Aiming High | Part 3: James Shirley’s Trials & Tribulations
With the race season well and truly under way, it’s time to check back in with Radon rider James Shirley. As in all walks of life, even with the best preparation sometimes things just don’t go to plan. Pro racers measure their success in podiums and seconds found, so what does it feel like when the results they have trained for do not come?
After the European Enduro Series race in Punta Ala, I travelled to the world famous bike festival in Riva del Garda which was combined with the second round of the Specialized/Sram Enduro Series. The stages were cool in my opinion but the rain and fog made the limestone rocks exceptionally dangerous to ride on. I didn’t want to risk anything and I was also feeling a little bit off form. I couldn’t put my finger on why so I went for a hard cross country ride on Monday to try and wake myself up. However, this was a bad idea…
From there on in I was really ill. My limbs were sore, I felt like being sick and I couldn’t eat anything. After 3 days of famine I developed some serious diarrhoea (cheers James) which lasted for another 5 days or so. Not only was I ill, but my van was ill too. It was suffering from a horrible electrical/boost pressure fault which kept putting the engine into limp mode. This combined with my toiletry requirements made for a very long and painful drive home.
After spending bundles of money on new parts and enduring many days laying underneath the van I finally had it running sweet again. I find it quite stressful when my house on wheels isn’t working properly and especially when the issue is difficult to trace. I am rich on time, not money, so I stubbornly do the work on my own. Although it can be a pain in the ass, it is satisfying once the job is finally done. I believe that fixing machinery is an important man skill to possess – especially if you’re working and travelling on the road.
Despite some terrible, traditional Scottish weather I thought that it would be nice to maximise my time at home so that I could catch up with friends and family, fix the van and ride my local trails. Scotland is such a beautiful place with brilliant riding and amazing people.
I therefore decided to skip the EWS race in Ireland and chose to do a Scottish national cross country race at Laggan Wolftrax just a few miles up the road from my home. I rocked up a little bit late, not really knowing the course or even how many laps I was supposed to be doing. Since I had recently been ill and my British Cycling licence doesn’t have the words ‘elite’ or ‘expert’ printed on it I entered the Sport class. The Elite category set off one minute in front of my group but I was amazed to catch them up on the first climb and after three laps I had over taken them all!
I was pleased and surprised with my result in the cross country race but the weekend after was the real deal – the EWS in Tweedlove. Our new team mechanic, Miles Mallinson, came to support me and my seventeen year old female team mate, Raphaela Richter, in her first ever EWS event. There was a strong team atmosphere in our smart looking Radon pits and it made a big difference having Miles there to help us.
I spent a lot of my practice riding round with Raphaela and I was very proud to see her win the U21 category by over 4minutes! She is already super talented yet so modest and humble at the same time. Definitely one to look out for in the future…
One week later there was another high profile race taking part in Scotland – the UCI World Cup DH and 4X Pro Tour. My team manager, Joost Wichman, is hugely famous for his achievements in 4X but somehow he has never managed to succeed to his potential at my home event in Fort William – until now. It was cool to be there, not as a racer, not as a spectator, not even as a worker but to support him during and after the race. He had his lines sussed in practice and got it dialled when it counted to overtake Scott Beaumont in the final corner to take an impressive victory.
Whilst Joost was staying with me at my parents’ house we discussed a lot of things about the team and our future. I know I am under performing at the moment but he was really encouraging and tried to take some of the pressure off my shoulders. He knows that good results are important but he also states that if no one sees or hears about it then there is no point doing it in the first place.
This is one thing that I have really learnt this year – the importance self promotion, exposure and the media. However, it is competition that is my biggest motivation to get out and ride. It is the main reason I train, I travel and continue to push myself. There is nothing greater than the feeling of being on the edge, fully committed, with no margin for error. If I didn’t race then I wouldn’t have the same incentive to find the limit and take risks. I feel as though my mind is in a better place just now and I am starting to get stoked for the rest of the summer. I can’t wait to do some big races in some big Alpine mountains with a working van and Miles for company/bike fixing/sandwich making. It’s going to be great!
For more info, visit: radon-bikes.de
Check out the previous parts of the series:
Words: James Shirley Photos: Trevor Worsey, Irmo Keizer & James Shirley
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