Monday, April 21, 2025

Ian Garrison – Deceuninck-Quick-Step’s Young American

A young pro gets his big WorldTour break and what happens? COVID-19 comes along and, well, you know the rest. Ian Garrison, US TT champion had big plans for 2020 with Deceuninck – Quick-Step. We spoke to Ian at his home in Atlanta, Georgia.

-

HomeInterviewsIan Garrison - Deceuninck-Quick-Step's Young American

In the overall scheme of things in these Strange Days, bike racing is well down the scale, that’s taken as read. But imagine that you’ve just realised your dream and signed with the world’s number one team, performed well on your debut and are looking forward to the next part of your season once your training camp in sunny Greece ends. Instead you have to get home to the US as quickly as possible to avoid being ‘locked down’ in Europe. That’s the situation Deceuninck – Quick-Step’s 2020 signing, US Elite Time Trial Champion, Ian Garrison found himself in just a few days ago.

The 21 year-old from Georgia first came on the radar in 2016 with second spot in the US junior time trial Nationals behind Brandon McNulty, who’s now with UAE. There was also a stage win in Canada’s Tour de l’Abitibi – ‘the junior Tour de France.’ And a bronze medal at the Worlds in the junior TT behind aforementioned McNulty and silver medallist Dane, Mikkel Bjerg who has gone on to win a remarkable three u23 TT Worlds and is also now with UAE.

Season 2017 saw Garrison with Axeon-Hagens Berman for whom he took a stage in Canada’s Tour de Beauce and finish second in the u23 Gent-Wevelgem behind Britain’s Jacob Hennessy. Still with Axel Merckx’s development team for 2018, Hagens Berman-Axeon he produced strong stage placings and fourth on GC in the highly rated Triptyque des Monts et Chateaux u23 stage race in Belgium.

He won the prologue in the Tour Alsace and ‘enjoyed’ a late season burst of northern racing with the Primus Classic, GP Jef Scherens, Tour de l’Eurometropole and GP Isbergues all on the agenda. In his third season with Hagens Berman-Axeon he moved up to second on GC behind Bjerg in the Tryptyque, took his double US TT championships and finished in the silver medal position behind Bjerg in the Worlds u23 TT.

VeloVeritas caught up with him at his home in Atlanta, Georgia; his ‘home’ during the season being Gerona in Catalonia. 

Ian Garrison
Photo©Deceuninck-Quick-Step

How did your ride with Axel Merckx’s Axeon Hagens Berman team come about, Ian?

“After I turned 18 I was looking for a team and Axel’s organization is kinda the dream team if you’re a u23 racer. I’d won a stage in l’Abitibi and there was a rider on the team from Georgia on the team, Phil O’Donnell who put a word in for me so a lot of it was down to contacts.

“I spoke to Axel on the phone in August and he agreed to take me on the team. I haven’t spoken to him for a little while but we text each other and keep in touch.”

That was one wild day you chose to win your Worlds u23 TT silver in Yorkshire.

“Yeah, it was a different day for sure! I was off early so I missed the flooding but there were certainly some big puddles around.”

How did the ride with Deceuninck-Quick-Step come about?

“After I won the National TT, Patrick Lefevere expressed interest and we spoke back and forward throughout the rest of the year; I was ready to move up and had a handful of other good u23 results.

“Movistar also expressed interest, but I chose to go with Deceuninck.”

You got your season off to a great start with third place on Stage Four of la Provence.

“Yes, I was happy with that, it was my first race with the team and I went into it with no expectations.

“I was lucky with my breakaway partners, they were all committed, we all realized we had a good chance of success; it was one of the most cohesive breakaways I’ve ever been in.”

Then you rode the Faun Ardeche Classic and Royal Bernard Drome in France – tough roads and grim weather.

“Hard roads for sure, both are up and down all day – climbers races and the wet weather didn’t help.”

What would you program have been had not Corona come along?

“I was on a training camp in Greece and after that I had two semi-classics in Belgium, Danilith Nokere Koerse and Bredan Koksijde Classic, the Tour of Catalunya, Tour of Turkey, Tour of Romandie, the Dauphine then home to the US for the Nationals.”

Ian Garrison
Ian Garrison (r) with his fellow neo-pro on the team, Andrea Bagioli. Photo©Deceuninck-Quick-Step

How did you get home from the Deceuninck training camp in Greece with the world going mad around you?

“I spoke to team back and forth but the thing was it all escalated do fast; the team got me on a flight from Athens to London then on to Atlanta.

“Whilst I was very disappointed at how things went it was a relief to get home safe to my mother and brother in Atlanta.”

Are you locked down yet or can you still get out on the bike?

“I can still get out, it classes as ‘recreational activity’ – I do drills, tempo riding and chase Strava king of the mountains.

