Yorkshire cyclist Dylan Westley reflects on his successful season in Spanish amateur racing with team Equipo Finisher. He discusses his adaptation to Spanish culture and racing style, his progression as a punchy climber, and his aspirations for a professional future.
Yorkshireman Dylan Westley has spent the last four seasons immersed in Spanish cycling culture. Honing his race craft at one of Spain’s leading amateur teams, Equipo Finisher – the feeder team for the ProTeam Equipo Kern Pharma – Westley has completed his under-23 racing education with honours.
With two race wins and numerous top tens, Westley was one of the outstanding performers on the Spanish amateur circuit this year, ending his under-23 education with his best season yet.
This year has definitely been my best season yet with two victories, two second places and two third places, as well as 25 top ten placings from 41 days of racing
In this interview, the Rayner Foundation-supported rider tells The British Continental about his early days, his evolution as a rider, the challenges and triumphs of racing in Spain, and his aspirations for the future. Westley’s self-awareness and adaptability shine through. He reveals himself as a rider who once believed he was destined for the mountains, only to realise that his true strength lay in the punchy climbs. His commitment to his craft is evident in his dedication to adapting to the Spanish culture, learning the language, and understanding the nuances of Spanish racing. His advice to budding cyclists looking to make a similar move is both practical and insightful.
As he reflects on his achievements, including his standout season this year, Dylan’s humility and hunger for growth are palpable. Despite the challenges posed by the pandemic and the pressures of being in his final year as an under-23, Dylan’s focus remains unwavering.
As he looks ahead to 2024, the 22-year-old’s journey is far from over. With his eyes set on turning pro and his heart rooted in his love for cycling, the future holds much promise for this young talent.
Image: Oskar Matxin
Tell us about how you got into cycling. What made you fall in love with the sport?
I got into cycling in 2011 at the age of 10. My dad always rode both on the road and mountain bike, so I was around bikes from a young age. I always enjoyed cycling, but it wasn’t until watching the Tour de France in 2011 that I really fell in love with the sport.
It was specifically stage 18 of that year’s Tour where Andy Schleck attacked solo and rode to victory on the Galibier with Thomas Voeckler doing everything to save his yellow jersey behind. For me, it just highlighted everything great about cycling as so many different riders were fighting for different goals and pushing themselves to the limit to try and achieve them.
After watching this Tour, I started to ride with my dad a lot more, and it was my dad then who really brought out my personal love for the sport just by spending time with him on the bike on the weekends.
This year has shown me that although I am still strong on the climbs, I believe I am more of a puncheur than a pure climber
For readers unfamiliar with you, how would you describe yourself as a rider?
I always believed that I was a climber, as I’ve always been very much on the lighter side of riders in any peloton that I’ve been in. However, this year has shown me that although I am still strong on the climbs, I believe I am more of a puncheur than a pure climber. I really enjoy the short, punchy climbs, and my best results this year always came in a sprint from a small group. So, I would describe myself as a punchy climber.
You raced for the HMT Academy as a junior. Tell us a little about your experiences racing for that team.
HMT was great; I raced for them as a second-year junior after my first season as a junior with Giant Halifax RT. Both teams were great for racing around Europe and the UK, with some really good mates who are still my best mates to this day. In HMT, especially, I got the opportunity to race across Europe and in Spain.
I realised that the Spanish, and especially Basque, style of racing really suited me, which motivated me to move to a U23 team that at least did some Spanish races.
Image: Jesús Caso
After your junior years you moved to a Spanish team. Tell us how that move came about. Why Spain and why Equipo Lizarte [Ed: now called Equipo Finisher]?
The move came about after I won the second stage of the Junior Vuelta Pamplona. Finisher/Lizarte is based in Pamplona, so this junior stage race was their ‘home’ race. I applied to them and other teams through email and caught their eye at this race, which allowed me to move to Spain for the next season.
I wanted a Spanish team as, through racing as a junior, I knew that the style of racing suited me well with lots of climbing but also needing more than solely climbing ability with a punch and turn of speed.
I spent a lot of time learning Spanish. I believe that this massively paid off and helped my adjustment
How did you find adjusting to the Spanish culture and the Spanish way of racing back then?
I didn’t find it too difficult, to be honest. It was hard at first, of course, with very few English speakers, but I spent a lot of time learning Spanish. I believe that this massively paid off and helped my adjustment. The way of racing was already something that I was familiar with after racing in Spain as a junior. So although it was a good step up, it was nothing unexpected.
The truth is as well that my adjustment to Spain ended up being very gradual, as my first two years of U23 were heavily disrupted by COVID. This meant that I spent six weeks in Spain as a first-year U23, and three months as a second year. This meant that by the time I spent a full season living and racing in Spain, I was already 21, could speak a good level of Spanish, and was very much used to the culture.
