Ross Edgar: Size doesn't Matter

In 2006 Ross Edgar was the shining star of the Melbourne Commonwealth Games, with a medal of each colour meaning he had finally hit the big time.

Just over a year later and he was lighting up the World Track Championships when he stunned the field in the Keirin Semi-Final to come from the back and take victory in fantastic style.

Ross then went on to help Chris Hoy to the World Title, and in the process collect a well deserved Bronze medal.

Maclean (L), Edgar (C) and Hoy (R), Team Sprint World Cup Champions 06/07

He has also established himself as the world’s fastest second man in the team sprint.

“Definitely winning that semi-final was the most memorable, but I am most proud of making the British team sprint team, competing in the final, going faster than any other British team has ever done and being part of that team with my good friends Craig Maclean and Chris Hoy.”

Ross started his cycling career at sixteen when he entered the regional heat of the British Cycling National Challenge, which was being hosted by the local team West Suffolk Wheelers. Edgar won this heat meaning he qualified for the final in Manchester where he also claimed victory and started out on the path success.

It wasn’t long until Ross met the legendary coach Dave Le Grys, who would go on to coach Ross until he visited the Fred Magné’ UCI Sprint School

“When I first discovered Ross Edgar, I was in charge of the Dataphonics development squad, which basically was a spin off from the infamous Brite racing team that folded the year before. Ross was then riding pretty much everything from Cyclo-Cross to Track.”

“Stuart Hallam called me one day to say, there is a young kid he has just seen at Brighton, and he looks and goes like a sprinter, so I gave Ross’s dad Dave a call, and we started to work together from then on.”

A very young Ross with Dave Le Grys

“Even back then Ross showed a natural talent towards sprinting, he was not bad at everything else too, which makes him kind of unique for a sprint specialist” - Legro

“I owe a lot of my success to Dave, who mentored me in the early days.  He was my first coach teaching me the basics and mentality of sprinting”

“Working with Ross the teenager was a challenge, we did form a good bond, and even to this day, Ross and I have great respect for each other.”

“Ross went from strength to strength once we set about specific sprint training, I can remember when he was 15 or so, I used to beat him when we were doing training sprints by about 1 or 2 lengths, over time, Ross started to close the gap and eventually started to beat me, now he leaves me miles behind, but to be honest I let him do that because I didn’t want to dishearten him” 

“To be truthful, in Ross’s early years, he was a typical teenager, he would miss vital sprint workouts and I got really frustrated with his laid back attitude, but the little bugger would always shut me up, by winning when he shouldn’t have or qualify for the Junior Worlds on little training.”

“Over the years Ross did get his act together, he started to dip under 11 seconds for 200m and never looked back. I did have the pleasure of working with Ross at the Junior World Champs in Italy and he finished 4th at his first attempt, the following year it was in the USA, I travelled with Ross and trained him 10 days prior to the event, but could not look after him during the competition.”

"The little bugger would always shut me up, by winning" - Legro on Edgar

“Ross was hot favourite but went out in the second round, I was so gutted for him and know to this day, had I looked after him, he would have been Junior World Sprint Champion that year.” - Legro

It was then decided that along with Victoria Pendleton, Ross should join the UCI Sprint School which was being lead by the former World Champion Fred Magné, in Switzerland.

Two years later he emerged from the ‘Swiss Finishing School’ a different man and a better sprinter.

“Ross did mention that he did pretty much what we used to do under the supervision of Magné, the only difference was, Fred was there making him do it, once Ross got into a proper routine of training it made the difference.” – Legro

Edgar also considers the time that he spent in Switzerland as the making of him, and the key reason to his success.

“I was taught to train by Frederic Magné in Switzerland at the UCI school where I learnt the French way of training for two years”

Edgar was second in the 2007 National Keirin Champs

“Fred is a great character, lots of fun to be around but very serious at the same time. It was he who said that in a race you should go once and give it everything and if only I had listened to that I would have won much more.”

“This is a great help to me in writing my day to day programme and is the basis for my training“ 

Since leaving Switzerland Pendleton was quick to turn those years of hard training into achievements when she claimed her maiden World Sprint Title in 2005, however Ross has taken longer to show his true potential.

