Saskatoon cyclist begins next chapter in Europe

Fergus English is one of Canada’s best up-and-coming road cyclists. He just finished competing with Team Canada at the Tour de l’Abitibi, in Quebec’s Abitibi-Témiscamingue region, one that covered almost 700 kilometres in seven days. He earned a podium finish in a race that also saw him involved in a crash, and all of this as he looks to compete at the junior worlds.

“I would like to go to junior worlds for road cycling,” says 17-year-old Fergus English. In order to do that the Canadians need to win more points. So if I can earn any more points, get any more results that will help me get selected for that team. That would be amazing.”

“Our local organizing committees across the country have been selected as some of the best in the business to showcase each respective discipline at the highest level on the Canadian domestic calendar and we’re thrilled to see these events come to life,” said Josh Peacock, Director of Marketing & Events at Cycling Canada.

The last few months have been a whirl-wind for this young man that just graduated from high school in Saskatoon. In fact while listening to the graduating speeches at the Walter Murray grad, about chasing your dreams and moving onto the next chapter in life, at that moment, he received notification that his cycling career was about to take off.

“I was actually at my grad when I opened my email and saw that was invited to Tour de I’Abitibi,” says English. “A few days later I was at a camp in Victoria, and I saw that I was invited to Europe. So I was living on a high for a bit especially that being right after Nationals, and that went pretty well. So a pretty exciting time. I can’t wait to see how it plays out and what I can do.”

Besides road cycling, Fergus English spends his winters training to compete in speed skating, and enjoys cross-country skiing for fun.

“Being a multi-sports athlete, they go hand-in-hand pretty well, skating and cycling,” English said. “But right now I am doing both of them. I want to see how far I can get in each one. Maybe at some point I will have to pick but for now I am just exploring my options. One of my goals is to make Junior Worlds in the next two years. I have one more year in junior skating, compared to cycling. So I am trying to do that. I think I have had more success in cycling recently, but I am still trying to see what I can do with skating as well.

English will compete in a few races in Belgium before going to the Netherlands to continue his European cycling tour.