What advice would you give to another Brit making a similar move straight out of the junior ranks?
There’s not much to tell to be honest just work hard to perform well in the races and then the respect and confidence from that will take you to most places you need. The only piece of advice I would give is to learn Spanish. If you don’t speak the language everything will just me more stressful and it will be harder to communicate with your teammates either about racing or just speaking generally.
Something in Spain that is massively different to the UK also is that there is a race every weekend without stop from the end of February until mid-September so you need to be mentally prepared as much as physically.
Image: Oskar Matxin
This was your fourth season in Spain. What has kept you in Spain all this time?
As I said, although it is my fourth season in Spain, the first two were massively disrupted so I never got to experience what a proper Spanish amateur season was until last year. I felt like changing teams or countries would be doing a disservice to the hard work that I’d put in on and off the bike and wanted to continue with the process, something that I would say paid off this year.
I’ll always be a Yorkshireman, and Yorkshire will always be my home, but I very much enjoy Spain as a country and its culture
Are you fully immersed now in the Spanish way of life?
I’ll always be a Yorkshireman, and Yorkshire will always be my home, but I very much enjoy Spain as a country and its culture. I don’t really speak English when I’m in Spain, so sometimes it feels odd to speak solely in English now that I’m back in the UK for the off-season.
Tell us a bit about the Finisher team. Where does it stand in the hierarchy of teams out in Spain. What kind of programme does it have and what support do they give riders?
Finisher is a great team with a lot of support, the biggest being a team apartment. There is a lot of support with high-quality equipment, including Giant bikes and CADEX wheels. It is one of the top amateur teams in Spain. However, unlike in France, there are no amateur divisions, so all amateur teams are theoretically the same level. All teams compete against each other in the Spanish Cup and national atage races. Teams from the North of Spain also compete almost every weekend in the racing series in the Basque Country. Finisher also races in a couple of UCI races every year, such as the Giro D’Aosta and Ronde L’Isard.
Dylan wins at San Martin Proba Ataun. Image: Karlos Baleztena Zubikarai
Let’s talk about your results. Look at your palmares, it looks like the Ronde de l’Isard last year was a big result for you. 22nd overall in your first UCI race, a tough one too. Tell us about that race, experiencing UCI racing and how you reflect on how it went?
I really enjoyed Ronde de L’Isard last year and it was a great experience in a tough race. I performed well but it definitely wasn’t a standout result for me to be honest as it was more of a race where I had to learn a lot of things with it being effectively my first UCI race as an under-23.
In Spain, it is always the climbs that are used to make the difference, whereas in UCI races, although this is also true, the flat can be used just as much
The UCI races are definitely very different, and there is a noticeable difference in pace on the flat. In the Spanish amateur races, there aren’t many flat races, so there’s not much experience on that kind of terrain. You can definitely notice that when you then race with teams used to using the flat to their advantage, rather than the climbs as they do in Spain. In Spain, it is always the climbs that are used to make the difference, whereas in UCI races, although this is also true, the flat can be used just as much, which is something that doesn’t happen as much in Spain.
I think I am right in saying that you haven’t had any other UCI racing in your under-23 years, apart from riding the same race in 2020 and the Giro Valle d’Aosta. Is that a regret?
Yes, you are right. I haven’t had many days of UCI racing. I can’t say it’s a regret of mine as ultimately those are the only two UCI races that my team races every year, but it is true that the one negative to the Spanish under-23/amateur scene is that there are no UCI races in Spain lower than .1, therefore meaning that the amateur teams have very few UCI race days per year.
I would love to race more UCI races, as that would be the logical next step for my development, which is why it was a big disappointment that the Ronde de L’Isard was cancelled this year due to the Rugby World Cup after the good experience that I gained there last year.
This year you seemed to have had your best season yet. Tell us about your highlights.
This year has definitely been my best season yet with two victories, two second places and two third places, as well as 25 top ten placings from 41 days of racing.
The highlights have most definitely been my victories and especially the second one in the Circuito Aiala-Amurrio. This race is one of the few non hilly races in Spain where a bunch sprint is usually expected but I was able to ride away solo before being caught by a small group which I then won the sprint from just as we were caught on the line by the peloton. I was especially proud of this result as it showed that I was fast in a sprint from a small group, something that people often don’t expect of me.
I didn’t want the season to end to be honest with some really good form at the end of the season
I didn’t want the season to end to be honest with some really good form at the end of the season, with two podiums on the final weekend of the season on very different terrains. I was also really pleased with my improvement in stage race results in Spain this season also with a 4th & 5th in GC in the 2 Spanish Stage Races that I rode but always close and feeling as though the overall win was a possibility in both.
This is your final year as an under-23. Have you felt any pressure this year to get results?
I haven’t felt any more pressure than usual to be honest, I always ride for the win and know that if I stick to that mindset, results will come. I have been improving every year so far and have never taken a step backwards so that always gives me confidence and motivation.