But like Pendleton, 2008 see’s Edgar being regarded as one of the favourites for the Olympic and World Sprint and Keirin titles, both of which along with the Team Sprint are his big goals for the season.

As ever, during this period Ross can rely on his family and friends to provide him with the support he needs.

“My family are my biggest supporters, they follow me at every race and are fanatical! My friends are also big supporters and follow my progress and are great support to me and generally think that I am achieving great things in the sport.”

Edgar signing a shirt for one of his many fans

With the Olympics in mind, Ross and the majority of the British team took part in the recent Beijing World Cup, a test event for the Olympics later this year. Having ridden on the Laoshan Velodrome what are his thoughts on the track and Beijing as a venue for the forthcoming Olympics?

“The track has very long straights and tight bends, which does not make it fast on the black line, but the banks are high and the transitions good which makes for fast 200 times”

“Beijing’s first impression is good, personally I like the track, it suits my style of racing and I am looking forward to the forthcoming Olympics”

2008 shall also see Manchester play host to the World Championships, but what does such an important event being hosted at his home track mean to Edgar?

“I saw the World Championships in 2000 when I was just an up and coming rider. To ride Manchester for the World Championships, will be great, not knowing if it would happen again in my career. It will be an extra incentive to perform in front of a home crowd which always makes a difference.”

Proud Scot, Edgar on his way to Team Sprint Gold at the Nationals

The 2007 Worlds saw GB lose the Team Sprint by two thousandths of a second, an agonisingly close margin.

“Even if I could have seen into the future, I wouldn’t have changed any of my training for the world championships in Palma.  We were the best team we could have been and that’s it.”

One of the Favourites for World and Olympic Glory

The 2007/08 season will be split into two halves, part one ending in March with the Worlds in Manchester, Part Two ending with the Olympics in August. This could present a dilemma for riders as they need to rebuild their training during the summer leaving little time for rest, recovery and hopefully party following the antics from the Worlds.

“After the Worlds, we have trials for Olympics, so there is no time for holidays, possibly an easy week directly after the worlds if I’m lucky, but we’ll have to see.”

“I think summer will be spent focussing on training and preparation for the Olympic Games, with no racing”

Perhaps a surprising decision by British Cycling when you consider the current calibre of UK International Meetings, such as the Cardiff and Edinburgh GPs, and not one event organisers will be happy with.

“I think summer will be spent focussing on training”

With such a heavy training and racing schedule what does a day in the life of Ross Edgar consist of?

“Wake up, coffee, cereal, toilet, travel to velodrome, gym training, break over lunch, track training, travel to Asda to buy food, travel home, cook food, watch Hollyoaks, and other programs, go to bed -  As you can see, it is a great life.”

Many of us struggle to cope with the pressure of big events, but riders like Ross have to be on top of their ‘games’ for every event, so how do they prepare?

“The night before, I pre-pack my bag with Skinsuit, Knee Warmers, Undervest, Helmet, Race Helmet, Gloves, Overshoes and everything I need for racing.”

“I try and stick to normal routine, not doing anything different than I would on a normal training day - with the knowledge that I have a big day ahead of me against the rest of the world the only thing different about the day”

The vast majority of riders use music to help them get into the correct mindset on race day, as it can assist in blocking out all external factors and a great aid in ‘psyching’ yourself up.

Edgar likes to listen to Trance on the Rollers

“I have currently asked my brother Bruce to make me a new Trance playlist for the Worlds & Olympics, because, I don’t like to listen to tunes I already know as I tend to sing along in my head instead of thinking about the job in hand.”

There seems to be an attitude within cycling that only 6ft tall, 3ft wide powerhouse sprinters can make it, obviously for young sprinters who have the talent but not such physical characteristics this is incredibly demoralising.

Despite being less than 6ft, Edgar is one of the many exceptions to this rule

“I weigh 72kgs and am at the top level, I don’t care what the ladies say, size is not everything!!!”

“Ross is a rare breed for a sprinter, quite calm considering, and if you did not know him would think he was laid back but inside, there was a special breed of bastard trying to get out, and when that happened, he went fast. For me, Ross was a pleasure to coach, a gentleman, and inspiration and one day that boy will win Gold in the Worlds or Olympics” – Legro

Proof that whatever your physical characteristics, if you’ve got the talent you can make it!