Fred Wright is eyeing the British National Championships titles in both the time trial and the road race, after showing his form at the Critérium du Dauphiné earlier this month. The Bahrain-Victorious rider finished fourth in the stage four-time trial, only 34 seconds behind the winner Mikkel Bjerg, and ahead of some of the best time triallists in the world.
Wright is confident that he can challenge for the wins, especially as his former housemate and two-time champion Ethan Hayter is out with a broken collarbone. Wright said that Hayter’s absence influenced his decision to ride the time trial.
“I think I have a good chance of winning it, especially with Ethan being injured and not racing,” Wright said on Tuesday. “I did talk to him about riding the time trial.
“Of course, it’s good to have a test, but the Tour de France is my main focus at this point of the season. The road race is going to be hard, but I’m really excited for tomorrow [the time trial] and giving it my all.”
The elite men’s time trial on Wednesday will consist of three laps around Dalton-on-Tees, plus a lap around Croft Circuit, making 41.4km in total. On Sunday, the men’s race will start and finish in Saltburn-by-the-Sea, with 10 laps of an 18.8km circuit adding up to 189km. The main feature of the course is the climbing, with 4,073 metres of elevation gain over the race. It’s like a mini Liège-Bastogne-Liège.
Wright feels good, that much is clear, and he is one of the favourites for both the time trial and the road race, even though he has never won a race as a pro.
“I think my time trial is really strong,” he said. “I feel really comfortable in my position and everything. I have improved a lot in that area in the last six months to a year. I was really pleased with my Dauphiné TT, so I’m looking forward to it. I just hope the power is there. I’ll be extra fresh, because it’s raining today.”
He will face competition from Huub-Wattshop’s Dan Bigham and Ineos Grenadiers’ Geraint Thomas and Josh Tarling in the time trial, with the latter being the junior world champion at the discipline.
The road race is something Wright has come close to winning before – second in 2021 – and he is also confident for that, despite the climbing.
“Every year that I don’t win, I think about what could have been if I’d beaten Swifty [Ben Swift] up Michaelgate in 2021, that was really close,” Wright said. “It’s always a hard race, always unpredictable. Everyone rides flat out until there’s a strong group up front, and they fight it out for the win. I’ve just got to make that strong group and see what happens.
“That sounds easy but it isn’t. I’m hopeful. It’ll be interesting to see the course though, because it’s quite hilly. I’m on my own, which makes it hard. I’m on my own, and everyone knows I’m one of the favourites.
“With how I feel on the bike, I think it suits me. I’m not worried about it. I should be fine, but we will see.”
Ineos Grenadiers are sending an eight-man team including Geraint Thomas to the road race, which might mean Wright has to deal with their numbers.
“I could easily tire myself out,” he said. “Ineos have a few guys, and if they keep attacking, that might be tough. They all want to win nationals as well… You just have to gamble.”
The build-up to the National Championships has been overshadowed by the death of Wright’s teammate Gino Mäder at the Tour de Suisse last week. It is not something the 24-year-old wants to discuss publicly, understandably. He just wants to ride.
“I would be really happy to win, but with everything that has happened, I just really want to race my bike,” he said. “You find a new appreciation for it really.”
