Meyer says he must go harder
Cameron Meyer says he intends to get more aggressive on the bike next season.
It follows one of the toughest years of his cycling career, which left him hungry to prove himself at Orica-GreenEDGE.
The 26-year-old from Helena Valley has returned to Perth for his off-season break after a disappointing third full season with Australia's only pro cycling team.
Meyer was forced to pull out of the Giro d'Italia in May after contracting a stomach infection midway through the grand tour.
He never properly regained his form and momentum from that point, and a top-10 finish at the Tour of Switzerland was his consolation prize.
The 2011 Tour Down Under winner said he would spend the break finding the "spark" needed to string together a consistent season in 2015.
"When I was doing the track I always had quite a bit of success, so that would start the season off really well and I'd probably continue on that roll when I went on to the road," Meyer said.
"Since doing my first couple of years now of just full road, this year has definitely been one of my hardest. This year definitely didn't go the way I wanted.
"Probably I need to go back to a couple of basics. I think I need to go and find that real spark I had when I did both track and road.
"For some reason I got more out of it, more out of myself when I was that real aggressive sort of rider. Now trying to fit into just the road scene, which isn't my norm, I've got to try and find that aggression and really hit the season hard like you do on the track.
"Track racing's really exciting, hard racing. You only get one go at it and it's only an hour race. On the road you're racing every day and it can sometimes become mundane and stale a little bit.
"I think it's about what you do after the races and in between before your next race, how you mentally refresh yourself and how you train and prepare yourself for that next race. If you overdo it, you just continue on a downward spiral to not being as motivated."
Next year will be critical for Meyer.
His contract with Orica-Green- EDGE runs out at the end of 2015 and, with the likes of fellow WA racer Luke Durbridge and sprinter Caleb Ewan nipping at his heels, he is keen to impress.
Meyer will sit down with team officials at next month's training camp to map out his 2015 racing schedule.
A return to the Tour de France was a possibility after last year becoming the first West Australian to win a stage at the Tour.
A chance to kick off his season with a title assault at the Tour Down Under - the scene of one of his greatest achievements almost four years ago - will also be discussed.
"It (the Tour de France) is likely to have a teams time trial next year, which really favours me and favours the team," Meyer said.
"I'd like to put it into my calendar to have a chance at it.
"But I don't want to make that the centre of attention for the year. I've got to prove myself through the start of the year first."
… I've got to try and find that aggression …" *Cameron Meyer *
