‘No pro – no go’ denial for Sam
TOURING teenager Sam Culverwell has learned a few key lessons already about racing in Belgium.
Just two days after finishing a strong sixth in his first Belgian ‘kermesse’, at amateur level, he had the misfortune of being denied last-minute the opportunity to race a professional-standard event.
The 18-year-old turned up to the start after being initially accepted by the organisers only to find that it was reserved for pro riders.
But a sanguine Culverwell called it ‘just one of those things’ before reflecting on a fine opening effort last Sunday.
Despite the misfortune of missing the main attack, he rode strongly to drop the peloton and place highly in the 110km Merelbeke.
He broke away alongside two other riders and closed what had been a minute-and-a-half gap to a modest 28sec. by the finish.
Culverwell testified to the very different style of racing – both in the nature of the courses and how they are ridden.
‘The laps aren’t short but they are shorter and you have to do a number of them, so it’s like racing a bigger and longer criterium,’ he said.
‘It’s full gas from the start and it’s very full-on with the attacks. As soon as one gets pulled back, another one goes – you have to be confident with it.’
He nevertheless feels that the aggressive racing suits him.
‘I felt capable in that first race... I felt if I’d caught the move, I would have been able to go with them.
‘I feel that I am strong enough to get some results in these races.’
Culverwell was due to contest a second ‘kermesse’ yesterday and another today.
