Team transfers, training camps in exotic locales and rider objectives are dominating the cycling media at the moment. And that is pretty normal. December is the time where the new season is both far off and just around the corner, depending on personal perspective. The "dream" is still there even though a pedal has yet to be turned in anger. A world of possibility is foremost in the minds of many aspiring young riders and grizzly veterans alike.
Whether young or old, one has to have the hunger to succeed and looking a little deeper into the the two-wheeled media some interesting case studies emerge.
Hugh Carthy is a professional cyclist and an interesting one at that. A native of the Lancashire town of Preston, this young Englishman is turning out for Cannondale-Drapac next year. Carthy is an anomaly as far as current British riders are concerned; a self-starter, the 21 year old Carthy forged his own path through the UK's domestic racing scene before taking himself to Spain and gaining a place on Caja Rural-Seguros RGA. Far from having one foot on the Continent and the other in the home-comforts of Blighty, Carthy has immersed himself in Basque culture, so much so that he now calls Pamplona home. The cycling-centric city of Girona might be destination of choice for many an Anglophone rider but not for this young man. No, he prefers the locale famous for The Running of the Bulls and actually insisted to team-owner Jonathan Vaughters that he be allowed to remain in the capital city of Navarre province. He just likes it there, said Vaughters recently, and is quite content with his small apartment and solo existence.
Closer to home shores, for South Africans anyway, is another anomalous pro rider. Hazel Magill may not have reached the top-tier of women's pro cycling yet, but that's OK with her. There is still much work to be done and besides, she has already signed for a European team in 2017, the small Belgian Equano outfit based out of Antwerp. A self-confessed cyclist with huge ambitions, Magill is a privateer in the sense that her entire cycling career is self-funded. No, not from a trust fund or the like, but rather by washing dishes, fixing bikes and au-pairing. There is no free plane ticket from her team and the resourceful Klerksdorp lass has taken to raising additional funding via an online crowdfunding initiative. They breed them tough in South Africa's North West and Loren Rowney's excellent blog post reveals exactly why. Hazel really is doing what it takes, "it" requiring not a little determination and a ton of desire.
Pro sport is littered with such case studies. Rags-to-riches stories are abound and sound all romantic and inspiring but the reality is far more stark. Consider how long an hour takes when one has time on their hands: magnify that when in a foreign land with no support structure, friends or common language and one gets a little better of an idea. Chris Froome spent years on the cycling breadline before getting his big break at Vuelta a Espana 2011. Just opening a back account and getting his own internet connection were challenges enough back in his first days in Europe. Froome might be the all-conquering physical force at Le Tour but consider what it took to get there.
What does the future hold for Carthy and Magill? Only time will tell but one thing is for sure: they're not exactly waiting to let it happen.
