Selected alongside Dan McConnell to represent Australia at the 2016 Olympic Games in the mountain bike event, it was in Rio that Scott Bowden made his professional debut as a road cyclist and started his transition away from the dirt. The 21-year-old Tasmanian isn't ruling out a future return to off-road racing, but for now, he is focused on his first full season on the road with Australian Continental IsoWhey Sports Swisswellness team.
Having made the decision to focus on the road to pursue his dream of being a professional cyclist several years ago, the lure of an Olympic Games on the mountain bike meant 2017 would be the earliest he would commit to a new discipline. Bowden, a two-time U23 national mountain bike champion, is looking to emulate Jack Haig (Orica-Scott) and Chris Hamilton (Team Sunweb), and transition to the road via the IsoWhey Sports Swisswellness set-up and onto the WorldTour.
"I am still finding that out," Bowden told Cyclingnews of his characteristics and strengths on the road. "It has been great to work with Mark Fenner of FTP Training and that is going to be a really big help. I think we already have a pretty good relationship and those guys like Jack and Chris were coached by Fenz and he has a pretty good track record in terms of helping convert the mountain biker to the road rider physiologically. ACJ [team manager Andrew Christie-Johnston, ed] as well is the perfect guy to learn the tricks of the trade on the road. I think it will be great to try and do what those guys have done."
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Bowden's road career with IsoWhey Sports Swisswellness started on Wednesday night in the U23 criterium where he put in a 'man of the match' performance, dragging a chase group to what was the winning breakaway. Catching them on the final corner of the race but finishing empty and in seventh place.
"The criteirum, I think everyone treats it as a blow out and hit out for the road but at the same time it is still a national championship so it is one that everyone wants to win," he said of the race won by Alexander Porter (SASI). "I did three criteriums in Tassie over the last week and there were a few good guys there and managed to win one of those and overall in the series so I felt like the form was quite good. The hardest thing was being the only guy from my team in the race.
"It was a bit hard trying not to spend too much energy early on in following moves but that is always a bit of a risk and probably bit me in the butt that I did miss that winning break," he added. "I got across eventually but it was the last corner and I thought I would use that momentum and hit them early in the sprint but it is pretty early to underestimate how long it is from the bottom corner to the finish line."
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