So here I am signing my first professional contract, I've made the step up to the pro ranks and I hope that this will be that start of a long career. But I hope that you'll follow my progress with interest as I write this monthly column on my progress and what its like to on this side of the crash barriers.
So I though in this first column I'd let you find a little about me. My name is Wilson Stanley Tuuk Tuuk Gebremeskel, and I was born Butare, Rwanda on the 24th February 1994, which means that I was just a couple of months old when the Rwandan Genocide began, my parents fled to France to keep me and my 2 year old sister safe. From then on I was raised in Grenoble just a stones throw away from Alpe d'Huez, I started cycling with the local cycling club, but my first big showing of my talent was when I participated in the Alpe d'Huez time trial in just over an hour when I was 12 years old. From then on I went from strength to strength winning the regional championships as a 14 year old, then as a 16 year old I won the French national championships held on a hilly course just outside of Grenoble.
As I progressed into the junior ranks I had a number of teams talking to me but I told them I didn't want to join a team until I was an under 23, as a junior I took part in a couple of international races as part of a regional team, although most of the time the races didn't suit me, a couple of times I was able to show my strength and managed to win a stage of a junior race held in the Dolomites.
Now I'm 21 years old and I decided that now it's time to make the step up to becoming a professional, so I decided to join Vendee U, which is an Under 23 development team, as I thought that they would be the best people to help me to progress and develop. Anyway the first few races of the season beckon.
Wish Me Luck!
Wilson
My Stories
My Teams
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My first month as a professional has been a relative success I did what I love to do and attacked. I've raced 5 times in the last month taking part in each round of the PCM Daily Championships with races over a range of different terrain it was going to be a hard introduction into the cycling world for me.
The flat race and cobbled race were races that I knew I wouldn't do anything on so I made an attempt to get into the break and I did manage to get in the days break at the first round, however we were caught later on in the stage.
The hilly race was a mixed affair as I was riding for the team, but we didn't manage to get the result we were looking for, although I finished on the same time as the winner. The time trial was never going to be a race for me as I haven't ever ridden a proper time trial, the closest I've got is riding on my own up Alpe d'Huez.
Then came the big one, the mountain race was my first race as leader and I wanted to make sure I did a good ride to show it was worth it for my team. They rode on the front all day and then on the final climb I tried to follow the attack of Firsanov, but I went to hard and blew myself up meaning I came home 9th just under 50 seconds down.
The next month I'm not racing, so I'll get back to you in March. I'm hoping to get closer to the win.
Wilson
My Stories
My Teams
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So I didn't race in February, but I'm back now and it's a strange feeling to come back to racing after a large block of training. From the way I was feeling I think it's better for me to race into form. As I'm yet to race a proper stage race I'm not sure how I back up my races, but I'm optimistic that I'll get better throughout the race as that's always how my form has been.
The first race was the Trofeo Umag, which I managed to get away in a nice break with two other riders, however my inexperience showed as I rode to hard early on and was dropped in the final 25 kilometres by the break and then I just managed to hang on to the bunch.
The next race was the GP Troyes, I tried to get into the break but every time my group was chased down, and then after 50 kilometres I'd worn myself out and couldn't get in the break and then I struggled to stay in the bunch come the finish.
Next month I get into my first stage race, so hopefully I'll start to pull it out and get some decent results.
W
My Stories
My Teams
ICL - Project Cumbria Powered by Thomas Graham Steel & Industrial Supplies
