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Fred Wright opens up about losing his friend and teammate Gino Mader, and how that tragedy shifted his perspective on racing and life. We dig into his season, his approach to the spring classics, and how he's navigating the responsibility of stepping up as an experienced World Tour rider while still learning from the legends around him.
"I was so focused on the tour you're so drilled training is everything, and then something like that happens and you think about yourself and you go what am I doing like why... it basically just puts everything into perspective."
"You kind of almost know how knacked everyone else is like and trusting that cuz you're knackered so everyone else should be as well and then it's a good time to attack."
"It's being able to just do continuous short punchy efforts that are like probably hundreds but they all add up and if you can soak them all up and still keep being able to do them then you're in a good place."
“I kind of had very little motivation when you go what what am I doing like why you know what what's the it basically just puts everything into perspective and I really yeah that was you know one of the hardest weeks of my life.”
“I've only won one bike race but I've kind of a home dier yeah it was but I you know like I haven't been you know maybe as quite as successful as I wanted to be yet but I still you know got quite you know I feel like mased a good amount of people that spend their time cheering me on getting into breakaways or in the classics or whatever like I've I've built up a just a good a nice fan base from just basically just speaking what's on my mind in interviews.”
“I'm going into my fifth year of doing of being a pro which is definitely experienced and yeah it's just about step stepping up to it but I think it's it is it's it's a difficult thing to do to you know and not a lot of guys actually I would say actually do that become those sort of captains those those those leaders they kind of almost keep keep themselves to themselves.”
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Apply for Coaching →The tragic loss your friend you know it's not something that anyone really knows how to deal with sort of questioning why I was doing what I was doing I kind of had very little motivation when you go what what am I doing like why you know what what's the it basically just puts everything into perspective and I really yeah that was you know one of the hardest weeks of my life Fred Roy welcome back to the RO man podcast hello hello hello yes good to be back talking I need to people are going to be listening thinking Fred's down the south of France he's living the life he's just stepped out of his Bentley Fred just removed a sheet on his door yeah I I'm not I'm I'm happy to I'm happy living a normal life the longside cycling I'm not I'm not so Keen for the for the Glamour and all that stuff just I live up north in Manchester and yeah I do hang up my sheets like everyone else sheets got to dry they do have to dry somewhere and door frames are often the best place so you living on your own or who you living with I'm living on on my own at the moment but I've got a an old friend who's I was on the British sing Academy with he's going to come and move in just towards the end of this month just basically so I've got someone to look after the house when I'm away for half of the year as as it is as a pro cyclist so yeah it should be good and what do you like on the I had a military guy on the podcast a while ago Special Forces and he gave me this cool term so I use it for everything now he calls it admin so admin's all the stuff in the military to doe that's not war so it's like making sure your gun is clean getting your food ready making sure your uniform is pressed so I'm like that's a cool term I'm going to use that in cycling what's your admin like my admin oh yeah that's a good I like that's a good way of thinking it thinking of it because I feel like everything that I do that isn't riding my bike yet is is admin whe even like like whether it's racing or or training I feel like once I've done the training part it's like right now let's put a wash on now let's do a podcast now let's make some dinner now let's it's all it feels like my whole life is admin I guess but it's not you could take that expression and bring it to the World Tour that's my gift to you I think it's a good one it's a good one the you got to be careful though because I'll say that to like my girlfriend who works a normal job say oh yeah I've got loads of admin to do and she'll be like shut up all you've got to do is I don't know put wash on yeah it's not it's not the same level as of admin as like a normal as a normal job but yeah but it's hard to do that stuff on your cyclist I remember when I was full-time living in France and I used to take Monday off I still take Monday off the bike I don't know why but I I like have the whole day to do like absolutely nothing to do for the whole day all I'd have to do is like one wash and I just couldn't get it done and then I heard the expression if you want something done ask a busy man and I was like Ah that's a good expression I like that yeah I think that's I think that's true I think as well I think like in offseason you almost like regain your energy and you sort of forget that actually when you're training you do you kind of sap that energy to to do things things like that you kind of end up all you want to do when you've got back from a long training ride maybe in the cold weather or whatever is just nothing for a couple of hours and you get that kind of like sense of you get more of a sense of fatigue and I think you almost you go go through offseason almost forget about that fatigue and then I've sort of got into training the past week or so and been like oh yeah it's actually getting yourself to do other things is more difficult and I don't I don't NE that's being lazy I think that's just you know you're fatigued from from training it does take a lot of out of you just to ride your bike every day so yeah what's your threshold and I don't mean that by your power number I mean your threshold for the amount of training you like if I do over three hours in a day my days are right off like I just I'm doomed scrolling on Instagram for the rest of the day and I can't do anything if I do two and a half hours for some reason I'm still kind of productive for the rest of the day but anything more than three the day is pointless it's ruined yeah I for yeah I'd say that's a good yeah that's around around that like three and a half three three and a half is when it starts depending on how early you leave in the morning starts getting a bit difficult to do other things like this this first couple weeks training that I do you know the past two years or so has been you know I'm not getting loads of hours in it's almost like an ease back into into riding so I'm Max doing three-hour rides most of the time it's like two hours so actually I quite like
