Goss likely to skip Australian road nationals

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Matthew Goss is likely to miss the Australian road nationals as he aims on resurrecting his career with the One Pro Cycling in 2016. The current MTN-Qhubeka rider has had a tough season at the South African squad but has signed a one-year deal with the British Pro Continental team for next year.

Goss, who won Milan-San Remo five years ago, has struggled for results in recent years but has set his sights on returning to the top of the sport. His race programme is still unknown, partly as One Pro Cycling are hoping for wildcard invitations to a number of cycling’s elite races. However, one event that Goss is likely to miss is his home nationals, which take place before the Tour Down Under in January.

“We’ve got an idea of what the programme could be but as a Pro Continental team you need to know what wildcard races you’ve invited to. We’ll know a bit more after our training camp in a few weeks. Nationals probably isn’t for me this time around though,” Goss told Cyclingnews.

“On that nationals course I need to be at 110 per cent just to compete, especially when going up against ten Orica-GreenEdge guys and a number of Drapac riders too. If you go to nationals it takes four or fives days out of you, and for me it’s important to have those days for training."

Goss has been back in Australia for almost a month having ended his season in October. He has steadily built up his winter training sessions and despite a recent bout of stomach flu, he believes that he is where he needs to be at this point in the year.

“My last race was Abu Dhabi so my season finished late but I’ve had three weeks back in Australia and the training has been going well. In general I’ve been feeling good and the season is really high. I’m looking forward to the season.”

The real test for Goss, of course, will come when the European season opens next year. With one-year deal there’s little opportunity for him to rest on his laurels, and while he does aim on returning to winning ways he has not ruled out the possibility of finding a new role for himself in the peloton should his sprinting aims not work out.

“This year I want to win bikes races and if I do everything right and that doesn’t happen then maybe I need to look at having a different role. I’ve been in the peloton for ten years and I’ve got a lot of experience and could take more of a team captain-type role. Mentally and physically I want to win, and show myself that I’ve still got it. It’s a really important year for me.”