Q&A: UCI Race Winner in 2024 Josha Ludman

01/03/2025 06:41 AM

After the collapse of his Saint Piran team, Joshua Ludman, still an under 23 with a bucket load of experience from his season in 2024, is still looking for that elusive break to find a team to give him the platform to fulfil his ambitions in the sport of cycling.

Q&A: UCI Race Winner in 2024 JOSHUA LUDMAN – chasing a team for 2025

Having done it myself in 1980, travelling all the way from Australia to Europe to chase a pro contract was a huge challenge for 20 year old Joshua Ludman who rose to the challenge and came away from his season on this side of the world with a UCI win in the Tour of Japan and despite crashes, finished the Tour of Britain strongly showing he has the talent, even as a second year senior, to do so well.

Those who can help Joshua, here is his Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/joshualudman/

QUIZ TIME!
Q: A UCI win along with many others, how do you think 2024 went for you as a second year senior?
JOSHUA: The win in Japan was a real highlight to my season. I started my time in Europe with some sickness so to have that to bounce back from was a real positive. I feel like my second year as an Under 23 rider was extremely positive. I was exposed a lot more to what it is like to be a full time professional cyclist and what it takes mentally and physically to ride at that level given the exposure at some of the races I was given the chance to race at from Saint Piran.

Q: If you were to get the opportunities you dream of in the sport, what would you like to be doing during the next season?
JOSHUA: My dream, like a lot of other riders in my position, would be to end up on a development pathway for a WorldTour or ProTour team as that furthers our exposure to life as a cyclist and develop more as a rider before stepping up to the full WorldTour scene. So I would love to be given a chance on a Development team or a team which has strong pathways to those teams to prove I am capable of riding at that level I just need someone to believe in me.

Q: When and where did you start racing your bike?
JOSHUA: I started racing my bike in 2020 at Nowra Velo Club (my home club, Larry).

Q: You have raced in Europe as a Junior and Senior; has that increased your appetite to go further in the sport?
JOSHUA: Every race or person I have met over my short time in the cycling and elite sporting world has increased my desire to want to make it to the highest level in this sport and make it my career.

Q: You won a stage in the Tour of Japan in 2024; was that the biggest buzz and result during your year abroad.
JOSHUA: I would have to say it would be a big toss up between the Stage win at Tour Of Japan and racing in the Tour Of Britain. Both had their buzzes from being able to say I have won a 2.2 race which if you told me in 2022, I would not have even understood what you meant, or Tour Of Britain, getting to ride beside people who I hold in really high stead and people I would aspire to be on a team with and supporting.

Above: Joshua crossing the line to finish another stage in the Tour of Britain just ahead of the Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel

Q: You raced in Britain and Europe – is there a big difference between how races in England and Europe are raced?
JOSHUA: My experience with British racing was a lot different to racing in Europe. I would say mostly because a large portion of my racing was National races instead of UCI races but the Tour Of Britain was raced much the same due to the conditions impacting the race from the terrain, to the quality of the roads and the weather making everyone in the bunch really nervous.

Q: Despite Saint Piran folding, you have carried on racing and carried on winning so the hunger to win and be the best you can be is still deep inside you?
JOSHUA: Definitely. The hunger and drive is still there. I am still without a contract for the 2025 season so am desperate for someone to give me a chance and the only way to show that is by continuing to push myself and show I am worth taking a chance.

Q: Did coming to Europe in 2024 as a second year senior become a little easier to adjust to having raced here as a Junior?
JOSHUA: I would say those experiences definitely helped but I had never raced in a setup like Saint Piran. Which made life for me a lot easier having travel planned for you and not having to think of meals post race and how I was getting back to the accomodation, made it easier to focus on just riding my bike.

Josh, in the colours of Nowra Velo, the club I raced for in the 1970s, getting yet another award back in Nowra.

Q: You have some pretty tough roads over mountains you can train over, what do you feel are your strengths as a racer?
JOSHUA: I definitely enjoy challenging terrain, medium mountains with some punchy short climbs mixed in, I feel really suits me as I love breakaways and attritional racing.

Q: The local club in Nowra are well behind you; does that help the motivation when training and racing knowing how highly people think of you?
JOSHUA: Knowing people believe in me and get pride from knowing where I came from and where I am at now is a massive motivating factor in racing and training.

Q: You spent time in Girona… how special was that to live and breathe bike racing?
JOSHUA: Spending time in Girona was extremely special to me it is a place I had always seen on social media as this haven for cycling and it definitely proved to be just that.

Joshua sprinting in to finish another stage in the Tour of Britain alongside WorldTour riders which he’d love to be part of and has the talent to race at that level

Q: Finally, You raced a high level UCI stage race in the Tour of Britain and were seen crossing the line with the Olympic champion and more; did that race give you the knowledge that you have the power in the lungs and legs to be a pro bike rider with the riders you raced against?
JOSHUA: I feel like my experiences this year gave me more faith in myself and the level at which I think my body is able to race at. I think with some proper development time and someone to guide me with how to best build upon what I already, have will be enough for me to ride at the highest level possible.

As well as UCI races in 2024, Joshua raced some British classics like the Otley Town Centre Grand Prix and is just ahead of one of the top riders in Britain, Matt Bostock.

Get to know Joshua – a video chat back in my home town of Nowra we had before he came to this side of the world to race for Saint Piran
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nj6llHvrBSs

#winner# Joshua #Nowra #bikeracer #youngtalent

Joshua racing the British Monument, the Lincoln Grand Prix in 2024

Gobsmacked! How special is this! Joshua’s dad Adrian came over this side of the world for over a month to help Joshua and his team in races around the world. Thats an example of how much as a family, they want Joshua to get the chance to fulfil his potential in the sport of cycling

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