A challenging two seasons at ensued, however, his rapid upward trajectory halted in part by self-confessed nutrition and training mistakes, and then by a broken hip which scuppered a good chunk of his 2022 season. And when he was let go by his WiV SunGod team at the end of the year, he seriously questioned his racing future. An offer to race with the newly formed Embark Spirit BSS outfit (a merger of three elite teams – Spirit BSS, Embark-Bikestrong and TBW23) this year, however, tempted him to continue. And he begins the 2023 season as motivated as ever, keen to prioritise the enjoyment of racing over putting pressure on himself to succeed.
Clayton’s first race of 2023 will be the Perfs Pedal road race, the traditional opener to the UK road racing season. He knows the race well. He finished second in 2019 when riding for the small Andy Moore Autocentres team, and then won last year’s rain-soaked edition.
So, in this first part of a two-part interview with Clayton, on the eve of the 2023 Perfs Pedal road race, we asked him about his memories of the race and his thoughts on what it takes to win. Watch out for part two as well – an open, honest insight into a difficult two seasons and why he has decided not to hang up his wheels quite yet.
Can you tell us a bit about your memories of riding the Perfs Pedal race?
Yeah. I mean, first of all, you don’t know what you’re gonna get really, everyone’s quite keen for it. It’s always shorter than what you imagined it to be. Always horrible weather.
Last year was quite interesting. I knew it was going to rain – a lot of people didn’t think it was, they were a bit optimistic about it. I’d dressed for that, I knew it was gonna come down at some point.
We’d all tried quite hard to get away in the crosswind at the top of the climb, which is probably the most decisive part of the race
And then, Alex [Richardson] went quite early, on his own, after we’d all tried quite hard to get away in the crosswind at the top of the climb, which is probably the most decisive part of the race.
There was quite a lot of pressure on us, having just two of us [from WiV SunGod] there. Tim [Elverson, WiV SunGod manager] drove us round the finishing part for [teammate] Josh Whitehead’s eyes more than myself and pretty much said that we needed to win solo and then win the sprint for second. So the pressure was on us to deliver again for Tim because he has never really lost that race.
Yeah, so Alex went. And then there was a really strong guy who now is my teammate, Samuel Painter, who went and then I bridged to him in the crosswind section itself, and no one followed, really. And we pressed on and I just tried to manage catching Alex. It was two of us versus one of him, I knew we were going to catch him, but it was just at what point you wanted to catch him. And I tried to explain to [Samuel Painter] that we wanted to catch him when it’s not in a crosswind or a headwind, so you know, you leave him out as long as possible. It’s a carrot and then it’s about how you crack that carrot once you’ve got there. So I was thinking about that, whereas [Samuel Painter] was just thinking trying to get to Alex, so just let him do a bit more work than what he wanted.
Alex Richardson leads solo – 2022 Perfs Pedal road race. Photo: Tom Austin
And then I could see that Alex was kind of – I don’t know really what really happened – but he was cold and stuff. And I think the conditions were getting to him a little bit. And he had been out there for a little bit on his own.
I think it’s quite decisive when once you turn off the main circuit, and I just knew that I was going to go there. I went and then maintained the gap to Sam, who finished second. The run-in is always a lot longer than you think it is going to be.
I was so relieved. It was one of the most relieved I’ve ever felt finishing a race because of the amount – I know it’s a small race – but the amount of pressure that Tim put on it, and there was only the two of us [from the team], so one of us had to deliver. So I’m just glad that one of us did! It was a really nice win to be honest.
You highlighted a key part of the course, Portsdown Hill and the crosswind section at the top. It’s a short race, only 74k, but it’s not without its difficulties. Can you tell us a little more about the course, where the decisive parts are?
You do several [five] laps of the main circuit. It has a climb on it which is about five minutes long, maybe a bit longer. It kind of it kicks up in the middle [just after the village of Boarhunt], and is more exposed towards the top … when you turn left on to the main road [Portsdown Hill Road], you skirt across the tops. I think there’s an army barracks on the left. And there’s the harbour on the right, so the wind normally really batters you from the right.
It’s normally like a really tough, good crosswind up there
So it’s normally like a really tough, good crosswind up there. People who are good at climbing obviously go on the climb, but then people who aren’t, either bring it back and it all neutralises, or it splits up in the crosswind.
