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OFF SEASON INTERVIEW
FEBRUARY 2001 |
City: Chelsea
State/Province: Quebec
Country: Canada
Team: G.S. Oryx-Procycle
What do you do for cross training? (not cyclocross, but off the bike exercise)?
After September I take a couple of weeks of complete rest and maybe 6 weeks away from the bike. I do a lot of trail running and hiking in the fall, with the occasional weight workout to mix it up, not in the weight room but in my yard lifting logs and rocks, kind of cavemanish but it works for me. I do some cross riding till the snow comes and then it is a couple of solid months of x-c skiing, both skate and classic.
Do you take time off the bike in the winter?
I start back on the bike in November and continue to ride indoors all winter. Not long or hard but enough to keep the cycling muscles awake. By February I 'm riding 5 times a week indoors on the trainer and rollers.
How do you avoid weight gain in the winter?
Have you ever seen Ullrich or Lemond in the winter. It is natural and healthy to gain weight in the winter, plus it keeps you warm. I was stuffing my face with truffles till midnight on new years eve when I vowed to give up chocolate again.
What month do you plan on coming into fitness for the 2001 season?
I will start racing the first week of April but don't expect to have full form till the first of June.
What month do you start your pre-season training?
Specific training doesn't begin till January for me, before that it is just what I feel like.
How do you deal with riding in the winter conditions (cold, snow, ice, lack of daylight)?
I never ride outside in the winter till I go south, it is just too cold.
What are your goals for the 2001 season?
I would like to defend my Panam championship title and hope to have a good ride at the worlds in Vail.
Is the "pro mountain bike racer" lifestyle as much fun as you thought it would be?
Being able to race mountainbikes for a living is the best possible job alive. Not being able to feel your private parts after 2 hours on the rollers is a little disconcerting but if you know that in a few weeks you will be off to North Carolina for some of the best road and mountain riding in the world the numbness is very temporary, I hope!