Ryding wary of emerging talent at British Champs

The two-time Olympian will go in the slalom at this month's championships in Tignes against a host of emerging British talent.

Despite only being 28, Ryding is one of Britain's most experienced skiers and has seen his contemporaries call time on their careers in recent years.

And he expects that there will plenty of young guns searching for a famous victory in France and says he will have to be at his very best to ensure there are no slip ups.

"I think of the people that came through with me I'm the last one left and the rest have kind of wilted away," he said.

“There were a lot of good skiers but I’m the last of that generation really and now there is a whole host of youngsters coming through.

"The Championships are our national event so it's always nice to go there and perform but there are expectations for me to win.

"So that means I can only lose when I go there so I need to make sure I'm on top of my game.

"I don't think that means there's a pressure on me to teach the youngsters or anything like that but I would like to lead by example in what I do.

"I think if they see me working hard and doing well then that well help them and inspire them to keep going and pushing.

"The ones that are coming through are talented and it's nice to see and they are probably better than I was then and better than the generation that I came through with."

Ryding has had a strong season so far this year with five top 30 World Cup finished to his name and he says he wants to finish the season on a high.

"I would say that this season has been my best for a long time and I’ve finished in the top 30 in the World Cup five times and the Europa Cup has been great as well," he added.

"So I want to make sure I finish strong now and the British Championships is an event I look forward to and always want to do well in.

"It’s early days in the Olympic cycle so my thoughts aren't that far ahead just yet and I just want to make sure I keep doing well and getting good results. "I want to be consistent with my performances and make sure I'm finishing in the top 30 in the world."

© Sportsbeat 2015