Cavendish counsel and a dream debut - Ethan Vernon interview

Ethan Vernon kicked off his season in Mallorca on Wednesday, his runner-up finish in the Trofeo Alcudia suggesting that more victories await him in 2023 after his eye-catching debut campaign last year. 

The 22-year-old Brit, who comes from a predominantly track racing background, won three races on the road with Soudal-QuickStep: a stage at the Volta a Catalunya and two – a prologue and a sprint – at the Tour of Slovakia. He then rounded out the year by becoming a world champion on the track as part of Britain's new-look team pursuit squad. 

With a broad skill set and a year of experience under his belt, Vernon looks well-placed to move through the gears in 2023, with sprints, semi-classics, and, of course, a touch of track on the agenda. 

Ahead of it all, he sat down with Cyclingnews to discuss his rise, what it was like to race alongside Mark Cavendish, and what lies ahead.

Cyclingnews: As you're about to start your second season, how do you look back on the first?

EV: It was a good season – three wins and a world title on the track is a nice first year pro. I don't know what I was expecting. I was a bit naive to what it was going to be like, but looking back now and with the standard of racing, I'm really happy.

I remember someone asked me this time last year what I expected, and I said to learn in the first half of the year and then win a race in the second. I ticked that off in April, which calmed the nerves, and it was a WorldTour win too. Even that just one win would have been a nice debut, but to get two more and then the track just topped it off and put me in a really good place for this year. 

CN: You can sprint, you can time trial, and obviously you have the track, so how would you define yourself as a rider?

EV: It's a bit uncertain at the moment. Hopefully, by the end of this year, I'll know a bit more. I don't want to close any options off. I'm not super heavy so I can get over some of the climbs so that's another avenue I guess – sprints from reduced bunches.

Hopefully, by this time next year, I'll have won a couple more races and it's a bit clearer. I want to keep working on my sprinting but I do think climbing – obviously not pure climbing but getting over some hills to sprint after – is a nice avenue to go down. And then with the track, I'm really motivated for the Paris Olympics and that's only going to help with time trialling.

CN: What about the Classics? They'd seem to suit your profile but obviously QuickStep isn't short of one-day talent...

EV: That's the thing, the team's so good at the Classics. If I was on a different team, maybe I'd be riding Roubaix and Flanders already, but in this team, it's so hard to make that squad. I have very little experience on the road so trying some smaller Classics first is the goal. I want to try and win some of those in the following years then hopefully step up into the bigger Classics. 

CN: You had a highly successful debut season, but how steep a learning curve was it?

EV: A steep one – probably more for me than any normal neo-pro, because I didn't really race on the road at all as an under-23. I learned so much, especially with the likes of Cav and [Michael] Mørkøv and Fabio [Jakobsen], I learned so much – as a sprinter and a lead-out rider as well.

Working with guys outside my country was new to me as well, and a challenge on top of the extra level of bike riding. It was a big year, a big jump in everything – on and off the bike – but hopefully, I can use that this year. 

CN: What are your memories of your first big bunch sprint – I think it was at the UAE Tour? 

EV: I wasn't expecting it to be that carnage. I'd never experienced anything like that as an under-23. You obviously experience mental under-23s where guys are willing to risk everything, so I've seen it, but it's not as big as UAE, with all the teams lining up behind each other.

It was a cool experience. We messed up a bit the first day but then Cav won so that was nice to put things right. For him to win and to be a part of it was quite special, for a 21-year-old who has looked up to him my whole life. 

CN: What was it like actually being in the race with him?

EV: You're trying to do everything right because you don't want to be the guy who messes it up for him. It was super nerve-wracking, but the track really helps with nerves. The team pursuit puts you under so much pressure, so when it comes to the road you're almost better equipped than a normal road rider to handle all the nerves.

CN: Cavendish seems to have a lot of time for the younger riders – was he good with you in that respect?

EV: Really good. I was put in a room with him in the December and January camps so I got to know him quite well. He was really good with me, and looked after me. I ended up driving him back home to the UK from Belgium in a little Skoda. We had some good times. 

CN: What sort of advice did he give you?

EV: Just little tips, as small as clothing choices, but also as big as race craft, race analysis. The detail he and Mørkøv would go into over a sprint was incredible. I'd never seen that before, but I guess that's why they've been so successful.

CN: Your big breakthrough win came at the Volta a Catalunya, a WorldTour race no less. How do you look back on that day?

EV: That was really unexpected. The first day I got fourth and messed up a bit but I knew I could get one place better and get a podium if I got it right. A few days later, Brian, our DS, said 'no pressure Ethan but we're riding all day on the front for you'. So basically all the pressure was on me.

As a neo-pro doing my first sprint for the team, I was like 'bloody hell'. I remember sitting there for 200km shitting myself the whole day. But then it came to the sprint and I managed to pull it off. Maybe it was that pressure that helped me pull it off. 

CN: There seems to be an expectation at QuickStep – or is it a pressure? – that everyone can contribute wins, no matter their age...

EV: Yeah, the pressure is on but it's also off. If I didn't do it, you wouldn't get shouted at or anything, but also the pressure is on so that you don't sit back and you push yourself. 

CN: The team has a rich sprinting heritage – there aren't many sprinters who don't have fruitful years there. Does that inspire confidence or create pressure?

EV: That's actually why, when it came to choosing which offer to accept, it was a no-brainer to come here. You've seen the guys they produce, and everyone has their best years here. For a neo-pro without much experience, I think it was the best place because you learn from the top guys. It was perfect, and couldn't have wished for a better start. 

CN: Looking ahead, what's on the schedule for 2023?

EV: I start in Mallorca, then the European Track Championships at the start of February. That's one of only two track races I'm doing this year, along with Worlds in August. On the road, it's looking like Tour of Rwanda in late February with the Development squad – I don't know many details but apparently, I can race for them, and obviously, I'll have missed some racing in February to go to the track.

Then in March, it's looking like some semi-Classics, so hopefully, I can improve my results from last year and prove I'm worthy of the biggest Classics in the coming years. 

CN: What are your overall ambitions for the year?

EV: I would like to beat the three wins I had in 2022. And to keep learning. If I finish with more wins than last year and hopefully get another world title on the track, that'll put me in a great place – both for the track and the Olympic year and also on the road. 

CN: Longer-term, do you see your future on the road and will Paris mark the end of the track?

EV: I haven't thought that far ahead. It depends how Paris goes. If we win gold in the team pursuit then I could be quite happy with my track career, but if it doesn't go to plan... The reason I became a pro cyclist originally was to win an Olympic medal, so that dream would carry on.