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Sarnian cyclist James McLaughlin says his performance is on an ‘upward trajectory’ as he aims to emulate Chris Froome by taking part in the Tour de France.
The 25-year-old is aiming to step up a gear in his professional cycling career and is being backed by Ravenscroft. His comments come as British cyclist Chris Froome has won plaudits for his record third Tour de France victory.
‘Ravenscroft is a proud supporter of sports across the islands, and we are delighted to work with James. He’s a fantastic example of a passionate sportsman determined to get the top of cycling. We’re looking forward to following James’ career, including at the Tour de France in the future,’ said Jon Ravenscroft, group CEO at Ravenscroft.
James said he was enjoying success with his current team and was determined to keep progressing towards his goals after recording one of his best performances ever, finishing fourth at the one-day GP Kranj road race in Slovenia out of a field of 61 riders.
‘Watching the Tour de France is what got me interested in cycling and to seek out the Guernsey Velo Club to start what I hoped was my journey to the same thing that inspired me. The support from Ravenscroft is vital. Not only does it help financially, but it really is great to be able to share my experiences and success with a company which has such passion for sport,’ said James.
The cyclist added: ‘I've known Jon Ravenscroft, the group CEO, for quite some time, through my years playing hockey earlier on in my teenage years. It is amazing to be able to reconnect with him in a different part of life.
My goals for the next two years are to move up to a team in the top two divisions of professional cycling and keep progressing towards my objective of the Tour de France. I’m also aiming to claim a medal at the next Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast in Australia in 2018.’
The former Elizabeth College pupil has been enjoying success as part of the Austria-based Team Felbermayr Simplon Wels, and has already represented Guernsey at the Commonwealth Games, and Great Britain at the annual Fleche du Sud road cycle race in Luxembourg.
‘The start of the season was tough and stressful. Not only was I trying to recover from a knee injury having been hit by a car whilst out training in Guernsey in December, I was also moving to a new country. Learning the language was another challenge, but one I was motivated for,’ said James.
‘But performance has been on an upward trajectory as of late, culminating in a very successful Tour of Austria for our team where we had multiple podiums on stages and also held the leader’s jersey for a stage. It was a real pleasure to be part of that and contribute to the overall success of the team.’
