Being among the leaders is where every competitive cyclist wants to find themselves when they hit the road.
It appears Corner Brook cyclist Colin Fowlow is starting to find his way.
The 20-year-old Corner Book native is a member of the Trek Red Truck Racing Team based out of Vancouver. A member of the Newfoundland and Labrador cycling team at the 2017 Canada Summer Games, Fowlow was riding for the Dr. Walker Sports Chiropractor Cycling Team last year when he entered his first year of English studies at the University of Victoria.
Related stories:
Corner Brook cyclist Colin Fowlow excited about racing for new team
The move to a new team was all about embracing an opportunity to compete in bigger races in Canada and the United States against older and more seasoned road cyclists.
Fowlow just wrapped up an intense week of road cycling at the 2018 B. C. Super Week, an event that featured a series of criterium road races all at the one-kilometre distance and usually an hour in duration.
He competed in three different criterium events throughout British Columbia over the nine-day cycling showcase, highlighted by a second-place finish at the Ladner Criterium in Delta and top-50 placings in both the PoCo Grand Prix in Port Coquitlam and Choices Markets Criterium.
Joining a new team has been a great experience, the bond with his teammates growing with every ride, but more importantly he has seen significant improvement in his riding so he’s quite content with the change of scenery.
“Just starting to ride towards the front of the race and not just being at the back,” he said of his development with the new squad. “If you’re riding at the back you’re going to get dropped so when you’re at the front there’s less chance of getting caught up in crashes, and you can go up the road and attack.”
It’s a hectic summer schedule, but he wouldn’t have it any other way. Knowing the more he rides the better he can get is what drives him to keep cycling on top of his priority list outside of his academic pursuits and he likes how things have been unfolding.
“I’m feeling pretty good,” he said. “I think I rode better this week than I have all season so that puts me in good standing with the team for a possible contract next season.”
He has a couple of more races on the agenda for this summer, including a track cycling race in Washington this weekend that will see him pay his way on his dime because it’s separate from the team, and a visit home in August to participate in one of the province’s most scenic rides — The Tour du Port au Port.
He’s cycled through the twists and turns of the Port au Port route on several occasions in the past and he’s excited about doing it again this summer.
“I love that ride. I’m really happy I get to come home for it this year,” he said.