And I think the year that I got second, we had a really strong tailwind on there. So when we went there, we just all committed and that was it, gone. Because I think Canyon at the time had either two or three riders in this selection. And I was just within the middle of it. So whether it’s a tailwind or a crosswind, you know, it’s always the main selection part of the course.
And then once you’re done with that, you ride down the tops, which is semi-rolling, majority flat, and then you turn left and it’s a very fast downhill into a few roundabouts at the bottom. And then a slight drag up to the other side of the course, which is where you later turn right to head to the finishing circuit.
The finishing route is more of a rolling run-in which might be about 3 or 4 km. You’re always in sight. When I got second [when Damien was in a lead group of three with Jacob Vaughan and Alex Paton, both of Canyon dhb at the time], it was literally like, Alex would hit me, then Jacob would hit me. And then I’d bridge to Jacob and then vice versa.
It was probably the most fun I’ve had in a race because at one point we was just laughing
It was probably the most fun I’ve had in a race because at one point we was just laughing because it was like, right, well, you know, who’s going to go next and I couldn’t, I was just, you know, just hanging on to whoever was trying to go. So that year I actually really enjoyed it, it’s probably the most fun second I’ve ever got.
And then you eventually reach the climb up to the finish which isn’t too steep. Again, it’s not like it’s not something that, you know, I’m amazing on, but it’s not it’s not too long and it’s not too steep. So last year I had the gap and just maintained it all the way really, and just made sure that didn’t go completely into the red. And the [time] before. I think I just brought Alex back, and then Jacob went over the top of me. And that was the last straw. I just couldn’t hang on to that one. So it’s more of a rolling course really with that kind of slight uphill, uphill drag finish.
It’s the first race of the season, people are itching to go, having trained for quite a long time over the winter, dreaming of racing again. How fearsome is it at the beginning? Is it all about just getting positioned from the beginning, so you can make the move when it happens?
The first year I did it [2019] it was quite hard, straight from the gun. It just depends on whatever tactics the teams have because when we rode it last year, because we only had two of us, we had to be a bit clever with the efforts that we were making.
We were obviously looked at to make the race, but you do want a few laps in for other people to try their hand before you can make yours. So I think it just depends on how big of a team you have.
Sam Painter and Damien Clayton in pursuit – 2022 Perfs Pedal road race. Photo: Tom Austin
Obviously, Tim’s always put in a big team. He’s always wanted to just go hard, straight from the gun, if he’s got a lot of numbers. And you can afford to do that if you’ve got a team there.
If you do see two or three guys go up the road that you know are capable of winning the race, then it’ll just be over if they get working together
And obviously, it’s not very long. So you do want it hard from the gun it is. It’s more kermesse style, really. So if anyone’s done a kermesse, it’s similar to that. You just need to be at the front, be well-positioned and make sure that you don’t miss [the move] – if you do see two or three guys go up the road that you know are capable of winning the race, then it’ll just be over if they get working together.
And this year, there are 85 riders on the provisional startlist. Saint Piran are going to be there, but WiV SunGod, or AT85, as they are called now, won’t be there for the first time for a few years.
Have you had a look at the start list? Is that something you look at in these kinds of races and are there any particular riders or teams you’ll have your eye on?
I’ve only had a quick glance at the email to be honest. I try not to look at the start list too much in advance – it’s just something else it can get in your head. But I might look at it the night before. You just never know we’re gonna get, so on the day you’ve just got to read it. Last year I had no idea who was going to be there. And then the more people that you see in the car park – like last year, Yanto Barker was there, I didn’t know Richardson was going to be there. So more and more people kind of surprise you on the day and just turn up. I just think it’s more about just racing it on the day, and then seeing what cards you are dealt with. Just make sure you are near the front, try to be attentive and then just hit it towards the end, what’s the worst that’s gonna happen!
Damien Clayton takes the win – 2022 Perfs Pedal road race. Photo: Tom Austin
And obviously, you’ve done well in this race before. You’re wearing number one as defending champion. Is it a race you’re looking to do as well in this year? I’m sure you’d like to do well, but given where you’re at in your training and your preparations for the season, what ambitions do you have for the race itself?
I mean, you always want to do well, you always want to try and win something. It’d be nice to do well and it’d be nice for the new team too. I’m not targetting it specifically, it’s just a fun start to the race season. It’s almost like one of those traditions in the British calendar that you kick off with. If you do get your head kicked in, it’s not the end of the world, you’ve got a lot of the season to go.
