readers having previously told me what I'm doing wrong, so unlike my most previous race blogs I’ll be keeping these ones in the back pocket for another time. An unlucky day for the Van D’am Racing team but we’ll be back in a couple weeks with all our skin back and all cylinders firing. 

Cervelo CIC Series Round 2 - Hell of the North

The peloton rolled out of Wallaroo on a sunny yet gusty day, we were all in for a pretty big day, or at least that’s what everyone thought. Every team had different plans most of them included staying close to the front with the days dirt sections set to decide the race. A few hopeful attacks moved off the front early on with no one of note willing to burn any bickies early on. Everything stayed pretty calm out through the first U-turn as we headed back towards the township the pace started to pick up, all the while I had at least two teammates with me at all times. Another left turn and the cross winds picked up as we headed north, Lightsview put four guys on the front and moved the whole race in to the gutter, everyone was single file right down the gutter just jumping around guys as they started to pop. 

All of a sudden the moto scout drove beside the bunch and told everyone that we were 5 kilometres from the first dirt section, something that I didn't actually know pre race as all we had talked about was the 8 kilometres in the final 10. The hand went up in the air and all of the guys moved to the front and started to get organised before the chaos. The peloton took a quick left turn and the first dirt section loomed large, a dead straight road rose up to meet the now galloping field. As we hit the dirt the pace rose again and no longer were guys trying to crowd the front, instead we committed to the single wheel in front and just crossed our fingers with hope. So many things could go wrong so very quickly; a puncture, a dropped chain or crashing, then again it could have been someone else suffering the same consequences. Eyes on the horizon for the first five minutes rolling around the first five wheels, I took one look over my shoulder and there was only a dozen or so riders left making up the front group. We all pushed on led predominantly by Tom Chapman, Harry Carpenter, Lachlan Glasspool and myself, dodging potholes where possible while trying to get a sit behind the guy in front. With most of the first dirt section done the front bunch settled into a rhythm before a few attacks just as we hit the bitumen again.

After all of the juddering from the dirt, riding the bitumen felt like rolling in silk, Tom Kaesler attacked as soon as we hit the road with Leo Simmonds and Lachlan Glasspool, I took my opportunity to jump across expecting most of the front group to pursue me. Alas this wasn't the case, I was partially excited about being let go and partially confused as to why no one showed any initiative in chasing as all the guys off the front had good legs. We quickly built a minutes gap before hitting the second and final dirt section of the day. It was in much better condition than the previous dusty traverse, a good line was much easier to pick and the four of us worked together until the final five kilometres where the chasing group was less than half a minute behind. One attack over the top of another kept the pace high, penultimately dropping Leo from the break and leaving just myself, Kaesler and Glasspool to fight out the finale. 

As we made the last few corners, Glasspool led the group swinging side to side, I lay off the wheel a fair way as Kaesler hid out of sight but still in my mind. As we rounded the final left hand corner and headed into the last 500 metres we used the entirety of the closed road sitting in the left hand gutter, at around the 200 metre mark Kaesler and Glasspool kicked and swung to the left hand side of the road. As I’d been told ever since I started racing, “ride a straight line” and that’s what I did, as the others jostled while moving from one side of the road to the other I hot it in a straight line and took the shortest line possible and rolled over the line ahead of Kaesler and Glasspool. 

In the end it was an awesome ride by the guys, I had a teammate for company every step of the way and barely had to touch the pedals until the penultimate stages and on top of everything a massive pleasure to take the win after all of their effort. A massive thanks to all of the guys on the team, coach Tim Clayton and the team sponsors in Butterfields, Red-Art Rojomoma, Brentnalls SA as well as Goodlife Health Clubs Mitcham. On to tomorrow and for me its a quiet night in recovering with the guys as were all stretching whilst playing Monopoly, this could get ugly.

Here are some stats for you out there wanting some numbers: (Distance, Average Power, Average Speed)

Dirt Section #1 - 10km 334w 46kph

Dirt Section #2 - 7.5km 323w 40kph

Whole Race - 77km 257w 41.5kph 

Max Power in the sprint 1437 watts

Almost A Perfect Start

Three weeks in a row and my third blog, it's probably about time I talked a little about my racing. So how about a little bit of a run down, feels like writing a diary but this one has more numbers.

Sunday 1st November

On Sunday all of the crazy ones head to Outer Harbour for the Port Adelaide club time trials, 17.3km of pain because, why not? I got there early (6:15am for a 7:30 start) wanting to get an early start time so I could get back home in time to shower and head to work at 10. I sure did get an early start time being the first rider off. Half an hour to warm up and then get the show on the road. I had a quick chat to Tim and we had decided on power numbers to hold, 350-360w on the way out and then lift on the way back so that as soon as I crossed the line there was nothing left in the tank. During the warm up the legs felt good and after a little bit of caffeine I had perked up and was ready to go. The start is all about holding back, it’s so easy to go into the 500w range for the first few minutes because you're so fresh, this used to be the biggest issue I had, now I just repeat to myself to hold back and just relax. A headwind greeted me on the way out and I knew that roughly 11-12min to the turn around would have me in for a good time. One eye on the road the other on holding a strong and aero position on the bike. Twelve minutes and four seconds to the turn around  at an average of 354 watts, I was happy and now for the fun part, accelerate slowly and get the engine going for the run home. 

The tailwind is certainly the best and most enjoyable time to be riding a time trial bike, big gears and just drive through the hips. Still feeling good I lifted the watts to around 360+ watts hoping to be able to hold it to the end. As the kilometres ticked by I started to dig in and push a little harder, the legs filled with lactic acid but there was really only two kilometres to go, the numbers held steady and everything just hurt more and more. It’s a long straight finish and you just never seem to get any closer to finishing. Finally across the line in a personal best time of 22min 20sec, a time fast enough to win the day from Van D’am Racing teammate Rhys Gillett. 