And what’s next for you. Do you have a team for 2024?
I will continue to race next year and hope to make another step forward as I did this year and every year before. I only feel as though I’ve had two proper seasons as an under-23 due to the disruption I faced in my first two years because of the pandemic. Therefore, I still believe that I have more to show. My goals remain the same: to always strive to improve and add value to every team. I believe that I have the level to turn pro and will keep persevering to reach the level that I believe I can.
Yorkshireman Dylan Westley has spent the last four seasons immersed in Spanish cycling culture. Honing his race craft at one of Spain’s leading amateur teams, Equipo Finisher – the feeder team for the ProTeam Equipo Kern Pharma – Westley has completed his under-23 racing education with honours.
With two race wins and numerous top tens, Westley was one of the outstanding performers on the Spanish amateur circuit this year, ending his under-23 education with his best season yet.
In this interview, the Rayner Foundation-supported rider tells The British Continental about his early days, his evolution as a rider, the challenges and triumphs of racing in Spain, and his aspirations for the future. Westley’s self-awareness and adaptability shine through. He reveals himself as a rider who once believed he was destined for the mountains, only to realise that his true strength lay in the punchy climbs. His commitment to his craft is evident in his dedication to adapting to the Spanish culture, learning the language, and understanding the nuances of Spanish racing. His advice to budding cyclists looking to make a similar move is both practical and insightful.
As he reflects on his achievements, including his standout season this year, Dylan’s humility and hunger for growth are palpable. Despite the challenges posed by the pandemic and the pressures of being in his final year as an under-23, Dylan’s focus remains unwavering.
As he looks ahead to 2024, the 22-year-old’s journey is far from over. With his eyes set on turning pro and his heart rooted in his love for cycling, the future holds much promise for this young talent.
Tell us about how you got into cycling. What made you fall in love with the sport?
I got into cycling in 2011 at the age of 10. My dad always rode both on the road and mountain bike, so I was around bikes from a young age. I always enjoyed cycling, but it wasn’t until watching the Tour de France in 2011 that I really fell in love with the sport.
It was specifically stage 18 of that year’s Tour where Andy Schleck attacked solo and rode to victory on the Galibier with Thomas Voeckler doing everything to save his yellow jersey behind. For me, it just highlighted everything great about cycling as so many different riders were fighting for different goals and pushing themselves to the limit to try and achieve them.
After watching this Tour, I started to ride with my dad a lot more, and it was my dad then who really brought out my personal love for the sport just by spending time with him on the bike on the weekends.
For readers unfamiliar with you, how would you describe yourself as a rider?
I always believed that I was a climber, as I’ve always been very much on the lighter side of riders in any peloton that I’ve been in. However, this year has shown me that although I am still strong on the climbs, I believe I am more of a puncheur than a pure climber. I really enjoy the short, punchy climbs, and my best results this year always came in a sprint from a small group. So, I would describe myself as a punchy climber.
You raced for the HMT Academy as a junior. Tell us a little about your experiences racing for that team.
HMT was great; I raced for them as a second-year junior after my first season as a junior with Giant Halifax RT. Both teams were great for racing around Europe and the UK, with some really good mates who are still my best mates to this day. In HMT, especially, I got the opportunity to race across Europe and in Spain.
I realised that the Spanish, and especially Basque, style of racing really suited me, which motivated me to move to a U23 team that at least did some Spanish races.
After your junior years you moved to a Spanish team. Tell us how that move came about. Why Spain and why Equipo Lizarte [Ed: now called Equipo Finisher]?
The move came about after I won the second stage of the Junior Vuelta Pamplona. Finisher/Lizarte is based in Pamplona, so this junior stage race was their ‘home’ race. I applied to them and other teams through email and caught their eye at this race, which allowed me to move to Spain for the next season.
I wanted a Spanish team as, through racing as a junior, I knew that the style of racing suited me well with lots of climbing but also needing more than solely climbing ability with a punch and turn of speed.
How did you find adjusting to the Spanish culture and the Spanish way of racing back then?
I didn’t find it too difficult, to be honest. It was hard at first, of course, with very few English speakers, but I spent a lot of time learning Spanish. I believe that this massively paid off and helped my adjustment. The way of racing was already something that I was familiar with after racing in Spain as a junior. So although it was a good step up, it was nothing unexpected.
The truth is as well that my adjustment to Spain ended up being very gradual, as my first two years of U23 were heavily disrupted by COVID. This meant that I spent six weeks in Spain as a first-year U23, and three months as a second year. This meant that by the time I spent a full season living and racing in Spain, I was already 21, could speak a good level of Spanish, and was very much used to the culture.
What advice would you give to another Brit making a similar move straight out of the junior ranks?
