Talkingshop: IG SigmaSport’s Peter Williams

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After five years with Phil Griffith’s teams, Tour of Britain Sprints winner Pete Williams has changed teams for 2013 to ride for IG SigmaSport

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I remember well the early season races last year and seeing the name Pete Williams at the top of the result sheets on quite a few occasions. The Node 4 rider then finished the season off on a high by winning the Sprints jersey in the Tour of Britain which must have been quite something considering the huge interest in the race.

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This is the strength of Pete Williams, always on the attack which helped him win the Sprints jersey in the Tour of Britain.

Last weekend, days after returning from a skiing holiday, Pete was thrown in at the deep end at Revolution 39 after one of the IG Sigma Sport riders had to pull out due to illness and between races, VeloUK spoke to him about 2012 and his changing teams for 2013.

We started by talking about his highlights from 2012. Surely the jersey in the Tour of Britain? “It was great to get that jersey in the Tour of Britain and get recognised for all the efforts in the breakaways. I did though have some other good rides during the year like some of the races we did in Belgium. Like being away all day and then getting caught on the finishing circuit but those sort of rides go unnoticed so it’s good to have something to show for your efforts like those in the Tour of Britain.”

Pete has changed teams after riding for Phil Griffith’s teams (Pinarello, Node 4 etc) for five years. Asked why the move, Pete replied “Phil wasn’t too sure what was happening after the season and I was speaking to IG Sigma Sport and they have a good plan for 2013. It’s nice to have a change though. I was with Phil for five years and I’m grateful to him for everything he has done but the change is good for the motivation and I am keen to go now for this year and step up a level.”

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 Pete Williams full gas during Revolution 39 last weekend

“There are some good guys from Node4 joining the team like Cronshaw (Matt) who’s really motivated for this year and some of the young lads too. Ryan Mullen I think will surprise a lot of people this year and it will be interesting to see how Ross Edgar goes.”

Looking ahead to the 2013 season and what his goals are, Pete explains “I am always there or thereabouts in races but I just don’t seem to win the big ones. I can win the small ones every week but the big ones seem to elude me but I am working on that to try and win some this year and get as much out of the opportunities as I can really.”

“We’re sitting down at the minute and planning how I can get the most out of the season. We’re aiming to do quite a few stage races so if I can pick up a few stages that would be good and the RAS (Ireland), I’d love to do that again. I missed it the previous season and the goal for 2013 is to just get as much out of every race as I can and win a big one along the way.”

Asked for his thoughts on the British racing calendar, he says “the calendar is weighted towards the crits which is great for the team and sponsors but not a great balance with road races. With the Premiers, we have not got a good race until the end of April (the CiCLE Classic is planned around that time too) which is still a quarter of a year away which is why I’m chilling a bit.”

“I’ll get going now but it’s a long time to not have any decent big profile races in Britain. It is frustrating there is so much emphasis on the crits but it’s good for the sport in other ways. It’s just hard for riders like myself as I’m not an out and out crit rider or a sprinter. I am very much a jack of all trades.”

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Giving us the thumbs up on the final stage of the Tour of Britain in the Sprint’s jersey.

Is six Premier Calendar races enough I asked? “There should be a better Premier Calendar” he replied. “There’s six UCI teams here so rather than us going to Belgium the Belgian’s should be coming to us. You can win as many National B’s as you want but no-one takes much notice so it’s the National A’s and the prestige of the big events like the Girvan, Archer, Lincoln, etc which have history behind them. The National B’s like the CDNW events are training races for the bigger races but there aren’t enough bigger races.”

Pete is based in Yorkshire which has always been synonymous with cycling, even more so now the Tour de France is coming in 2014. Asked how has it been for training this winter, he replied “we’ve only had a bad ten day spell with the ice so far and everywhere had that but I have loads of lads to train with like Rob Partridge (UK Youth) and Wilko (Ian Wilkinson, UK Youth), Tom Barras and all the Yorkshire group.”

“I did a few miles before Xmas but have been away on holiday every new year since I was little and when I get back, I start again. I flew back on Thursday and was on the rollers Thursday night and then was out the next day in the rain and this morning (pre Revolution 39). The switch has been flicked!”

“I will go out with a group a few times a week and I will also go out with one or two others as well and get in some long rides. Where I live, it’s always hard as it’s always windy and/or uphill with sticky roads. Throw in a few training camps with the team and you soon get going.”

With some cold weather coming, Pete says he’ll probably get himself off to somewhere warm as its good for morale going out in the sun adding that when the roads get icy at home, it’s not worth the risk.” With the weather forecast including ice and snow, perhaps Pete better get onto the travel agent…

Good luck to Pete in his new colours for 2013.

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 The reward for an attacking Tour of Britain, Pete Williams wins the Sprints jersey.

 

 

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