Wiles came with me, but at least Alex was gone. Over the next couple of laps Wiles and I pushed onwards trying to build up a gap. Sky were trying to chase but the firepower was not really there, and no-one was going to help Froome to glory.

We entered the final lap with a gap of 2’15, facing a final 14km duel to the line. Wiles accelerated on the first climb, but he didn’t have the power. I countered over the top and could feel him slipping away. I kept on pushing pulling the gap apart and hit the final climb alone. It was a simple ride up the hill to take it.

Karl Hammarling, British Road Race National Champion. Sounds good doesn’t it. Well that was until Malcolm found me in the finish area.

“Go to doping control immediately.�
"Jesus Malcolm, give me a chance." He manhandled me across the technical area and into the control tent.
“How did you manage this then Karl? Pay the others to let you win? Or was it a simple injection?�
Here I was, my best achievement so far, and perhaps the team’s biggest win, and all Malcolm could do was mock me!

Screw him. I was a winner, and if he didn’t like it, then I’ll go somewhere else.

Following the Nationals I have a decent break. Next race comes at the end of the month in Denmark. I had to get away from Malcolm and Node4 again, so I headed off to the States for a training holiday.

Well first I actually went to Stockholm for two days. I had to stop by the family following my big win. Naturally they were all thrilled and we, as a family, dedicated it to my Dad. It was great to catch up with the family who I hadn’t spoken to in quite a few months now. About 10 of them came to see me off in the airport as I caught the plane out to Chicago.

While I was in Stockholm I was invited out a club with my cousins, but I had to say no. I wasn’t keen on going back to a bar. Too many bad experiences recently and I was not about to do that around family. They had always believed in me, and I couldn’t let them know about those issues. I just couldn’t let anyone know. Not even Phil knew what happened after I walked away in Bavaria.

Chicago was very nice. The weather was good, sunny and warm but not overpowering. Always a good breeze coming in off the Lake. The roads were smooth and, once out of the city, pretty quiet. It made for some great flat work.

I was based out of a cheap hotel, and it only took an hours easy spinning to get onto the back roads. I focused mostly on just grinding out miles. I mixed in a variety of sprints and intervals as well, trying to add some speed and burn off excess weight.
Things were going pretty well. Out here no-one knew me and I could just ride my bike. There were bars and clubs of course, but without a real reason it was easy to stay clear of them. Some might ask I was lonely but no, I was ok.

Back in the room one night I was flicking through my emails when something caught me eye…

To >
From >

Hello Karl,
I want to have a chat with you. Let me know where to send a car, and come out to Schaumburg. There is a proposal I think you will be very interested in.

Rudy Belfort
Head of Sponsorship, Motorola.

I fired off a quick reply, and the next day I was whisked away to Schaumburg. A short 30miles down the freeways and we pulled up outside the home of Motorola. The building was impressive, all glass and metal works. It shouted power and money.

Inside everything glistened and shone brightly. It was far cry from the gritty reality of Stoke, based in the dark hills and under the grey skies of the UK. Here everything was new, fresh and sunny. The elevator ride was short and I tried to chat with my escort, a nice lady who had no clue about me or about cycling. One awkward silence later and we entered a conference room, which boasted a brilliant panorama of the local area. You could just about make out the skyline of Downtown Chicago in the hazy distance.

“Welcome Mr. Hamarling. I’m Rudy. Take a seat and we’ll get down to business. What is your contract for 2015?�

Dippofix wrote:
Just caught up on this now, seems really nice. Is there anything i really need to know from the links you posted at the start for following?

TheManxMissile wrote:


Talented, some wins. Rapidly growing team and rider. Dead dad, whilst leading the ToB.
the links are to the more traditional parts of the story from PCM12

“Well I don’t have one at the moment. Node4-Rexona only gave me a 1 year extension to cover 2014, this year. It includes an option to extend again for 2015 if we both agree, but we’ve had some disagreements recently.�

“Ok so you are available to listen to my offer.�

“Yes I guess. But what offer?�

“Karl, I want you to ride for Motorola in 2015. The company has taken the decision to return to pro cycling and sponsor a new team we are building from scratch. Motorola are committed as title sponsor, and have also brought Subaru in as a co-sponsor. The plan is to apply for Pro Continental status and really go big from the start.
So, what do you think?�

Rudy and I talked about the team and a potential contract for several hours. They gave me a lift back to the hotel with some information documents and a lot to consider. Node4 had given me the chance to race professionally. They had given me pretty good support and guidance from the start. The team was good, and was rapidly rising through the ranks. I had made friends there, especially in Phil and Lucy.

But there had been issues recently. My actions weren’t perfect but hell I’m only 20 years old! I know I have talent and I want to see where it can take me. Frankly I don’t think Node4 will give me enough chances if I stay for next season.

However the move to Motorola is complex. I would have to move out to the States, leave the UK behind, and leave my friends. And I don’t even know who the rest of the squad is yet. I’ve got some time though, Rudy said I can take as long as I like. This is a big decision…

The Post Danmark Rundt is my return to Europe and to racing about a month after the nationals. The training holiday meant I was in good shape to return, and the rest of the squad was fired up. The Tour of Britain squad was still unconfirmed and everyone was fighting for a spot on the team.

Stage 1 went well. Of course Luke was team leader being the best sprinter so everyone was working for him. He finished the opening day 5th place, really fighting with some big name sprinters like Matthews.

Stage 2 was again pretty good. Solid team performance set Luke up well for the final dash. He topped off the work with another Top5. We hoped he could find that extra little bit and bag a podium finish.

Stage 3 nice and simple flat stage again. That’s what this race is really, a sprinters race. Team working for Luke, Luke sprints and gets 5th place. The consistency was really impressive, and kept him close to the top of the GC pile. The individual time trial would shake things up a bit.