Rising star: Cameron Mason on his cyclo-cross breakthrough, road ambitions, and doing things his own way

Last Sunday, Cameron Mason became the first non-Dutch or Belgian elite male rider to medal in the European Cyclo-Cross Championships, turning the promising signs already shown this season into a huge stride forward, and leaving a sense that there’s more to come this winter.

But there’s far more to Mason that ‘cross, with the 23-year-old Scot also a regular on the mountain bike scene and, as of last year, on the gravel circuit. Throw in some nascent road ambitions, a passion for bikepacking and adventure riding, not to mention a spot of YouTubing, and we have the latest name on the conveyor belt of multi-disciplinarians in modern cycling.

Mason made a big move recently, leaving Trinity Racing – the team built around Tom Pidcock’s development – after there years and signing for Cyclocross Reds, not only a leading ‘cross team but also part of the Roodhooft brothers’ stable that also includes the Alpecin-Deceuninck WorldTour road team and its development squad.

GCN caught up with Mason this week to hear not only about his storming progress in the Belgian mud and sand, but also the longer-term shape of his career, his journey to this point, and his philosophy on cycling in general.

He’s fastest, he says, is when he’s happiest, and what shines through when talking to Mason, as when watching his YouTube videos, is that he’s as rounded an athlete as you’re ever likely to meet.

The interview

GCN: This feels like a breakthrough season for you – does it feel that way to you?

Cameron Mason: Sunday was a big breakthrough. I’m only just realising now how significant the Euros are in the world of cyclo-cross. But last season, the smaller ‘cross calendar I did felt maybe even more significant. I was a first-year elite and just did 10 or so races and every single race was in the top 10 or top five. That gave me confidence that if I really focus on ‘cross, do a proper calendar, then there’s no reason why I can’t be at the front of every race. That’s what I’m hoping for this season.

GCN: You’re with a new team this season. How did the move to Cyclocross Reds come about?

CM: It was time to move on from Trinity. They’re a development team and I think I’d developed enough. I was comfortable there but sometimes comfortable is not the best thing. I needed to keep things moving and go to that next level. I started talking to Cyclocross Reds at the end of the last ‘cross season then through the summer. It was just about finding that right balance of support I needed. One of the main things around that is the multi-discipline, so although I’m riding for Cyclocross Reds now, there are a lot of opportunities to be had in the summer too, with road, gravel, and mountain bike. There was interest from other cyclo-cross teams but I don’t think I could have gone somewhere that could have supported the multi-discipline as well as Alpecin and Cyclocross Reds.

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Cameron Mason dedicated his European silver medal to his late grandfather

GCN: You mention Alpecin, but so far there has been no public confirmation of you being part of that road set-up, and you’ve hardly done any road in your career so far. So where exactly does that fit into your plans?

CM: Because I’ve done so little, there is that question mark over whether I have that depth to deal with it, but what I did in gravel last summer showed I can perform over longer durations. Of course, gravel is a lot less tactical and the punch is different, but I think it shows my body will be able to take that kind of load, and with the right races and the right programme there’s no reason I can’t… I’ll be starting from a lower level, but the development should be pretty quick, actually, once I get racing. The priorities after ‘cross season will be rest and reset then look forward to getting in good road/gravel shape to start ticking off more goals during summer.

GCN: Have you got a schedule in place yet for road racing?

CM: The specifics aren’t on the table yet, but I know that, no matter the programme, I’ll be gaining experience and improving in road. The direction we can definitely bring to the early part of next year is to get me racing, get me learning, then pick out some goals that can start to show my potential.

GCN: You might have the potential, but do you think you’ll actually enjoy the road?

CM: I know I’m most happy when I’m off-road. It’s more interesting and more fun to me. But I also enjoy being good at things, and what I’ve not a had an opportunity to do before is have more of road focus to see what’s possible. A bit more specific preparation, bringing a bit of a higher level to the road, will open some doors, to how fun it can be… animating the race, working with teammates, that kind of stuff. I’m a fan of the sport and I want to be as part of it. It will also benefit my cyclo-cross. Having that level of intensity during the summer can only be a good thing.

