Scott Thwaites

The Di-Data rider talks Yorkshire, his rise through the ranks and his Flanders ambitions

The buzz around cycling in Yorkshire is massive. We’ve got a lot of iconic figures from here. Lizzie [Deignan] grew up in Otley, which is a couple of miles away from where I grew up.

I had a lot of mentors, people like Sid Barras and Keith Lambert who were top pros in their day. They passed down their knowledge: how to be in a group, what training to do. They taught me how to ride smoothly in a group which translates well into racing and saving energy. They also taught me respect.

I grew up in Burley, a small village, but I live on the outskirts of Leeds now. I love the area, and it’s a friendly place.

The roads around Yorkshire are perfect for Classics training – they’re very tough roads with lots of short punchy climbs where you can get your effort out.

I’m proud of where I come from but maybe I don’t appreciate it as much as people visiting the area. You ride past some amazing places, like Cow and Calf rocks, but I went to school at the bottom for years so it’s just daily life for me.