Young Freddy Ovett dreamt of being a professional runner like his father, until an injury set him on another path. With stints on the road as a stagiare for the WorldTour BMC squad and two years at both Israel Cycling and Legion, he hasn’t looked back. As well as his road cycling palmarès, Ovett is one of the top e-racers – having won a stage at the prestigious Virtual Tour de France, as well as placed sixth in the recent UCI eSports World Championships.
“I was thinking running was gonna be my career, I couldn't see myself doing anything else. When I was 20, I got injured. Cycling was rehab. I guess it was meant to be, because here I am almost 10 years later doing it every day.”
In recent years Ovett, like a lot of cyclists, has switched his focus more to the off-road domain. Gravel racing, he says, has given him the chance he always dreamed of, of being in charge of his own career. He’s looking forward to an exciting race calendar in the year ahead, targeting three major American races, Belgium Waffle Ride, Unbound Gravel and SBT GRVL; the European World Cups; and the UCI World Championships.
“I'm lucky that it’s my job. It’s the best thing, I get to travel around the world because I'm a cyclist and see so many incredible things in the mountains, the beaches, the complete wilderness. Every day I'm seeing something new and I'm just thankful to be outside exploring the world.”
Living in the pursuit of progression is an important part of Ovett's life and has been key to his success.
“It's very simple, it's consistency. If you do anything without break, without interruption. If you put in the work, day in, day out, not fooling yourself that you're working hard when you're actually not, you will be a good athlete.”
It is Ovett’s positive outlook that helped him overcome pre-race anxiety and turn a negative into something that he looks forward to.
“When I was very young, I really suffered a lot from nerves and it had a major impact on my performance. But I learned that those nerves are a blessing, it means that I’m about to embark on a journey that's super important, that it's not a training day, it's a race. The end result – the winning, the doing well – wouldn’t feel as good without them.”
No athlete ever finds it easy all of the time.
“It's really easy to find excuses not to train, but all you have to do is put your kit on and go. Once you clip in and start your ride, it all gets easier.”
Ovett also believes that being in a state of progress is a reward in itself.
“All that matters is dedicating yourself to becoming better at something and not the end results. Maybe last year I finished second at a race and this year I finished 10th. But deep down I know that I've gotten better and that's all that matters. Pursuit of progression to me, is not letting the end result dictate to me as to whether I’ve progressed or not.”
Freddy Ovett will be kicking off his gravel calendar with the Belgian Waffle Ride event in California on 14–16 April, as he goes in search of progression. And podiums.
