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Rider Interview: Earlier this week Ed Hood spoke to Bas Tietema, the person behind the brand new Tour de Tietema-Unibet group. He now turns his sights on one of many riders, Harry Tanfield, an outdated chum and a daily PEZ interviewee.
Harry Tanfield in Utrecht
It’s nearly 9 years since I first got here throughout Harry Tanfield; March 2014 – he’d simply completed third to Evan Oliphant within the Gordon Arms hilly time trial within the Scottish Borders. Since these easy days of newbie time assessments he’s been across the block a bit – however even earlier than that he’d had an attention-grabbing profession:
2012: noticed a high 20 end within the junior Paris-Roubaix.
2013: was unremarkable however he ‘received spherical’ the powerful Rutland race – ‘England’s Paris-Roubaix.’
With KTM
2014: The yr I first linked with him he was within the colors of KTM and took fifth within the BC u23 iTT; he was already making the rostrum within the Belgian kermises, together with a second place in Lauwe, West Flanders to a person who for some time, early within the century was profitable large and the ‘subsequent large factor’ in Belgian Biking – Steven Caethoven.
2015: He was with John Herety’s JLT Condor group and was on the rostrum within the Rutland.
2016: with the ‘Pedal Heaven’ group he was second the British Elite Criterium Collection and gained a stage within the Tour de Poyang Lake in China.
Yorkshire’18 – stage 1
2017: Bike Channel – Canyon was on the jersey this yr and a raft of high placings within the UK and on the continent not forgetting a stage win within the Chinese language Tour of Qanzhou Bay
2018: Canyon Eisberg the group; silver medals got here within the British Championship and Commonwealth Video games particular person time trials AND the consequence which introduced the highlight into sharp concentrate on him – victory in Stage One, Tour of Yorkshire.
Valencia 2019 – stage 1 TT
2019: World Tour with Staff Katusha; no ‘stand outs’ however fifth within the BinckBankTour chrono simply 4 seconds behind Stefan Küng tells us that the person wasn’t ‘creeping.’
2020: AG2R Mondiale on the jersey after the unusual arrange that was Katusha folded; it was Stage 15 of the Tour of Spain earlier than he needed to throw the towel in – seven days was probably the most consecutive days he’d raced previous to the monster that’s the Vuelta.
AG2R-La Mondiale
2021: ‘Staff Qhubeka ASSOS’ stated the identify on his chest; second within the GB crit champs and fourth within the GB highway race champs reminded us that he’s a top quality boy – as did these high 5 leads to Belgium. However the South African group was doomed – so again to the drafting board for 2022. . .
Wallonie’21
2022: UK continental group Ribble Weldtite; numerous sturdy house criterium outcomes – however he saved his hand in over the North Sea in these Dutch and Belgian kermises. Nonetheless, regardless of an excellent season, the Ribble Weldtite group folded on the finish of the yr, underlining how tough it’s to acquire sponsorship on this bother monetary local weather.
2023?: learn on. . .
Pez: When do you know that the writing was on the wall for the Ribble Weldtite group, Harry?
Harry Tanfield: The group was very open with us, we had been saved within the loop from August that they had been ready to listen to again from sponsors; the untimely halting of the Tour of Britain couldn’t be averted due to the circumstances however that didn’t assist issues both. In September it was accepted that the group wasn’t going to proceed in order that gave us time to react; I used to be talking to groups in Belgium and The Netherlands however I additionally spoke to Tim Elverson about his 2023 incarnation of the Canyon group – AT85 Professional Biking. However in the long run I made a decision to go to The Netherlands, I just like the racing there.
Tour of Britain 2022 stage 1
Pez: How did you get the journey with the TDT-Unibet Biking Staff?
The man setting the group up, Bas Tietema has a You Tube channel with 150,000 plus subscribers, ‘Tour de Tietema’ and has determined to place collectively a continental group, he contacted me in July however I had different presents to think about – I made the choice to go together with him in September, the programme is sweet, the person has imaginative and prescient, the objective is to go Professional Staff in 2024 and the title sponsor, Unibet is a powerful one.
Climbing l’Angliru within the Vuelta
PEZ: So it’s a stable arrange?
It’s organised in a correct European professional group trend, there’s an operations supervisor, a mechanic, a soigneur, a media individual, Rob Harmeling is DS; he was a professional with Histor and TVM and is a former Tour de France stage winner. The group coach is a top quality man as effectively, Hugo Haak he was an excellent rider on the monitor himself and was ‘coach of the yr’ in The Netherlands a number of years in the past. So far as riders go there aren’t any large names however everybody has stable outcomes – Joren Bloem was third within the Olympia’s Tour this yr, that’s one exhausting race. Kevin Inkelaar has gained levels within the Val d’Aosta, spent two seasons with Bahrain and rode the Vuelta.
Tanfield additionally rode la Vuelta – Stage 4 break in 2020
PEZ: Are the bikes sorted and the way do you deal with the change of machine?
We’re on Cannondale with Shimano Di2 Ultegra group-sets, I noticed one on the group launch they usually look the half. As for altering bikes it’s fairly easy and one thing I’ve received used to over time.
Harry’s 2023 Cannondale
PEZ: Are you aware your programme but?
Not particularly however I do know we have now some good races lined up – we begin with the Tour of Antalya in Turkey which is February 09 to 12 and we’re accepted for UCi races the likes of Craft Ster van Zwolle and Baloise Tour of Belgium.
The Tour de Tietema-Unibet package modelled by Bas Tietema
PEZ: The place will ‘house’ be?
My girlfriend is Dutch and lives in Utrecht; we’re within the strategy of sorting a spot out over there.
Kuurne 2018
PEZ: Regardless of your Ribble UK commitments you continue to managed some respectable continental leads to 2022, second in Omloop Mandel-Leie-Schelde Meulebeke as an illustration?
I didn’t do many although – you really want to do a number of to get again into that fashion of racing. I just like the kermis scene in Belgium and there’s an excellent crit scene in The Netherlands.
Lacking the UK crits
PEZ: Will you miss the UK crit scene?
In fact, I grew up driving these races and this yr I used to be second total within the Tour Collection however the Canyon group had been simply so dominant in these races. I rode each spherical of the collection and with all of the journey it does take it out of you.
PEZ: And your winter break is behind you?
That began after Stage Three of the Tour of Britain the place I crashed out; I used to be off the bike for six weeks – and I’d deliberate to journey the Belgian kermises in September. I received again into it earlier than Xmas then had a little bit of a vacation earlier than two weeks coaching in Tenerife. Just lately we had a 3 day group bonding camp close to Arnhem with our first coaching camp correct in Spain in January.
Early season motion in Valencia 2019
PEZ:Ambitions for 2023?
I’d like a UCi win and to collect some UCi factors; I do love racing on the market and it’s an excellent group of fellows. My position gained’t simply be about getting the most effective outcomes for myself, I’ll have a group captain’s job to do – assist the youthful guys get the most effective out of themselves. I’m trying ahead to it. . .
No stranger to Belgium – Omloop Het Nieuwsblad 2019
# How does that music go? ‘I get knocked down however I stand up once more. . .’ It might have been written for Mr. Tanfield. #
Extra podiums on the best way for Harry Tanfield
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