Ryan Roth heading to nationals with confidence after a consistent spring
The annual re-shuffling, or cycling’s version of musical chairs, continues to plague the sport at professional level. There isn’t a system in place that can protect accomplished riders when sponsors seem to arbitrarily pull at the 11th hour. Ryan Roth was subjected to this situation this past November when his team folded. Many riders would have thrown in the towel without a contract so late in the season. Instead, it seemed to bolster his determination. Roth made a decision to continue racing to the best of his ability, to make the most of his circumstances and to be competitive in every race he entered. After all, the 31-year-old to date has won many top races. His palmarès include two wins at the Univest Grand Prix, the Tro-Bro Léon in France and the 2012 elite men’s Canadian national road championship race. Roth is still capable of winning big races and his team’s collapse was merely an obstacle.
At the last minute, Roth found a spot with local Toronto-based squad Jet Fuel-Norco for 2014, a team he raced for in the past as an under-23 rider. He began his season in California with Jet Fuel at the San Dimas Stage Race and the Redlands Bicycle Classic. “So far my season has been very consistent. I think I’ve been top 10 in pretty much every race so far, but am still looking for a little extra to get a win,” said Roth, who has actually won a local race, the Niagara Classic. Roth is without doubt referring to that “big win” in a major race as he has done many times in the past. Given his circumstances in 2014, his training and preparation has been a challenge. He switched teams just before the Grand Prix Cycliste de Saguenay, signing Canada’s newest continental team, Silber Pro Cycling. Despite riding his old time trial bike from his SpiderTech days and placing third in the Stage 3 time trial at the Tour de Beauce, Roth says he wasn’t in the best condition last week. “Beauce was all right, but I lacked a bit of freshness there after racing Saguenay,” he said. “I think I could have been a bit better there if I just focused on it. On the other hand, doing both races might be perfect preparation for nationals.
“Our goal for Silber Pro Cycling team will be to try and win,” said Roth when asked about his ambitions for the upcoming Canadian nationals. Given Roth’s unwavering focus and determination, he is one of the top picks to win the men’s road race for a second time.
