James Shaw Interview – Pt2: Lotto To Ribble

Last week we released the first of our exclusive, three-part interview (which you can read here), with Nottingham-born, pro cyclist, James Shaw, as he talked about his early life, and his beginning in the world of cycling, including his move, as a teenager, to Belgium.

In this second part, Shaw talks to Snr Correspondent, Peter Mann, about his spell in Belgium, and the domestic cycling scene, up to and including a global pandemic, and the move to Ribble Weldtite, this year.

Although born in Nottingham, James would find himself being brought up on the Nottinghamshire/Derbyshire border, in the early days of the new millennium, before moving to Europe, and the Belgian road racing team of Lotto Soudal.

Not yet in his twenties, James would suddenly find himself near to the Antwerp municipality of Turnhout, where the headquarters of the adhesives and sealants manufacturer, Soudal, were based.

James’ mother however was far from happy, whose mother would be, as she wanted more for her son, and at home, not in Western Europe; James though, he made it work, initially heading to the Lotto Soudal team as a Stagiare, in the August of 2016.

In Belgium, throughout the years of 2016, 2017 and 2018, Shaw would go on to claim third in the British National Road Race U23 Championships, the same at Fleche Ardennaise, as well as a fifth place finish in the Liege-Bastogne-Liege Espoirs, in 2016, whilst in 2018 there was a tenth place finish in the UCI Road World U23 Championships, in Innsbruck, Austria.

“Belgians, and cycling, it’s an obsession for them, it really is,” began James.

“By the time I was 17-years-old, everyone there knew who I was, that’s what it was like.

“At the time, I was living with and renting a room from a local family, it was great few years for me, out there, although yes, my mother wanted me to come home and to go to university, after six months – she still does really.

“Cycling though, it’s my passion, it’s in my heart.

“At Lotto Soudal though, things started dropping away in 2018; there were lots of changes behind the scenes, and I found myself in an awkward position, and, all of a sudden, without a team.”

Upon leaving Lotto Soudal, the next couple of years would see the Notts cyclist back on the domestic circuit, taking in spells with Swiftcarbon (2019), Riwal Readynez (2020), and this past year, with Ribble Weldtite (2021), the latter of which would thrust him back onto the radar of the world teams.

The move to Ribble worked quickly in his favour, especially after his previous, yet recent, insecurities.

It has been a challenge, perhaps understandably so, but one which James has overcome, coming out the other end following that of a global pandemic, and what was, ultimately, a successful spell at the Northern England-based, Ribble Weldtite team.

“It wasn’t until the end of the 2018 season that I was offered a contract, at Swiftcarbon, although I actually thought I’d done enough to earn a pro contract, somewhere,” explained James.

“I didn’t want to drop into the domestic scene but, with the new season having already started, I found myself having to hit the ground running with them.

“Unfortunately though it wasn’t for me really and I was then given the chance to move into cycling’s second tier, with Riwal last year (2020).

“And then a global pandemic struck – it was rather worrying for me, at that time, as I’d been travelling around the world, and it really does make you wonder, a lot.

“Everyone was in the same boat though, and it was difficult to actually miss a year in the kind of sport that we do.

“Although I was with Riwal at the time, they also, suddenly, went bankrupt, and yet again, I found myself back in the domestics, and with no idea as to where any funding would come from.

“We certainly weren’t prepared for any of it really.”

Then, along came the multi-coloured Ribble team, and that this calendar year of 2021, had to offer him, including a break, next year, back into the world teams, with that of EF Education Nippo, the Spanish-based American outfit.

This year, 2021, and moving forward, will ultimately bring the James Shaw story right up=to-date, but that, dear readers, will be for next weekend’s, third, and final, part.