There’s not much to tell to be honest just work hard to perform well in the races and then the respect and confidence from that will take you to most places you need. The only piece of advice I would give is to learn Spanish. If you don’t speak the language everything will just me more stressful and it will be harder to communicate with your teammates either about racing or just speaking generally.
Something in Spain that is massively different to the UK also is that there is a race every weekend without stop from the end of February until mid-September so you need to be mentally prepared as much as physically.
This was your fourth season in Spain. What has kept you in Spain all this time?
As I said, although it is my fourth season in Spain, the first two were massively disrupted so I never got to experience what a proper Spanish amateur season was until last year. I felt like changing teams or countries would be doing a disservice to the hard work that I’d put in on and off the bike and wanted to continue with the process, something that I would say paid off this year.
Are you fully immersed now in the Spanish way of life?
I’ll always be a Yorkshireman, and Yorkshire will always be my home, but I very much enjoy Spain as a country and its culture. I don’t really speak English when I’m in Spain, so sometimes it feels odd to speak solely in English now that I’m back in the UK for the off-season.
Tell us a bit about the Finisher team. Where does it stand in the hierarchy of teams out in Spain. What kind of programme does it have and what support do they give riders?
Finisher is a great team with a lot of support, the biggest being a team apartment. There is a lot of support with high-quality equipment, including Giant bikes and CADEX wheels. It is one of the top amateur teams in Spain. However, unlike in France, there are no amateur divisions, so all amateur teams are theoretically the same level. All teams compete against each other in the Spanish Cup and national atage races. Teams from the North of Spain also compete almost every weekend in the racing series in the Basque Country. Finisher also races in a couple of UCI races every year, such as the Giro D’Aosta and Ronde L’Isard.
Let’s talk about your results. Look at your palmares, it looks like the Ronde de l’Isard last year was a big result for you. 22nd overall in your first UCI race, a tough one too. Tell us about that race, experiencing UCI racing and how you reflect on how it went?
I really enjoyed Ronde de L’Isard last year and it was a great experience in a tough race. I performed well but it definitely wasn’t a standout result for me to be honest as it was more of a race where I had to learn a lot of things with it being effectively my first UCI race as an under-23.
The UCI races are definitely very different, and there is a noticeable difference in pace on the flat. In the Spanish amateur races, there aren’t many flat races, so there’s not much experience on that kind of terrain. You can definitely notice that when you then race with teams used to using the flat to their advantage, rather than the climbs as they do in Spain. In Spain, it is always the climbs that are used to make the difference, whereas in UCI races, although this is also true, the flat can be used just as much, which is something that doesn’t happen as much in Spain.
I think I am right in saying that you haven’t had any other UCI racing in your under-23 years, apart from riding the same race in 2020 and the Giro Valle d’Aosta. Is that a regret?
Yes, you are right. I haven’t had many days of UCI racing. I can’t say it’s a regret of mine as ultimately those are the only two UCI races that my team races every year, but it is true that the one negative to the Spanish under-23/amateur scene is that there are no UCI races in Spain lower than .1, therefore meaning that the amateur teams have very few UCI race days per year.
I would love to race more UCI races, as that would be the logical next step for my development, which is why it was a big disappointment that the Ronde de L’Isard was cancelled this year due to the Rugby World Cup after the good experience that I gained there last year.
This year you seemed to have had your best season yet. Tell us about your highlights.
This year has definitely been my best season yet with two victories, two second places and two third places, as well as 25 top ten placings from 41 days of racing.
The highlights have most definitely been my victories and especially the second one in the Circuito Aiala-Amurrio. This race is one of the few non hilly races in Spain where a bunch sprint is usually expected but I was able to ride away solo before being caught by a small group which I then won the sprint from just as we were caught on the line by the peloton. I was especially proud of this result as it showed that I was fast in a sprint from a small group, something that people often don’t expect of me.
I didn’t want the season to end to be honest with some really good form at the end of the season, with two podiums on the final weekend of the season on very different terrains. I was also really pleased with my improvement in stage race results in Spain this season also with a 4th & 5th in GC in the 2 Spanish Stage Races that I rode but always close and feeling as though the overall win was a possibility in both.
This is your final year as an under-23. Have you felt any pressure this year to get results?
I haven’t felt any more pressure than usual to be honest, I always ride for the win and know that if I stick to that mindset, results will come. I have been improving every year so far and have never taken a step backwards so that always gives me confidence and motivation.
And what’s next for you. Do you have a team for 2024?
I will continue to race next year and hope to make another step forward as I did this year and every year before. I only feel as though I’ve had two proper seasons as an under-23 due to the disruption I faced in my first two years because of the pandemic. Therefore, I still believe that I have more to show. My goals remain the same: to always strive to improve and add value to every team. I believe that I have the level to turn pro and will keep persevering to reach the level that I believe I can.
Featured image: Oskar Matxin.
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