GCN: What are your standout moments from the road racing you have done?

CM: I could probably talk you through them all in two minutes. The Tour Alsace two years ago, a UCI 2.2… that was a massive wake-up call. I wasn’t prepared enough for that. Technically I was sweet, tactically I had the minerals, but my level dropped off so much after two or three hours that I just wasn’t useful. It opened my eyes to just how physically hard road racing is. What Van Aert and Van der Poel have is that depth they’ve built over the past five, six, seven years, and I’ve not trained like a road pro, ever. With this team, with the high level of support, that’s going to allow me reach higher levels in road.

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Cameron Mason competing in the 2023 UCI Gravel World Championships

GCN: You mentioned gravel in the same breath as road, so how exactly does that fit into your plans?

CM: I think gravel will go really well with the road programme. The gravel races I’ve done well in have been around 100km – longer than that and I’ve struggled, because I don’t have the WorldTour fitness. Gravel Worlds being 170km was over the limit of what I could handle. But I’ve shown I have punch, technique, race craft. All the things road riders struggle with, I already have, and what I don’t have are the things you can hopefully train for. I think there’s loads of headroom in gravel, especially for me. If I can be in those key moments, with the gas, that’s where things get exciting.

GCN: And mountain biking…?

CM: Mountain bike is the thing I’ve struggled a bit more with in the past few years. The high-level, top-end punch needs to be so, so high and your conditioning is so so important. There are so many specific things you need and I’ve struggled with that, so the focus will be more towards road and gravel in the next few years.

Diversity of disciplines

GCN: Broadening things out a little, what’s striking is your journey to this point, resisting the options to specialise in one department – which could be seen as easier options. You’ve not gone down the British Cycling route and Trinity is hardly a traditional U23 team. Have you always had that clarity of vision and have you ever questioned the path you’ve taken?

CM: I’m one of the least connected British cyclists to British Cycling that there is. I’ve never been on a senior programme, I’ve never had funding. A lot of riders do flourish within a British Cycling programme, where the direction is simple; you go in, train, go home, focus on the Olympics. But because I’ve not had that, it’s made me more of a diverse athlete, and there’s way more value in that right now.

It does depend on the athlete. I’m someone who’s always found my own way, and I don’t actually feel like I’ve ever needed British Cycling’s help. The biggest thing British Cycling has done for me is support clubs and club coaching, because what I credit all of my cycling skills and enjoyment to is West Lothian Clarion, where it all started.

After that, I had some support from Scottish Cycling, but that being one step down from British Cycling, it allowed me to keep my freedom, so I was encouraged to still do my cyclo-cross and other bits while also being on their mountain bike programme. I don’t see a world where I could have done that and been on a British Cycling program.

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Cameron Mason at the 2023 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships

GCN: Has there been a key figure – a manager or a coach – who’s been in your corner on this journey?

CM: All the staff at Trinity were great, but James McCallum, my coach and mentor… our relationship started when I was 12 or 13. He was this amazing Commonwealth athlete who I was looking up to, and he started coaching me and mentoring me through all my development, getting out to Belgium, and now he’s still my coach while I’m at one of the biggest pro teams in Belgium, so a lot of credit to Jimmy.

GCN: It’s interesting you say mentor, as well as coach…

CM: It’s his experience, especially in multi-discipline. He coaches enduro riders, cyclo-cross riders, Conti road riders. As I get older, I need less support in coaching so a lot of our conversations are about direction, mindset, and all that stuff that’s not just Training Peaks and intervals. Looking after the person, that’s what Jimmy does well.

GCN: I guess you’ve also taken inspiration from the likes of Van der Poel, Van Aert and of course Tom Pidcock, when it comes to making all these disciplines work?

CM: Even if I wasn’t racing, I’d be a fan of Wout, Mathieu, Tom, all these guys. I’m just a massive cycling fan. It just happens to be that I get closer to them than the average fan. My opinion hasn’t changed on any of them. If anything, I’ve realised even better than the general public how much they love bike racing. That’s perfect, to realise your idols are in it for the exact same reasons as you, it makes things pretty clear why they do it and why I do it.

