Tag: racing

BLOG: Oost Vlaanderen and Belgium Gravel World Series

On By jackjee1Leave a comment

This past block of racing has been one of the biggest learning curves of my career so far. I lined up for the biggest U23 race in Belgium, a five-day stage race in Oost-Vlaanderen, and it turned out to be a real rollercoaster of highs, lows, crashes, and plenty of lessons. 

Stage 1 – My first TT
The race kicked off with a time trial — my first ever one. To make it even more interesting, it was also my first ride on a TT bike, which I had borrowed for the day. I felt like I had a good ride, holding some solid power numbers, but the times just didn’t match up, there was a mix up with the results for everyone which wasn’t ideal but I took it on the chin and focused on the next day 
Stage 2 – Confidence builder
The second stage felt rough from the start. My legs didn’t want to cooperate, but once I rode into it, I started to feel better. Managed to salvage a decent ride and finished 20th, which gave me some confidence moving forward.
Stage 3 – Fast, Flat, and Chaotic
Stage three was flat, technical, and all about positioning. I did well to be in a good spot heading into the final. But just 200m from the line, a huge crash wiped out the sprint — and with it, any chance of a result. One of those things in racing 
Stage 4 – A Brutal Day Out
This was easily the hardest road stage. The pace never really settled, and the finish was absolute chaos. I found myself in a decent position but got closed out in the sprint. Frustrating, but still another step forward.
Stage 5 – Closing Strong
The final stage was fast again. I got myself into a few moves off the front, but nothing managed to stick. I held good position all day, and even though the uphill sprint wasn’t suited to me, I managed 30th. Not exactly the results I wanted over the week, but considering the crashes and challenges, I came away happy — especially with the experience I gained.

Racing in France.
After Belgium, I needed a few days off before heading to a race in France. This was the biggest field I’ve ever ridden in, over 200 riders. I still didn’t feel quite myself, so I treated it as a solid training ride. Unfortunately, a big crash on the last lap split things up, and I rolled in with a small group off the back.

Crit in Arschcot.
Next up was a crit in Arschcott. This one was… interesting. Let’s just say my feet were flying everywhere, and I quickly realized I need new pedals! But still managed to finish up 14th on the day 

Huffa Gravel – Gravel World Series Belgium.
If the road racing hadn’t been tough enough, Huffa Gravel really pushed me to the edge. Without doubt, it was the hardest race I’ve ever done: 8,500ft of climbing, five hours in the saddle, and terrain that rattled me to bits. I paced it well and was having a good ride, but I underestimated the length. With 30k to go I ran out of gels, cracked completely, and lost a few spots. Still, I hung on for 30th out of 300+ riders — not a bad way to wrap up such a brutal day.

What’s NextUp next are the Welsh Gravel World Series, then the British Gravel National Champs. After that, I’ll be heading back to Belgium for some final races before the big one: the World Gravel Championships

2025 Road Season: The Winter That Changed Everything; My Journey Towards Full Time Racing

On By jackjee1Leave a comment

At the start of this year, I spent a small part of the winter in Calp, Spain – a small town on the Costa Blanca that’s become a cycling haven. I went out there for the usual reasons, better weather, quiet roads, solid base miles. But I came back with more than just fitness, that time in Calp gave me clarity. I realised I didn’t just want to race and see how far I could go whilst balancing everything else. I wanted to take the next step. Go all in, full time racing.
That decision was the turning point. Back home I kicked off the season with some National B races across the UK. I was finding my legs, slowly building form and picking up a few top 20 finishes. Nothing crazy, but enough to show I was on the right track.

Then came Belgium – six weeks fully immersed in the Kermis scene. Racing two, sometimes three times a week. The depth of the field, the chaos, the speed – it was everything I had hoped for. A real crash course in race craft and resilience.
one of the highlights was a strong ride in Ursel, where I managed to grab 4th. that one showed me I could hang on with the best on their turf. It gave me confidence that the work was paying off.
The momentum carried me to Luxembourg, where I raced the UCI Gravel World Series and managed to qualify for the Gravel World Championships. It was a huge moment….but also a tough one. Two punctures took the wind out of my ride and I ended up finishing the last 10km on a flat tyre. Frustrating, but also motivating. I’d earned the ticket, now I just had to make the most out of it next time.

Back in the UK, I turned my focus to MTB for a 4 week block. It didn’t start great – a disappointing result at the National opener – but I knew I needed to dig in. I stayed up in Scotland for two weeks, training on some of the best trails in the country and it changed the game.
At the Welsh champs I rode to a 3rd place finish, and then followed that up with 4th at the National MTB Champs at Woodys bike park – the highlight of that block and a reminder that persistence works.

Then it was back to Belgium for the Vlaams-Brabant, a huge 5 day stage race. Huge thanks to DLS Invigo for making that possible. It was intense, aggressive riding from start to finish and I managed a couple of top 20’s along the way. A crash on day 4 left me pretty scraped up, but that’s racing – and I still got up, pinned a number on and kept going.
What’s next: Ronde van Oost—Vlaanderen, a U23 5 day stage race. This one’s going to be fast, tactical and brutal – but I’m ready for it!

Looking Back, Looking Forward
If you’d told me a year ago that I’d be racing two of the biggest stage races in Belgium for a club rider I wouldn’t have believed you, it’s great to see something for all the hard work!!