After Madis Mikhels bronze medal at the Junior Worlds RR last season and his subsequent transfer to Intermarche for 2023, Estonian cycling is in a really good place right now. And the current class of juniors are maybe even better…
Lauri Tamm (Cannibal Team) was 6th at Roubaix, Romet Pajur (Auto Eder) was 2nd and has won stages in the Course de la Paix in 2021 and 2022, and Frank Aron Ragilo, also on Cannibal Team, was 11th at Roubaix, 3rd at Guido Reybrouck and 9th overall at Course de la Paix.
I interviewed Frank ahead of the Czech stage race to get to know him better, and discuss all things 2022 with the 18-year-old.
“I’d say my season has been mediocre. I’ve had good legs but not as much luck as I would have liked. Tactically in races, things also haven’t went my way, like in Kuurne, where a break went and we had Artem in it, so we couldn’t chase, even if it mas a mistake to let it go. Maybe it was good for the team but not the best for my own individual result. But 3rd at Guido Reybrouck and 5th at E3 was a good mental push and I’m ready for the second part of the season.”
Frank talked about the closeness of Cannibal Team, saying that really helps deflect from the pressure junior riders face. He had a lot of praise for the people behind the team, Francis and Gloria Van Mechelen.
“It’s a lot more comfortable than riding with strangers. The difference is that in the juniors, there is a lot of pressure on riders to be good. But with us, we’ve known each other since we were kids mostly, so there is no pressure. We know each other as people too, and we know what each guy is capable of on the bike. That’s a big bonus, and the team is well arranged. Francis and Gloria do everything for us, even more than they need too.”
Frank says he actually gets more satisfaction when he does well for the national team than when he does well for Cannibal, as Estonia is not expected to be a major player in the races given its much shorter cycling history than some of the other Nations Cup participants.
“Being successful for the national team is very satisfying, maybe more so than with Cannibal, as it is rare Estonia does well. We don’t have a lot of pros, we’re not really a hotbed for cycling and we don’t even have a velodrome. Cannibal know they will do well, the national team is surprised to do well, that has a bigger effect. We’ve all raced together on the national team since the ages of nine or ten years old. I’d not say we are as close as Cannibal team, but we know each other really well.”
Frank loves the Belgian races, with their ferocious tempo and short, steep climbs. He says he can also do longer climbs, but needs good shape to be able to do so, like he showed at the recent Course de la Paix.
“As a junior, I’d say I like the Belgian races, they’re fast and hard with lots of short climbs, and that suits me well. For longer climbs like in the Peace Race, I know I can do well when I’m in good form, but I need good legs to get over the climbs. I know I’m capable and, in the future, I want to do better on longer climbs. I’d say I’m not specifically good at anything, but I’m good enough at everything.”
Frank has ended the first part of his season and won’t return until after his exams are done, but will still do some races in Estonia during this time period. He will recharge his batteries before doing the summer block of stage races and building for the Worlds and Europeans.
“I won’t race again until the nationals in June because of my exams, although I may do some races at home too. It’s good to recharge the batteries and spend time with my family and friends and rest. Then, I will work towards the stage races, we have four big ones in July and August, before I build up to the European and World Championships.”
Frank is used to doing his school work virtually, having been racing in Belgium for many years now, and says he has no problem balancing the workload and training.
“I’ve been away from school since I was really young. Back in the day, I used to run around all my teachers to get a piece of paper signed so I could get permission to go to Belgium for two weeks to do cyclocross, so they’re used to me being away. I do my work here in Belgium, I’m also used to that and it’s not as hard as you’d think. It’s still hard of course but it is not a problem for me.”
Frank got a really nice experience at a junior race last season that has stuck with him mentally, and that is the junior race he desires to win the most. As for his favourite pro race, another specific edition of that race immediately sprung to his mind, although maybe not for the best reasons!
“My favourite race as a junior is the Tour of Upper Austria. I was fascinated by it last year. The race was very pretty and the course suits me. It’s really different to Belgium and I want to do well there this year. As a pro, I would say Liege. I don’t have a favourite edition but I remember 2015 when Wout Poels won. There had been snow on the climbs, I saw it on TV and it was crazy, these guys suffering in that weather and there was still 100km to go!”
Frank Aron Ragilo is a really strong bike rider, and I think he is going to be a terrific U23 when he gets there in 2023. He’s really worth keeping an eye on, as he, Tamm, Mikhels and Pajur lead the new generation of Estonians towards the pinnacle of cycling and making the nation a powerhouse.
Junior Cycling Zone wishes to thank Frank for answering my call and I wish him all the best for the rest of the season and beyond. You can follow his Instagram here.
Peloton Parlour 