Nathan Earle says that 2018 will be the biggest season of his professional career so far as he looks to get it back on track. After dropping down to Continental level, Earle will return to Pro Continental racing next year, with Israel Cycling Academy representing the way back.
The past 12 months have been tough for the Tasmanian, but making it out the other side is a huge morale boost. "It's unbelievable. It just shows that hard work and persistence pays off most of the time," Earle told Cyclingnews at a team bonding camp last month.
"There are no free pass-outs in this sport so it's all the hard work that gets you to where you are, and it's the same with all the guys on the team. I think it's super motivating to come into this team - being able to turn my career around and being able to get back to this level of racing is so exciting. Next year is going to be the biggest year ever."
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This time last year Earle's career was in the balance after the Drapac Pro Continental squad joined forces with the Cannondale WorldTour team. Only a select few from Drapac secured contracts with the Slipstream set-up and Earle was not among them. Unfortunately, the news came late and he had to step down a level to ensure he had a contract. Despite the circumstances, he does not feel any animosity.
"It's easy to get angry at everyone and the circumstances, but it's like my mother told me many years ago, 'don't ever become a victim of your circumstances'," he said. "There are many great athletes out there that don't have a job for next year and it's just one of the unfortunate sides of the sport that there aren't enough jobs to go around.
"Luckily, I was signed by Team Ukyo. It was a smaller team and I didn't want to go to a small team but you're only as good as the job someone will give you. I was very grateful to them for signing me late and they provided me with a great year."
Finding the passion
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