30-year-old Damien Clayton’s story is one we have followed closely here at The British Continental. He went from being an architect with next-to-no cycling experience in 2016 to a UCI road race winner in 2019. Then at the end of 2020 he was a Zwift Academy finalist, before moving to his ‘dream’ team, Canyon dhb SunGod, in 2021.
A challenging two seasons at ensued, however, his rapid upward trajectory halted in part by self-confessed nutrition and training mistakes, and then by a broken hip which scuppered a good chunk of his 2022 season. And when he was let go by his WiV SunGod team at the end of the year, he seriously questioned his racing future. An offer to race with the newly formed Embark Spirit BSS outfit (a merger of three elite teams – Spirit BSS, Embark-Bikestrong and TBW23) this year, however, tempted him to continue. And he begins the 2023 season as motivated as ever, keen to prioritise the enjoyment of racing over putting pressure on himself to succeed.
Clayton’s first race of 2023 will be the Perfs Pedal road race, the traditional opener to the UK road racing season. He knows the race well. He finished second in 2019 when riding for the small Andy Moore Autocentres team, and then won last year’s rain-soaked edition.
So, in this first part of a two-part interview with Clayton, on the eve of the 2023 Perfs Pedal road race, we asked him about his memories of the race and his thoughts on what it takes to win. Watch out for part two as well – an open, honest insight into a difficult two seasons and why he has decided not to hang up his wheels quite yet.
Can you tell us a bit about your memories of riding the Perfs Pedal race?
Yeah. I mean, first of all, you don’t know what you’re gonna get really, everyone’s quite keen for it. It’s always shorter than what you imagined it to be. Always horrible weather.
Last year was quite interesting. I knew it was going to rain – a lot of people didn’t think it was, they were a bit optimistic about it. I’d dressed for that, I knew it was gonna come down at some point.
And then, Alex [Richardson] went quite early, on his own, after we’d all tried quite hard to get away in the crosswind at the top of the climb, which is probably the most decisive part of the race.
There was quite a lot of pressure on us, having just two of us [from WiV SunGod] there. Tim [Elverson, WiV SunGod manager] drove us round the finishing part for [teammate] Josh Whitehead’s eyes more than myself and pretty much said that we needed to win solo and then win the sprint for second. So the pressure was on us to deliver again for Tim because he has never really lost that race.
Yeah, so Alex went. And then there was a really strong guy who now is my teammate, Samuel Painter, who went and then I bridged to him in the crosswind section itself, and no one followed, really. And we pressed on and I just tried to manage catching Alex. It was two of us versus one of him, I knew we were going to catch him, but it was just at what point you wanted to catch him. And I tried to explain to [Samuel Painter] that we wanted to catch him when it’s not in a crosswind or a headwind, so you know, you leave him out as long as possible. It’s a carrot and then it’s about how you crack that carrot once you’ve got there. So I was thinking about that, whereas [Samuel Painter] was just thinking trying to get to Alex, so just let him do a bit more work than what he wanted.
And then I could see that Alex was kind of – I don’t know really what really happened – but he was cold and stuff. And I think the conditions were getting to him a little bit. And he had been out there for a little bit on his own.
I think it’s quite decisive when once you turn off the main circuit, and I just knew that I was going to go there. I went and then maintained the gap to Sam, who finished second. The run-in is always a lot longer than you think it is going to be.
I was so relieved. It was one of the most relieved I’ve ever felt finishing a race because of the amount – I know it’s a small race – but the amount of pressure that Tim put on it, and there was only the two of us [from the team], so one of us had to deliver. So I’m just glad that one of us did! It was a really nice win to be honest.
You highlighted a key part of the course, Portsdown Hill and the crosswind section at the top. It’s a short race, only 74k, but it’s not without its difficulties. Can you tell us a little more about the course, where the decisive parts are?
You do several [five] laps of the main circuit. It has a climb on it which is about five minutes long, maybe a bit longer. It kind of it kicks up in the middle [just after the village of Boarhunt], and is more exposed towards the top … when you turn left on to the main road [Portsdown Hill Road], you skirt across the tops. I think there’s an army barracks on the left. And there’s the harbour on the right, so the wind normally really batters you from the right.
So it’s normally like a really tough, good crosswind up there. People who are good at climbing obviously go on the climb, but then people who aren’t, either bring it back and it all neutralises, or it splits up in the crosswind.