This time of year because you have more time to do you have more time and energy to do those those things and kind of live live normally it's almost like an extension of off season you you kind of get to enjoy riding your bike but not that much yet but it's a massive a massive chore like the third the 25 30 hour weeks aren't hitting yet so it's quite a nice period disappointing though I thought your threshold would go up when you're world or I thought you'd be like no no I can do six hours and still be productive I thought it was just cuz I goes up may maybe I think four hours is often I can do but five yeah five hours you can't I mean you walk you walk to the shops and that's enough so it's kind of yeah I think that's it's I you just have to accept it you just become more of a you are quite a a fairly useless human when you're a a pro cyclist but it means you're an amazing bike rider you you the sacrifice is you become a better bike rider so it's like yeah yeah you see I don't have that part though I'm just a useless human where I don't get rer part no but you you still get that sense of you know it's like every day when you do if you keep riding consistently for a month you get you notice how much better you feel on the bike and that's I think everyone everyone can access that everyone can kind of but you have to you know weigh up I am also going to not be able to do other things in my life if I just Train full G all the time last time we chatted we started talking and as soon as we started talking the video went dead so the video still recorded but it went dead so I couldn't see you and I'd only ever previously seen you before in your cycling kit with helmet on glasses on and everyone kind of looks the same you can't tell who anyone is so fast forward to Roller and we're in the nightclub and this dude comes up talking to me and I have no idea who it is and I'm like the first 60 seconds I'm like who is this dude and there's another lad there Rory towns and a cyclist as well and I'm like have you had any idea who this lad is he's like how pissed are you and I was like I'm pretty pissed but I actually don't know I've never met this guy and he's like that's Fred right and I was like oh balls I only talked to him like two days ago I want to apologize for that right now oh that was so funny yeah it's good I I it's it's nice it's good I I prefer to be I prefer to have things like that rather than the other way around when you got someone coming up to you and going oh like you know what I mean it's it's it's humbling you know like a humbling experience I was humbled you humbled me you know you spend the whole kind of time a ruler thinking oh yeah I'm a you know everyone knows who I am I'm a pro cyclist like LA and then you go up to some guy that you think will know you at a nightclub when he shuts you down it's it's good it's it keeps you keeps you level I'm glad I could pay a public service for you ex do that happening much do you get a i wrestle with this one obviously have a tiny amount of Fame from the podcast compared to what you must have but I wrestle where where I obviously need people to tune into the podcast and I love it but at times you're in the coffee shop and your kit and you're just like you know I just want to eat me scone like leave me alone yeah a little a little bit I think I think the past couple of years I've sort of not it's still a it's still at a nice point where I appreciate and I'm happy to I'm happy to you know have a photo with someone like like in Rich Park just the other day you sort of people come and recognize you but the the difficult one with when you're going around Richmond parkday is that like there'll be people that know who you are and then try and race you or whatever and I'm just doing I'm doing a very strict like zone two I'm not GNA ride any harder so I kind of I was going at Richmond Park the other day like just steady like the same Pace the whole way around but that means that the guy you know the guys that see me are going to they'll overtake me on the Hills but I'm riding the same Pace I'm I'm easily going to catch them on all the other segments but it for them it feels like that they think I'm racing them but I'm not I'm just riding the same base the whole way around and so you're it was so funny the other day just and like it they thought I was racing them but I just I I ended up saying to them like I'm not I'm not racing you I'm just I'm just here I'm just I'm just riding zone two man but you know what they go back to the hope and they tell their mates that story it won't be the way it is like I race Fred right there dropped them he's sh yeah I don't mind that I think that's good I think that's that's that's part of this B that's what's great about p is you can be so close to you get so like football you don't have it where you can you know speak
To and interact with the the pros that you see see racing I do find it it's it was it's harder at things like ruler when I've got a mix of fans of cycling and also sort of friends you know like family friends of people like that are in London that I want to speak to and you end up you kind of almost get stuck speaking to someone else when actually you'd rather have spoken to your family friend or or whatever so sometimes sometimes things like that ruler it's it's great to do but you know you couldn't do them all the time because it's kind of it's socially quite a draining draining experience because you got to be on top form for for everyone really the bunch is going to be a bit different next year e like Sagan T Pino Greg van aart there's a little bit of a change in the guard gone all those guys retiring yeah I I I was thinking that like you think that the names that are not going to be there it's and those are those are the kind of guys that also would say things if they saw something was going wrong I think of like San sort