“Atlanta is a bit of a sprawl do it takes a while to get out of town and on to good roads – but they’re quieter than normal so riding is OK.”

How are you keeping your head positive?

“Honestly, I’m just grateful that I’m still able to ride my bike and that I’m healthy and my family is healthy.

“If you were stuck inside it would be very easy to slip into a downward spiral.”

Ian Garrison
Photo©Deceuninck-Quick-Step

We were talking to Wilfried Peeters the other day and he said that the team has set up WhatsApp groups so DS’s can speak to their guys?

“Yes, my DS is Rik Van Slycke, who was pro ‘back in the day,’ winning Nokere Koerse and riding the Tour de France in the Lemond era, I was browsing an old cycling magazine the other day and saw his name.

“But it’s not just Rik who’s in touch, all the DS’s and riders keep in contact.”

Your brother, Michael is pretty handy too – he won Abitibi last year.

“Yes, he’s with Hagens Berman Neon, this year. It’s tough for him, he’s super-motivated after putting a lot of work through the winter; but we’re staying positive and we have each other to train with.”

What are you looking forward to most when things get back to some semblance of normality?

“Just racing and learning; I learned so much in those first few races and I look forward to a full race program.” 

We’ll second that last statement, with thanks to Ian and Phil Lowe at Deceuninck Quickstep for organizing the interview.

Ed Hood
Ed Hood
Ed was involved in cycling for over 50 years. In that time he was a successful time triallist, a team manager and a sponsor of several teams and clubs. He was also a respected and successful coach and during the winter months often worked in the cabins at the Six Days for some of the world's top riders. Ed was a highly respected journalist, his tales of chasing the Giro, Tour, Vuelta, Classics and World Championships - and his much-loved winter Six Days - are legendary, never the same twice, they gave our site an edge other cycling media could never duplicate or challenge. Sadly Ed passed away in January 2025, two years after suffering a devastating stroke.

Related Articles

Grant Ferguson – Third in the U23 MTB World Championships!

It’s that man Ferguson again, not content with winning the last U23 MTB World Cup of the year he’s gone and taken bronze in the U23 Worlds in Andorra – we had to have ANOTHER word or two with him...

Dan Bigham – Talking Aero; “Ponytails aren’t…”

If you watched Stage One of the Giro on Eurosport or GCN then you’ll have heard that someone had the great idea to recruit British professional rider, Dan Bigham to join the commentary team as a ‘chrono specialist.’ Here at VeloVeritas we thought it would be good to put to Dan all those sad questions that trouble bike obsessives like us.

Michael Nicholson – “Racing Hard and Expecting Drama”

I wish I'd tried it; pals Dave, Ivan, Viktor, and our Editor Martin all did - save up your dough over the winter, take the ferry, doss in the cold little room in Gent. The ride out in the rain to the kermis, change in someone's parlour, the inevitable punctures and kickings, the phone call home from a payphone on Sunday night...

Finlay Young – a Junior, winning Senior Races

Junior racing isn't exactly flourishing in Scotland, so it's good to see one of the youngsters getting a bit of the limelight - 17 year old Finlay Young took the honours in the Jack Murray road race at Dunfermline over the weekend.

At Random

Tour Down Under – a little late starting, but it IS a start!

A quick recap on 2010 to date — Had the BIG Engagement party in early Jan (and thanks to all who came along — it was gratifying seeing so many of Mands and my family and friends there, many from a long way away). And then it was straight to Adelaide for the Tour Down Under.

Le Tour de France 2014 – Stage 18; Pau – Hautacam, 145 km. Nibali Authoritative

Bonjour! Hautacam and the Pyrenees are in the rear view mirror as we head for the start of Stage 19 and the start of the long haul north towards Paris. We were on the Tourmalet, yesterday - a beast of a mountain. But first, Lourdes - go, see it and then leave, quickly. At the bottom of The Tourmalet sits Sainte-Marie-de-Campan where - back in the days when men were men - Eugene Christophe had to fix his own forks but the commissars still nailed him because the blacksmith's apprentice worked the bellows at the forge.

Announcing the Launch of the Alba Development Road Team

The Alba Development Road Team is aiming to help female talent realise their dreams of competing against the world’s top riders in the biggest races. Thanks to financial backing from several international organisations all athletes are being provided with a bike, individual development plan, riding kit and full race programme to help achieve optimum performance.

Callum Skinner – European Kilo Champion 2014; “Now the Rio Sprint Team is the Target”

It’s not just Katie Archibald who was winning European track titles for Bonnie Scotland on that big old concrete track in Guadeloupe – sprinter Callum Skinner rode a 1:02 to become European Kilometre Champion and book himself a Worlds spot in the event made famous by the likes of Harris, Sercu and Hoy.