The Charlie Aldridge interview - UK's newest Olympic hope
We chat with the flying scotsman about his Olympic goals, life at Cannondale Factory Racing and more.
Hailing from Crieff, Scotland, Charlie Aldridge is a name that has quickly risen through elite-level cross-country mountain biking ranks. Having qualified for the Olympics, we caught up with the 23-year-old Cannondale Factory Racing member to learn what he thinks about lining up against riders such as Tom Pidock and the current state of cross-country racing.
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Off.road.cc: Introduce yourself, tell us what you do, who you race for, and your achievements to date.
Charlie Aldridge: My name’s Charlie, I am a professional MTB XC racer for Cannondale Factory Racing.
ORCC: How do you rate the current level of elite international XCO racing?
CA: The level is really high right now, especially coming into the Olympics since everyone is trying to qualify. It’s most apparent in the short-track events and feels like any of the top 40 could win. It makes for exciting racing though.
ORCC: And the level in UK?
CA: The level at the front of the races is still pretty good, the UK National Series races are never easy! It's maybe lacking a bit of depth of field.
ORCC: What must be done to lift it and bring things to an international standard?
CA: Something that helped me the most was a competitive but very fun atmosphere at races and training days/camps when I was younger, the Scottish R.A.C.E program was great for this and still is. I think COVID-19 wasn’t great for this kind of thing in the UK, it’s no fun training by yourself and having no races to train for since we were one of the last countries to start racing again. There are loads of speedy kids coming through now though!
ORCC: Tell us about the CFR team dynamic.
CA: It’s good fun, a nice supportive environment and feels like race trips and training camps are just holidays with my mates. Still, occasionally a bit stressful and a few arguments but that’s expected since we spend so much time together, but I think we do it pretty well.
Charlie Aldridge Sprint.jpeg, by Matthew Page
ORCC: The vibe between you, Alan (Hatherley), Simon (Andreassen) and Mona (Mitterwallner) looks great. How are they as teammates?
CA: I train the most with the boys and we bounce motivation off each other all the time, they are super supportive. Mona is good fun, too. She’s always making fun of me for not training enough but I don’t fancy her six hours every day program haha!
ORCC: Would you consider riding the marathon stage race. Perhaps the Cape Epic with Alan?
CA: Definitely! I’m not sure if fun is the right word but it would be a mega experience and a good challenge, maybe next year.
ORCC: Having Mani Fumic on board as team manager is a real benefit seeing as he raced for the team and knows the team ethos so well. How does he help and support the team?
CA: Yeah, it’s cool having Mani as team manager, he has an exciting vision for the team.
ORCC: Circling back to when it all started – how did you begin cross-country racing?
CA: I joined the local club, Strathearn MTB club when I was 10. I did my first race which was an SXC at Strathpeffer I think, I came 3rd.
ORCC: Which format do you prefer, XCO or XCC?
CA: Probably XCO. Short-track (XCC) is the most painful format ever. It’s basically a full XCO worth of effort packed into 20 minutes. XCC is really exciting to race but I keep falling off or running out of gas haha.
ORCC: What is your favourite World Cup or international race course?
CA: Araxa in Brazil was a mint track, the jumps there were so different to other tracks and I loved it. I like Val di Sole in Italy, too. But to be fair, most of the tracks are really good.
ORCC: What does a typical training week look like for you? How many hours a week, and what is the percentage in terms of on/off-road riding – do you do any gym work?
CA: I never have much of a routine since I’m travelling all the time. I do about 20 hours of riding a week, 40% road, and 60% MTB. Usually a couple of long rides, a few effort sessions and one or two gym sessions. I probably have more rest days and fewer hours than the majority of my competitors.
ORCC: Since you started racing, have you noticed a difference in the style of the courses being raced?
CA: International courses have got more technical for sure and British courses are mostly still the easiest. Bikes are so much more capable now that they change the dynamic. Lap times have got shorter everywhere down from 14-15mins to 9-12mins, which I think is good and shows how high the level is nowadays.
Charlie Aldridge Profile.jpeg, by Matthew Page
ORCC: The UK has qualified two male riders for the Olympic Games in Paris, have you been officially selected? Or if not, when will you know if you have been?
CA: I find out tomorrow! Fingers crossed! Very exciting if I get selected. (Charlie was selected and will join Team GB's Tom Pidcock at the mountain bike event in Paris on 29 July - ed.)
ORCC: Have you ridden the course in Paris? If so can you tell us a bit about it? How technical is it, are there any challenging climbs or descends and does it suit you?
CA: I did the test event last year, it’s good but not the best course. It might have changed now but it’s almost all a gravel surface because the dirt there is incredibly sticky if it rains. It's quite punchy with a bunch of rock gardens.
ORCC: Do you have any tips for aspiring riders in the UK?
CA: Firstly, have fun. Don’t overcomplicate things like training or diet. Train hard but rest even harder otherwise, you’ll burn out. Take more food on rides than you think because bonking isn’t fun either.
