WATT WORKS FOR ME
From shattered elbow to cross Worlds top 10, the young Scot tells us how he rebuilt his form
You dominated the national cross champs in January, then took a superb ninth at the Worlds in February. Did you prepare differently in the lead-up? Yeah, partly as a result of having had my busiest summer season ever. The context was that, in spring 2021, I broke my elbow and coming back took a long time. W hen I did return, I was incredibly keen and motivated, so I basically just did as much racing as possible. W hen I got to September [2022], I was very ready for a break, and I realised it would be a mistake to go straight into a full cross season. We decided that for t wo months I’d revisit weak nesses and build solid foundations.
You raced only once during October and November?
Yes, it did feel quite weird coming into cyclo-cross so late – my first [UCI] race was 11 December. Part of me was like, ‘Oh, are we doing something wrong?’ But as soon as I got racing, I realised we ’d made the right decision to really take a step back, go back to basics and build really good foundations.
What were you doing during that period when normally you’d have been racing?
I’d finished the MTB season pretty burned-out mentally and physically. But I k now how to fix myself mentally – by giving myself the space and time to let those feelings [of freshness] come back . Physically, I had t wo weeks with no riding, but even during that time I was walk ing up hills and being incredibly active. It was such a good period, I even went bikepack ing in Sweden . I need stuff that gives me really full feelings but from a totally different stimulus, almost like activating the other side of my brain.
PROFILE
Age: 22 Height: 5ft 9in FTP: 350W Lives: Linlithgow, Scotland Rides for: Trinit y Racing Best results: 9th – Cyclo - Cross World Championships (2023) 1st – British Cyclo - Cross National Championships (2023) Instagram: camerooney.mason Twitter: @camerooney_
Your elbow was very badly broken in 2021 – how did you manage to come back stronger?
It feels like a different chapter now, as things move so quick ly. But I do think it ’s important to look back and realise it was a huge life event – abig portion of my life not doing the thing I wanted to be doing. My perspective probably changed a little bit. I did every thing I could to get back to the level I’d been at, and by doing that so well, I gained a lot of confidence in my body and my ability, in k nowing that I could do it again.
How cyclo-cross-specific is your training?
I did a surprisingly small amount of cyclo-cross specific off-road training before this season. I did a [National Trophy] race in October in Callendar Park [Falk irk], just for fun really, as it ’s 10km from my house. [Mason won .] I was in the first phase of building
