We caught up with Jitsie rider Jack Carthy to talk about what he has been up to lately and look ahead to the second UCI World cup this weekend in Walbrzych, Poland.
Hi Jack! It has been a good month since the World Cup in Heubach, how do you reflect back on that event?
I would not say that I was too excited with my result but it was quite an unusual race to say the least! The bad weather over the weekend made the sections really muddy and slippery, and I think it is fair to say they were just too difficult in those harsh conditions. Although I did not finish on the podium as I had hoped for, I learned a lot in Heubach and that experience will be useful for the future.
This weekend will be your first ever event in Poland. Are you looking forward to the event?
I have seen some pictures of the event from previous years and it looks a little bit old school to be honest! Some of the sections were in a little forest and the others were man-made hazards so there was a good mix of different styles of sections. The organiser clearly has a lot of experience with setting up a big event as the World cup and the Polish TV will cover the event, which of course is great news for the sport. If now we could only have some decent weather this weekend, please!
What are your expectations for this weekend?
Well, I have put in a lot of training for this event and changed my usual routine to better prepare for the different style of sections. My goal is to get a podium result as I feel that is where I should be. The competition will be very strong but I feel I have prepared well so a podium finish should be within my reach.
There is a meeting planned between the riders and the UCI on Friday, what do you think about that?
I think it is good that the riders and the UCI are actively trying to improve the World cup series. I am a relative newcomer on the international scene and surely don’t want to take on a leading role in this matter. It is better for the more experienced riders to take responsibility and talk to the UCI. However, it is pretty clear after the event in Heubach that rider safety will be a point of discussion during that meeting. One of the suggestions that I would like to put forward is that both the UCI and the riders try to improve the media coverage for our sport. That is important to increase the popularity of our sport and help riders attract bigger sponsors.
Thanks for your time Jack and good luck this weekend!
My pleaseure! See you all this weekend in Walbrzych!
Click on the above pictures to visit the Jitsie Facebook page, check out the Vimeo Jitsie page for loads of cool Jitsie videos, follow us on Twitter and Instagram (@jitsiecom) or visit our website www.jitsie.com for all the latest Jitsie news.
