From Spain to Israel, Bloch is blossoming
... Bloch said his current role is “to make sure I am there at the end of a hard race, so that if it comes down to a bunch sprint finish, I’ll have a good shot at winning it”.
Time flies – especially when you’re having fun, and living your childhood dream.
“It’s hard to believe I am already halfway through the season – everything has been going too quickly!” Maccabi NSW Junior Sportsman of the Year Brayden Bloch told The AJN on Tuesday, while returning to his current home in Girona, Spain, after competing in his first Israel Road Cycling Championships.
The 2022 Moriah College year 12 graduate and former Randwick Cycling Club junior secured his first overseas contract in January with Spain-based team Equipo Oleka, after performing well in last year’s Junior Tour of Ireland, and Tour of DMZ in Korea.
So far, the 19-year-old has had several top-10 finishes, and his best result for Equipo Oleka to date was in March in the 135km Campionat de Sabadell race in the hills surrounding Barcelona, when he came sixth, and won a bunch sprint finish, behind a breakaway group of five.
He is gelling nicely into his team role, and loving the training and racing environment in Europe.
Describing himself as a punchy, sprinter type rider, Bloch said his current role is “to make sure I am there at the end of a hard race, so that if it comes down to a bunch sprint finish, I’ll have a good shot at winning it”.
“I’ve also gone for mid-race sprint competitions for points, and helped my teammates win King of the Mountain jerseys.”
In a typical week, Bloch spends an average of 20 hours training on the bike, and extra time doing gym work and stretching.
Living independently in a foreign country has been “the biggest learning curve” for the teenager, but he is grateful for the “family-like” environment within Equipo Oleka.
While adapting to European racing is a gradual process, Bloch said he now understands “where best to be at what points in a race, and how to be in those spots”.
“The most challenging part is trying to stay out of trouble when crashes happen, and the most enjoyable part is that, unlike in Australia, where a race has about 50 guys, here there are 150 to 170 in most races, so at each race, you meet someone new.
“And everyone’s very encouraging to the younger riders trying to make it.”
Bloch’s aim for the remainder of the European season is “to get onto the podium in a couple of races, to allow me to move up and develop with a continental team next year”.
“I am still young, and it’s a slow process, but I am certainly looking for some solid results over the next few months, as I learn and grow.”
Last weekend, Bloch made his Israel Road Cycling Championships debut, as the only non-Israeli competitor in the U23 men’s race, held in the Negev desert surrounding Kibbutz Urim.
He came eighth out of 20, finishing four minutes and 15 seconds behind the winner, Yonatan Abudraham from Israel Premier Tech (IPT) Academy, who reached the finish line in three hours, 11 minutes, and 36 seconds.
While he aimed for a top-five finish, Bloch said his race strategy didn’t quite work out, but he said, “It was really exciting to have been given the opportunity to race in Israel.”
He even got to do a training ride with IPT cyclist Guy Sagiv, who has competed in the Giro d’Italia twice.
“Guy is very much a mentor, and you learn so much from riding with someone of his level in the sport.
“I really appreciate what he does for me,” Bloch said.
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