"The aim is to be flying for Flanders and Roubaix" - Fred Wright dreaming high with lead at Bahrain - Victorious

Fred Wright has had a stellar 2022 season and with it has come a strong position within Bahrain - Victorious. His versatility makes him a rider who can target wins in many different terrains, but he is looking towards the cobbled classics in a different way after a breakthrough campaign this year.

“I’m only 23, I’ve still got my best years to come. This year was pretty good, and the year before that too. I feel like I’m still learning, still improving … it’s exciting to think where it could go," Wright said in an interview with Velonews. The Briton turned pro in 2020 with Bahrain - Victorious but has had a substantial increase in level this season, having performed along several classics and stage-races throughout the season - most noticeably the Tour des Flandres and Vuelta a Espana.

In Flandres, Bahrain placed three riders in the Top12, with Wright riding into 7th only 11 seconds down on winner Mathieu van der Poel. He attacked alongside Dylan van Baarle to be within range of a podium. “Seventh in Flanders was almost the confirmation I needed for myself. It was like, ‘yeh, you’re pretty good at this, you should be there among these guys.’ It was a confirmation of my strength that I’d not seen before. I had glimpses things were going well at the back end of 2021, but Flanders was a real ‘this is good’ moment," he said.

At the Tour de France Wright rode into second place on stage 13, only being beaten by Mads Pedersen amidst a breakaway on a hilly stage. He completed the Tour, however showed no signs of fatigue as he went on to race the Vuelta a Espana where he was in the spotlight on multiple occasions.

“I think it’s all been adding up season after season, a development. Looking back, emotionally it’s amazing to be at the front of the Tour or Vuelta, it’s a dream come true," the 23-year old continued. "But as a technical, training perspective, it’s an accumulation of all the training I’ve put in through the past two years and what I think has been a steady progress that you could almost feel coming. And the way it’s going, I think there could be more”.

At the Vuelta Wright found himself again second to Mads Pedersen, however it was on the whole points classification. He took one second place, two third places and in total seven Top10 places, benefiting from the hilly route and from his strong sprinting capacity to finish second in the green jersey rankings. He was also part of the crash that took Primoz Roglic out of the race, with the Slovenian sticking by his word that Wright was somewhat to blame for it.

“I always knew from my own personal point of view I wanted to be here given the place I’ve found in the team, and the support I’ve got around me. With the plans we’ve got going forward and where I see myself in the next years, the team fits really well. Staying here, it was never in doubt," Wright said.

Comparing to the ever growing Jumbo-Visma in the cobbled, the Briton doesn't believe that sort of transfer would benefit him - whilst teammate Jan Tratnik will be moving away into the Dutch team. “I don’t think I’d gain anything being in a potentially better team with bigger riders,” Wright said. “Looking at stage hunting and classics, I want to be a key man for the team, and I think I’ve progressed nicely to that.”

“It’s almost mad when you think about when I got the contract – it was my only offer. And now I’m at the point where I’m one of the key guys. It’s almost weird saying it. I can’t wait for the next years," he commented on these past year, and the leap he's taken this year.

“I put myself in the position so many times this year that I don’t see why I can’t do it again next year,” he said. “It’s about using the experience I gained from before to create wins. I like the way the last year went and I want more of the same really,” he added.

Together with Matej Mohoric he will be leading the Bahrain team in the spring next season, with both likely to aim at Milano-Sanremo aswell as the cobbles of Roubaix and France. Wright however is clear on his goals: “The aim is to be flying for Flanders and Roubaix, have a break after that, then be flying again at the Tour de France and the worlds after, then another break and maybe even have another peak toward the end of the season."

"It’s hard to do that three times, but it’s about the balance of having that time off, making sure you’re properly ‘off’ or properly ‘on’," he concluded.