A stage victory in the Tour of Good Hope followed by a top-10 at the Cape Town Cycle Tour was just the start to the season Devin Shortt wanted before packing his bags in mid-March to ply his trade in Europe.
The plan was to train in the United Kingdom before meeting up with his Telcom-On Clima-Oses teammates in Pamplona, Spain.
Then Covid-19 happened and the 21-year-old was forced to extend his stay in Barton-under-Needwood, close to Derby, where he is being looked after by the Cero CycleDivison Team.
“I got the opportunity to come train here through CycleDivison and their team before I was meant to fly to Spain.
“I really wanted to do well in the Spanish national series and also show myself here to get selected for the Irish national team.”
Last year, Shortt had a promising first stint in Spain with the Caja Rural U23 team after which his agent, former Italian road world champion Maurizo Fondriest, negotiated the contract with his new team.
“I’ve been racing in Spain because it’s where I feel most at home with regards to my racing abilities,” explained the diminutive South African, who is equally comfortable climbing high mountains and negotiating frantic sprint finishes.
He races with a Irish licence internationally, thanks to his grandfather who was a pilot in the Royal Air Force during World War II before relocating to South Africa.
“I’m aiming to join the Irish national team as it can open up a load of opportunities for me,” said the Capetonian, who won age-group national titles on the road for four years straight from 2013.
With unrestricted outdoor riding currently not allowed in Spain and South Africa, being stuck in the UK turned out to be a blessing in disguise for the young star who has represented South Africa at two world championships.
“I’m feeling really great, I’m able to train as much as I can and the improvement I’ve made since racing earlier in the year is incredible,” said Shortt, who was making the ability to ride outside count.
Over the past month-and-a-half he had “upped” his training to an average of 24 hours per week with the idea being to “lay down another layer of base and then sharpen later on”.
“In this situation, I just see I can’t go wrong,” said Shortt, who was more motivated than ever and literally chomping at the bit for the season to restart. “I’m really enjoying riding and training and, if we race, I’m going to be in really good shape.
“If we don’t race again, I’ve just spent loads of hours doing what I love.”
