In the first of an exclusive, three-part interview, our very own Senior Correspondent, Peter Mann, caught up with Nottingham born professional cyclist, James Shaw – here he talks about his early life in and around the city, his love of cycling, and touching on that move to Belgium…..
It was the summer of 1996, Steffi Graff had just won her fifth French Open title beating Arantxa Sanchez Vicario in a thrilling final, Colorado Avalanche beat Florida Panthers in a four game sweep to take the Stanley Cup, Nottingham was busy hosting the European Championships with Turkey, Croatia and Portugal in town, and on the 13th June, James Callum Shaw was born in the city hospital.
By the time the millennium had rolled around, and James had turned six, he was already out riding a bicycle to a high enough standard that he was seen to be joining his local club, Heanor Clarion; upon reaching his teens and his was riding, somewhat successfully, for Haribo-Beacon.
In claiming early successes, there was also the presence of an early, embarrassing event, for the then, fledgling cyclist.
“Having been born in Nottingham, I then grew up on the Nottinghamshire/Derbyshire border, in a town called Langley Mill,” began James of the formative years.
“I was raised there until I was 18, when I moved over to Belgium to pursue my cycling career; a quite unique way of starting out.
“I remember that I loved going out on mountain bike rides, with my dad, as a kid – it felt like we were out all day when in reality, it was only about 45 minutes or so.
“I did take a little time away from cycling, played some football, but I’ve got two left feet and, to be honest, all bat and ball sports were never on the cards for me.”
A Forest fan, and a follower of the Nottingham Panthers – he tries to get to occasional games, when the schedule allows – James returned to his true love of cycling, around 2008, at 12-years-old.
From that moment on he’s never looked back, and, following a three-year hiatus from pro-cycling’s top level, returned in 2012 for a deserved, second shot at the big-time.
Back then though, and before that junior success arrived, there was Lucy Garner.
A former professional cyclist, a multi-honoured with it, rode for the Leicestershire Road Club, between 2004 and 2012; James’ memory of her is from his first race.
“It was the first time I pinned a number on my back, in the Notts & Derbyshire Cyclocross League,” explained James.
“I recall racing, and being lapped by Lucy Garner; fortunately she went on to do great things in the sport.
“However, back then, it was embarrassing to be lapped by a girl.
“At that time though, it was Lance Armstrong for me, and I used to watch him a lot on the television, I even had a US Postal Team jersey (Armstrong’s cycling team, 1998-2005), and that’s all I really wanted to do.
“There was never really any ambitions though, beck then, and certainly not to climb the racing ladder; people from Langley Mill don’t do things like that.”
That run in the juniors, with Haribo-Beacon, certainly brought some success for young, Nottingham rider.
Highlights for the amateur cyclist would see his winning the junior versions of Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne, and the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad competitions.
Both of those are Belgian races, so maybe it wasn’t quite as surprising when, in 2016, James signed his first contract, with Lotto Soudal – he’d worked his way there that’s for sure.
“I’d left school at sixteen, I think it was the last year that we didn’t have to continue into further education,” added James.
“And, for the two years after leaving school I worked for an outdoor pursuits company in Eastwood, spending a couple of years in their warehouse.
“It was during this time that I was saving up to do my driving lessons and test, and to buy a car, as my parents were usually the ones who took me everywhere.
“I was scouted by the Belgian team, Lotto Soudal, and I guess it really is about being in the right place, at the right time, and at that given moment, I was just that.
“So, with assistance of a grant from the Dave Rayner Fund, I ended up moving to Belgium.”
Ah” Beautiful Belgium; home of the famous cobbles, and that iconic, Tour of Flanders, a country in which James rightly says is “as passionate about cycling as us Brits are about football.”
And you know what? He’s probably right you know, or pretty close to being so.
But that, and the past few years ‘on the road’ with SwiftCarbon (2019) and Riwal Readynez (2020), ahead of this years’ successes with Ribble Weldtite, and the move to EF Education Nippo, are for another day, or two, with part two, of three, coming soon….
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*Article provided by Peter Mann (Senior Correspondent).
*Main image @GaryMain Shaw in action cycling for Great Britain.
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