Mark Christian has admitted that his cycling career was at a crossroads when his former team folded in 2018.

Aqua Blue Sport, an Irish UCI Professional Continental cycling team, ceased racing at the end of that season after a failed merger with the Belgian team Vérandas Willems-Crelan.

As such, the Manxman was temporarily left without a team for 2019 and faced an uncertain future within the professional peloton.

The Commonwealth Games bronze medallist opted to move to UK-based Team Wiggins Le Col the following season, one step down on the cycling pyramid with a UCI Continental licence.

The then 28-year-old enjoyed a decent season with the team, notably finishing eighth in the British National Road Race Championship and sealing overall top-20 placings in both the Tour of Britain and Tour de Yorkshire.

But further move followed at the end of the campaign, with Christian signing for another British UCI Continental team in the shape of Canyon dhb p/b Soreen alongside fellow Manxie Matty Bostock.

Unfortunately the signing coincided with the worldwide coronavirus pandemic which saw sport grind to a virtual halt across the globe. Indeed, Christian only competed in one single race for the duration of the 2020 campaign, the Mont Ventoux Dénivelé Challenge in France last August.

But, as we previously reported in the Manx Independent on March 18, Mark was snapped up by his new team EOLO-Kometa for the current season on the recommendation of resident professional cyclist Ben Swift.

Speaking in a wide-ranging interview with online cycling magazine VeloUK recently, Christian explained: ’When the team [Aqua Blue] stopped, I had question marks over where my career was going and whether I was going to be able to carry on.

’Such times in a career make you realise how much you want it, so now that the chance has come up there’s that extra motivation to really make the most of it.

’I’ve had the wake-up call that cycling doesn’t last forever so the years you have got, you need to make the most of them.

’Age does creep up on you. It’s crazy that it seems like yesterday I was in my early 20s and coming through, and now I’m 30. A lot of riders will go into WorldTour at 20-21 years old and have eight or nine years there up to the age of 30, and then the head will start to go a little bit.

’Whereas I think I have more to give and haven’t been at the top level year-in, year-out. So it’s a step up this year with fresh motivation and what I have been working towards the last few years.’

Mark was also asked how the two types of racing [British versus Continental] compare, saying: ’It was different coming back to UK races after pro-conti. The nature of the racing is completely different and it wasn’t the same as what I was used to with the European races which are steady at the start and you build into it for the last hour which is the hardest.

’In Britain, it’s almost the reverse of that where it’s full gas at the start and that pace whittles down the riders as breaks go and it’s almost like you have to be in those moves from the start because there is a strong potential it will go to the end.

’You have to be in the race the whole day, whereas in European stuff it’s more controlled so you have to pick your moments and be more patient. The standard in the UK is pretty high though, or was in 2019, with strong teams and the riders are used to that style of racing so train for it.

’The racing here in Britain doesn’t have the structure the Pro Conti/WorldTour racing does where a couple of teams will be riding and everyone is waiting for certain points of the race when they know it will kick off. That could happen anytime in the UK!’

The Manxman was also asked if the Continental style of racing suited him, to which he replied: ’I think so. I prefer the hillier races too. A lot of the races in the UK, although there are some short climbs, a lot of them are on the flatter side. They still break up with the nature of the racing anyway but I prefer the longer climbs.

’Mentally I prefer a hilly stage race. I’m quite a consistent rider too as well so day-to-day, I don’t tend to drastically have a bad day - touch wood - whereas the classic type races are all or nothing for one day which is a very different nature of racing.’

That preference for hilly terrain most likely stems from his upbringing in the Isle of Man, as he describes: ’There is a mix of climbs here so I am quite lucky we have decent terrain for everything.

’I think the only thing we are missing are the big big climbs of half an hour plus, but the 20-minute climb we have and the 10-15 minute ones are ample really and gives us good terrain for training.’

l The popular Manxman, now living in Ballasalla, has featured regularly for his new team over the past few weeks, successfully completing the Trofeo Laigueglia, GP Industria & Artigianato and Tirreno-Adriatico races in Italy.

Mark is scheduled to return to action next week when he takes to the start line in the Tour of the Alps five-day race, also in Italy.

DAVE NORTON