And I think the year that I got second, we had a really strong tailwind on there. So when we went there, we just all committed and that was it, gone. Because I think Canyon at the time had either two or three riders in this selection. And I was just within the middle of it. So whether it’s a tailwind or a crosswind, you know, it’s always the main selection part of the course.
And then once you’re done with that, you ride down the tops, which is semi-rolling, majority flat, and then you turn left and it’s a very fast downhill into a few roundabouts at the bottom. And then a slight drag up to the other side of the course, which is where you later turn right to head to the finishing circuit.
The finishing route is more of a rolling run-in which might be about 3 or 4 km. You’re always in sight. When I got second [when Damien was in a lead group of three with Jacob Vaughan and Alex Paton, both of Canyon dhb at the time], it was literally like, Alex would hit me, then Jacob would hit me. And then I’d bridge to Jacob and then vice versa.
It was probably the most fun I’ve had in a race because at one point we was just laughing because it was like, right, well, you know, who’s going to go next and I couldn’t, I was just, you know, just hanging on to whoever was trying to go. So that year I actually really enjoyed it, it’s probably the most fun second I’ve ever got.
And then you eventually reach the climb up to the finish which isn’t too steep. Again, it’s not like it’s not something that, you know, I’m amazing on, but it’s not it’s not too long and it’s not too steep. So last year I had the gap and just maintained it all the way really, and just made sure that didn’t go completely into the red. And the [time] before. I think I just brought Alex back, and then Jacob went over the top of me. And that was the last straw. I just couldn’t hang on to that one. So it’s more of a rolling course really with that kind of slight uphill, uphill drag finish.
It’s the first race of the season, people are itching to go, having trained for quite a long time over the winter, dreaming of racing again. How fearsome is it at the beginning? Is it all about just getting positioned from the beginning, so you can make the move when it happens?
The first year I did it [2019] it was quite hard, straight from the gun. It just depends on whatever tactics the teams have because when we rode it last year, because we only had two of us, we had to be a bit clever with the efforts that we were making.
We were obviously looked at to make the race, but you do want a few laps in for other people to try their hand before you can make yours. So I think it just depends on how big of a team you have.
Obviously, Tim’s always put in a big team. He’s always wanted to just go hard, straight from the gun, if he’s got a lot of numbers. And you can afford to do that if you’ve got a team there.
And obviously, it’s not very long. So you do want it hard from the gun it is. It’s more kermesse style, really. So if anyone’s done a kermesse, it’s similar to that. You just need to be at the front, be well-positioned and make sure that you don’t miss [the move] – if you do see two or three guys go up the road that you know are capable of winning the race, then it’ll just be over if they get working together.
And this year, there are 85 riders on the provisional startlist. Saint Piran are going to be there, but WiV SunGod, or AT85, as they are called now, won’t be there for the first time for a few years.
Have you had a look at the start list? Is that something you look at in these kinds of races and are there any particular riders or teams you’ll have your eye on?
I’ve only had a quick glance at the email to be honest. I try not to look at the start list too much in advance – it’s just something else it can get in your head. But I might look at it the night before. You just never know we’re gonna get, so on the day you’ve just got to read it. Last year I had no idea who was going to be there. And then the more people that you see in the car park – like last year, Yanto Barker was there, I didn’t know Richardson was going to be there. So more and more people kind of surprise you on the day and just turn up. I just think it’s more about just racing it on the day, and then seeing what cards you are dealt with. Just make sure you are near the front, try to be attentive and then just hit it towards the end, what’s the worst that’s gonna happen!
And obviously, you’ve done well in this race before. You’re wearing number one as defending champion. Is it a race you’re looking to do as well in this year? I’m sure you’d like to do well, but given where you’re at in your training and your preparations for the season, what ambitions do you have for the race itself?
I mean, you always want to do well, you always want to try and win something. It’d be nice to do well and it’d be nice for the new team too. I’m not targetting it specifically, it’s just a fun start to the race season. It’s almost like one of those traditions in the British calendar that you kick off with. If you do get your head kicked in, it’s not the end of the world, you’ve got a lot of the season to go.
Read our race preview here.
This is an edited version of a forthcoming podcast episode with Damien which will be published on all the usual podcast channels.
Featured image: Joe Cotterill. Damien Clayton at the 2022 Rapha Lincoln Grand Prix.
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