Here we go, my planned race calendar for the 2017/18 CX season: 7 world cups, 16 UCI Cat 1 and 10 UCI Cat 2 which means over 30 races. The finále is the World Champs but selection won’t be announced until mid-October.

If any Aussie riders are planning to apply for World’s selection for the first time they are welcome to get in contact with me as I am happy to share my experience racing in Europe. My biggest advice for riders (particularly juniors) planning to come over is to consider your goals for the trip and when the best time to be over here is. Very few races are held in January so riders can taper for the World Championships. This gives you very little opportunity to get used to how the events are run and the way riders race in Europe.  For example, in a small Australian field we have significantly less rider traffic during the race. This means Aussies are less experienced at full-gas race starts (from the back of the grid), passing riders and dealing with bottlenecks or crashes. I believe that coming to Europe for ‘Kerstperiode’ (the 2 week block of ~8 races around Christmas) is better value than the final two weeks leading up to the World Champs where you get only ~4 races and your competition are absolutely flying. You could also consider staying after the World Championships for some additional racing in February. While it is likely you will feel out of your depth, coming here and racing the best is an overloaded learning experience and I highly recommend it.

I am living the dream having the opportunity to race the whole season over in Europe. I have never been a full-time athlete before, as my cycling has always been managed around my work or study commitments. I feel very fortunate to work for a company who have been so supportive in helping me fit my sporting commitments around my work and saying yes when I asked to take leave for this trip. Even more than that, AECOM have come on board with some financial support for my trip which is fantastic!

Currently for Australians, participation in cyclocross events even at the World Cups and World Championships is paid for by the athlete.  While I am fortunate to have some financial and in kind support my European racing season is primarily self-funded. I am partnering with the Australian Sports Foundations’ Athlete Fundraising Program which allows you to give a tax-deductible donations to support an athlete. This money will contribute to my costs including flights, accommodation, car hire, race support and equipment.

You can find my donation page here: https://asf.org.au/athletes/nat-redmond/

Thanks to all my current supporters: AECOM, Cannondale, Ozriders, SRAM, Zipp, Bell helmets, Spin Cycle Clothing, Kogel Bearings, and Zero Friction Cycling.

Nat’s Euro Cross Calendar