Hidrio ‘honoured to be on shortlist’

Rhys Hidrio takes on some fluids during the gruelling Commonwealth Games road race. The Islander would finish in an impressive 28th place amongst an elite field Picture: DAVID FERGUSON

A HUMBLE Rhys Hidrio confessed that he’s ‘not sure where the nomination came from’.

The cyclist had the honour of flag bearer during the opening ceremony of the Birmingham 2022 Games and went on to produce solid finishes in both the mountain biking and road cycling events.

Alongside fellow Commonwealth Games athletes Ollie Turner and Daniel Lee, with Jersey Men’s Cricket also, Hidrio has been shortlisted for the Sporting Performance of the Year Award.

He said: ‘It was a bit of a surprise to find out I had made the shortlist to be honest. I wasn’t expecting it at all, so I feel very honoured to even be in consideration.

‘Especially knowing that people have recognised all the work that I have done this year.’

Along with a solid Commonwealth Games, Hidrio also enjoyed a stellar season in the British National Series, finishing in 13th place for the year, competing against full-time professionals and world-class talent from across the United Kingdom.

‘I think I have probably reached as far as I can, while also holding a full-time job.

‘The guys competing in the British National Series up the top are professionals, who dedicate every waking second to the sport.

‘To even be holding my own in that company, while having a permanent job is something I am very proud of.

Hidrio, who has worked as an electrical engineer for the Government of Jersey ever since he finished A-levels, believes that the balance could have been beneficial to his progress.

‘Riders can place a lot of pressure on themselves to make it, especially the university cyclists with a ‘make it, or break it’ mentality.

‘It becomes very easy for people like that to burn out and fall out of love with the sport.

‘Fortunately for me, it always came secondary to work and only now, in my later years, am I probably putting in more time than ever.’

The Islander was also happy to hear of the Jersey Youth Cycling Club’s Halloween mountain bike race, aimed at attracting the next generation of riders.

He said: ‘We have some very good youth academy riders who have come through and will be in the Island Games team in Guernsey next year.

‘Liam Cadoret is now in his first year as a senior and Charlie Hart is a last-year junior rider.

‘It has been great to see them progress, but there has definitely been a die-off in recent years and we would love to see participation pick up going forward.

‘Mountain biking is such a great gateway sport for a lot of road cyclists.

‘Many of the elite road cyclists started off with mountain biking contests and progressed into the road side of the sport.

‘There are lots of paths that you can take with the sport and we need to keep pushing it on a local level.’

Hidrio et al will discover their fate at the Jersey Sport Awards on Friday evening.

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