Loh has just ended his last race of the year. Like a metaphor for a year of ups and downs; he pulled on the race leader’s yellow jersey after the 4th stage of the ADC – THVL Tour; only to pull out of the race the very next day due to a bad case of travelers’ diarrhea. Here, he ponders the future, and discusses the struggles that many pro cyclists are facing in search of a contract for next season:
Loh in yellow (centre).
At year’s end, one cannot help but reflect on the past and wonder about the future. Without a confirmed contract for next season, I am undoubtedly feeling down. With my recent setbacks; I had lost opportunities at results that may have boosted my chances of finding a new team. This has affected my motivation in a way that I have never felt in previous off-seasons.
Growing up with ‘The Blues’ – the Marco Polo Cycling Team has been my home for all the 7 years that I have spent in Europe. Unfortunately, due to a change in the team’s direction and objectives, time has come to part ways. The good times will be remembered; the bad ones have been put aside, and we have moved on.
Last spring with 'The Blues'.
In searching for a new team, several concerns have surfaced. While riders with good seasons have already been snapped-up by teams; the rest have resorted to bombing the inboxes of every team director’s e-mail full of applications. With so many riders and so few places on team rosters, it boils down to ‘who you know’. Contacts are very important in getting into talks with teams.
Another obstacle has to do with a lack of financial backing. And I am referring not only to the team sponsors, but also the riders’ personal backers that follow them from team to team. So in spite of the romantic view that some cycling ‘purists’ take on how money and cycling do not belong together, at this level of sport, it does.
Unless a rider has many winning results, some form of financial backing is necessary in getting a contract signed. It is something not many people realize, especially those outside of Europe where true cycling culture resides. But if you scratch the surface and dig deep, you will find riders who pay for places in teams, even if their participations in races are not guaranteed.
There are also the riders who are on their own; like me. I came into this sport without the backing of a sports academy or cycling organization, and I have raced abroad for many years while being self-funded. While I have enjoyed living in new environments; meeting new people; and learning different cultures, it has been a hard road.
The net result from my experiences has been that I have developed into the rider I am now. I have become an experienced domestique, having ridden strongly in support of team mates such as Leon Van Bon (Lotto-Domo, Rabobank); Matthe Pronk (Vacansoleil) and Sergey Kudentsov (Marco Polo Cycling) in final bunch sprints; as well as in support of General Classification climbers such as Jai Crawford (Fly-V Australia); FuYu Li (ex-Discovery Channel; yellow jersey in Tour Thailand in 2006), and Rhys Pollock (DFL-Cyclingnews; Drapac Procycling).
While I am not a rider with a sparkling palmares, I had hoped the recognition as a workhorse would come in handy when looking for a contract. But it seems it is much harder compared to sprinters or climbers who are able to bag consistent results. It is ironic, because cycling is a sport that relies heavily on team work.
It is indeed a shame that team helpers are not getting the type of contracts that they deserve. By this I mean the lesser contracts, and the unwillingness of teams to invest in riders yet expect for them to do what a top professional does. In a way, it looks like there are teams who are relying on developing cyclists to invest in them rather than the other way around. Call it unfair, but it’s just business.
While helping others gives me great satisfaction, it has also proven to be great learning grounds for my own development. When the opportunities presented themselves, my all-rounder abilities have become well-suited to winning from long breakaways. Highlights include my stage win at the UCI 2.2 Tour of Thailand, and near-miss second places in the Tour de Langkawi, and most recently at the Tour of Indonesia.
For the last 7 years, I have managed to stay focused on my goals, no matter what the obstacles. This time, the setbacks left me with more questions than answers coming into this period of the year. I have been forced to question if my sacrifices have been worth it in reality. Whether seeking my own opportunities will boost chances for future contracts. It is still hard to say exactly what they will be at this point, but rest assured, I will be looking to start the next season with new motivations.
Thanks for reading, and Happy New Year!
You can follow Loh's trail at http://lohseakeong.posterous.com/
You can follow Loh's trail at http://lohseakeong.posterous.com/
