Embarking on his sixth season at WorldTour level, Alex Howes has gone from promising young rookie to an experienced hand in the peloton. He has been with the same set-up since he turned professional in 2012, and with Slipstream’s latest change to Cannondale this season, Howes has found himself turn into a mentor for the younger riders within the team.
As the elder members of the team have retired or moved on, Howes has seen his position within the team change. Now 28, he is one of the older members of the team, and with five years as a professional behind him he is also one of its most long-standing members.
“It feels weird. I went from being one of the young guys to being one of the most experienced guys in a year. It’s a role that I’m trying to adapt to. How well I’m doing that I don’t know, but we’ll see,” Howes told Cyclingnews at the Tour de San Luis.
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“There’s a little pressure but not in a results sense, more in a make sure that everybody gets to dinner on time. It’s not something I can’t handle. I can get everyone to the dinner table. It will be interesting to see how things really develop over the year. Already we’ve seen guys down in Australia killing it. Mike Woods, who was basically an unknown coming into the season. They’re champing at the bit.”
The Cannondale-Garmin team endured a slow start to the 2015 season, taking until March to finally scratch up one for the win column thanks to Ben King at Criterium International. More victories would eventually follow but, with just 11 in total, it would be a disappointing season by the team's own standards. Howes believes that the team can bounce back from 2015, and he would love to be a part of it.
“I’d like to win a WorldTour race; I still haven’t done that. I’ve been up there a little, but it’s got to be about time to start chalking up some wins,” said Howes, whose last victory came in 2014 when he claimed a stage of the USA Pro Cycling Challenge.
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