GCN: Why do you do it? As someone with such a broad love for cycling, how would you define your cycling philosophy?

CM: I’ve never been that one goal driven person. I’m not obsessed with the Olympics, I’m not obsessed with world champs’ jerseys. I’m more a step-by-step person, and I get so much enjoyment out of just riding my bike, that that’s what’s going to motivate me. I have seen, though, that when that enjoyment does go away, then I do struggle to stay motivated. That’s when I’d need a rest or a bit of a change, and I’m always going to have a mix of disciplines because of that. I see WorldTour pros doing their massive training rides on one bike, on similar routes, for 10 years in a row, and I just don’t think that could ever be me. But that’s cool. You could put me on the same training program as any old WorldTour rider but it’s not going to make me happy, which in turn won’t make me fast. The happiest I am, and the most relaxed and motivated I am, that’s the fastest version of me.

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Cameron Mason in Trinity colours

GCN: Can you think of any specific times when you’ve needed to press that re-set button?

CM: I had a bad crash in COVID, I broke my humerus, needed a lot of surgery and the recovery was long and slow. I got back actually much better than expected and had a great season on the back of it but I carried that momentum too long, so ended up racing 13 months non-stop – just because in the back of my head the clock was ticking. That was a mistake because I dug myself quite a deep hole. This time last year I was planning my cyclo-cross season and I just realised it was too much. I took two months to fully re-set and I arrived at the ‘cross season pretty late but my enjoyment was there, my level was there. I’d levelled up.

It showed me that if I’m ever struggling, it might only take that type of re-set to find that enjoyment and energy again. There’s always a race to be good for. The hard part is being bold enough to say ‘I’m not going to be good at that race’. That’s actually what the top guys do really well; they’re ruthless with their program. If they turn up, they’re there for a reason.

GCN: How much have you spoken with the Roodhooft brothers about all of this, and how receptive are they to your overall outlook on cycling?

CM: They know the best results come from riders who are happiest. They want to support my bike riding 100% and the support they’ve already shown has been massive, going the extra levels to make sure I have everything I need. As a British rider in a team that’s quite Belgian, especially on the ‘cross side, I really appreciate the little things.

GCN: Are you still coached by James McCallum or have you moved on to the team’s coaching staff?

CM: My day-to-day coaching is still with Jimmy, and will be for the rest of the ‘cross season. I made it quite clear to the team that I didn’t want to change too much too soon. The bike changed, the staff, and I didn’t want that to also be the training. If things went wrong, it’d be harder to pinpoint the issue. The team are happy for me to keep working with Jimmy for now then I’ll probably transition over to the team’s performance staff after the ‘cross season. There’s a lot to be gained from working with staff in a team as big as Alpecin. Then Jimmy will then be continuing in that mentor role, because he’s the person who knows me best. I think that’s a really good way forward.

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Cameron Mason with his silver medal from the European Championships

GCN: Bringing things back to the here and now, you’ve got Superprestige Niel and the World Cup in Dendermonde coming up this weekend. With that silver medal in the pocket, what are your goals for the rest of the ‘cross season?

CM: Sunday showed I have the potential to win and my next goal is 100% to win a big race – that’s a clear goal. The good thing is it’s not just one race, nothing too specific. I’m not saying I want to medal at Worlds – I’m not a fan of that type of goal, but I know if keep doing what I’m doing and keep being the best version of myself then I can get really close to a win in a World Cup and that’s really motivating. My schedule is not as full as some others. This block has been busy so I’m going home after Dendermonde for three weeks, which will include the Dublin World Cup, then back to Belgium in the run-up to Christmas, then later the Nationals and Worlds block. I’m keen to race in Februrary, too. I’ve never raced that last moth of the ‘cross season and there are loads of good races in there for me, so if I really want to show how good a ‘cross rider I am, I should be racing those races, and that’s pretty exciting, too.

Watch the best of the cyclo-cross season live on GCN+, including the World Cup, Superprestige, X2O & Exact series plus the UCI World Championships, with replays available on demand. Territory restrictions apply, check availability here.