With the stats as follows:

Distance: 17.3km

Time: 22:20min

Average Speed: 46.5kph

Average Power: 364w

Thursday 5th November

The first race of the 2015-16 CIC Cervelo Super Series and the first official race for Van D’am Racing team. Team meeting over coffee before heading to Victoria Park discuss the nights plan, plans that cannot be discussed in such an open forum but we were confident in the teams strength with so many options and so much talent to utilise. 

There were a flurry of attacks over the first fifteen minutes before one solid move crept off the front with Tom Chapman (Swiss Wellness), Tristan Jones, Justin Gassner (Lightsview), Leo Simmonds (Giant Adelaide), Tom Kaesler (SASI), Harry Carpenter (CIC Cervelo) and Fred Bonail (ISC). As the lead started to grow and no one from Van D’am Racing represented I thought I’d try my luck getting across to the break before the gap became too large. It only took 30 seconds to ride to the break at an average power of 850 watts (enough to power your average toaster). As soon as we all started rolling turns the peloton sat up as there was no motivation from the stronger teams to chase. We held the bunch at half a lap until the half an hour mark where we got word Alex Edmonson was trying to get across, the pace lifted and as everything settled down behind the break away did too. As the rain really started to fall around the 40min mark we were given three laps to go and everyones head started to dart sideways as we all looked at one another. Justin Gassner was the first one to make a move at two laps to go but with everyone watching it was hard to get a gap. The bell sounded, final lap and we were all riding as if the race was held on ice, Tom Kaesler attacked down the back straight with half a lap to go, closely followed by Tom Chapman, I jumped on behind Tristan Jones as we all teetered around the final corner. Chapman hit out early with a good 30 metre gap to myself, I knew I couldn't leave my jump too late. Closing, closing, closing and just as we were reaching the line I saw Tom sit up and raise his hands, all I could do was commit to my throw for the line. I looked up not even 5 metres after the line and I had sailed past Chapman, to roll around and hear I had missed out by less than half a wheel. 

Almost a perfect start to Van D’am Racing’s series.

Now the stats;

Distance: 33.4km

Time: 44:30min

Average Speed: 45.4kph

Average Power: 329w

Maximum Power: 1409w

Van D'am Racing - A True Development Team

A true development team in every sense of the word. Everyone seems to throw the words ‘development team’ around a lot over the past few years all of them used very loosely before the frustration of lack of results sees older riders in the prime of their career bought into teams or overseas talent flown in to bolster the teams chances of a win. I spent time as a part of one of these ‘development teams’, it really just felt like I was a part of a regular team, nothing special but I guess if the team is seen as investing in future talent, theres an excuse for a lack of results on the big stage against larger teams. 

Currently there are seven riders who are a part of the Van D’am Racing (VDR) team; Callum Pearce, Connor Butterfield, David Fumpson, Ethan Egglestone, Rhys Gillett, Tom Alford and myself. Rhys takes on the ‘old man’ title of being the oldest to join VDR for 2016 at the senile age of 25, followed by myself at 22. Both of us having raced bikes for close to a decade having experienced the journey through junior racing, state sports academies, small teams as well as large, well funded continental teams racing UCI races. Everyone else on the team is aged 20 or younger; Dave (20), Tom (18), Ethan (17), Callum (17) with Connor as the team youngster at just 16 years old. 

Team founder Lachlan Ambrose (still pretty young at just 24) and I have been good mates over the past few years, when he approached me with the idea of a starting a development team to start racing around the country as a part of the National Road Series, I was sceptically thinking “it hasn't worked with big teams how would it work with a small one”. Keeping my two cents to myself I started to watch the team build, more guys showed up for training rides, Lachie’s team started to take shape and everything came together. These young guys I’ll be riding with next year are ones who have been used and burnt by institutes or purely overlooked for one reason or another.

Does that makes us a mashed up team of oddballs and outcasts? Maybe so, but in just a month and a dozen rides together everyone has gelled, lead outs have been tested and a lot of chin-wagging over countless hours at various brew shops. Rhys and I are not only racing to take the next step of making cycling a career but also helping these young guys navigate the hard years. We all know that 17 and 18 year olds can be distracted, things they don't want to talk to their parents about, girls and drinking tops the list (personally I have seen a lot of talented cyclists stop riding for aforementioned reasons), we aren't here to say “No, don't do it”, more as a space to vent, throw ideas around, have a chat and work through issues because a happy cyclist always rides faster. Of course there are times during the year where motivation wanes and you just need a good ride with a good mate.

Back on track now, Lachie and I have worked very closely with a man who wishes to have his name kept quiet (Tim Clayton). Tim has coached Lachie and myself for a few years, he is now offering his coaching services to the guys on the team if they wish to take them. Tim’s approach to coaching is aligned with the ‘development team’ spirit at VDR, helping me personally get through a full time Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering degree, working four nights a week, living out of home and still his program had me take a 5th and 7th in the U23 National Road Race and Time Trial championships respectively. Needless to say I have a lot of faith in this man. With most of the young guys on the team taking on year 12 next year Tim adapts his training methodology with the ideal that quality beats quantity, making life balance easy. 

All in all its safe to say I'm very excited to join Van D’Am Racing for the rest of 2015 continuing into 2016. All of the guys will be out racing for the first time together come Thursday night for the first round of the Cervelo CIC Series held at Victoria Park. Sun's out, guns out, Adelaide is warming up and my procrasti-blogging is done. More to come next week.