of he'd be he was probably more of like a a patron of the the pelaton and we kind of losing that now I think it's there's I don't know who I guess there's a still a few older guys but it's not yeah it's a new generation isn't it it's but like are you losing it or is it like I'm not putting this on your shoulders but you know I remember even playing football and you go from being the young guy to the experienced guy very fast like you're not the newcomer now you're a you're a legit World Tour riter now is it on your shoulders and your generation to step up a little bit more and kind of the the next patreon's going to come from your generation yeah I think that's that's probably that's a good point a good way of putting it because it's like yeah you yeah I'd say it's one it's going to be I I I think I still feel like I'm a new new Rider like but I've not I'm not I've been doing this I'm going into my fifth year of doing of being a pro which is definitely experienced and yeah it's just about step stepping up to it but I think it's it is it's it's a difficult thing to do to you know and not a lot of guys actually I would say actually do that become those sort of captains those those those leaders they kind of almost keep keep themselves to themselves but the ones that the ones that do that you know that's a successful i i i i aspire to to be able to to lead in in that sort of way I think rather than rather than just going through the motions like like quite like other people not that that's the wrong thing to do but it's you know it's a different it is kind of cool because you know it's a competitive Sport and you see a lot of people that come and they get one contract and that never works out for them they drop down a level and then they just disappear so you've obviously made it stick you got that one contract which turned into another contract now you're in your fifth or going into your sixth year you're a legit World Tour riter so it is kind of cool to be able to reach a hand down and help others up and say Hey you know I thing you don't just there you try to to move up on the grass and you almost took everyone out it didn't go that bad we've seen how it can go bad the all time yeah definitely I think it's a good it's a good example though like I think we yeah it's it's it's it's it's weird that that's the role that I'm gonna going to uh sort of fall into but I was speaking to mate and he's someone that he was doing it quite young he was yeah he would have been my age when I first joined the team and with him on the first training camp and learned a lot from him like talked to him a lot and sort of absorbed as much information from him as I can as I could and I think yeah I can I can do the same I'm in a position now I can do the same but still it's that's what it's still great because there's still old enough older riders that you can still have I still have Riders to learn from I still have to learn from the sports directors whatever but I still have enough experience that I can can pass it on mat's interview on the Tour of France when he won a stage this year you know this is what it means that was like one of the highlights of the season oh no it was but that's the thing as well with s is like you remember things like that as well like that's there's importance in how you present yourself and like mat's just won so many fans from that that interview it's unbelievable and those fans might not necessarily know how many stages of the tour he's won but they'll just love him for the way he's spoke about one of his victories but I think this is why we're in a really cool ERA with cycling now because we're getting so many more guys like you who are starting their own podcasts or Jumping On guest and podcasts or starting Vlogs and we're actually getting to know the writers like even Evan the Paul now with his own Vlog I didn't really like EV the Paul before that Vlog I have to say for no reason because it's just
Me being an arol I never met the guy never talked to the guy but I just looked at and said ah he looks like an arrogant little prick and I watched the Vlog and I was like ah actually think he's a a dude I like this guy and it totally changed my opinion of him just off the Bas back of the Vlog so I think we're in this Purple Patch now where we're really getting to know others and it's helping the sport a lot because I'm invested in their Journey now like I watch like I had you in my fantasy uh Tour of France team this year you kind of [ __ ] me over a few times but we're not GNA talk about that right now but you know what I mean like I was rooting for you because you had me you've been on the podcast and you you know I feel like I know you yeah but that's that's so important and I kind of just in the past two years I see I see the value in that and I see what coming on podcast or maybe in the future creating my own podcast or whatever that people be able to relate to you and to to sort of listen to your story and listen to and just know how you are as a person makes you know makes it because ultimately I've only won I've only won one bike race but I've kind of a home dier yeah it was but I you know like I haven't been you know maybe as quite as successful as I wanted to be yet but I still you know got quite you know I feel like mased a good amount of people that spend their time cheering me on getting into breakaways or in the classics or whatever like I've I've built up a just a good a nice fan base from just basically just speaking what's on my mind in interviews and yeah I think that's as a result of you know people relating to me I guess I don't know I don't know what why it is but yeah before we move on from all the retirements uh naed van hyunks one and his heart condition is there any Whispers in the pelaton what's going on with this heart stuff obviously Sunny Celli team made of yours a couple of years ago I've been watching sport for my whole life and it's like footballers are dropping cyclists are dropping like there's something weird going on I don't know if it's postco postco vaccines if it's even related to that I don't know is there any Whispers in the bunches or what's going on I'm really not sure whether it's I've got no idea whether whether it's co related or not I just I know I just know you know personally there's a there's a great sort of Charity in the UK that called cardiac risk in the young and they test Sportsmen or young young Sports people to make sure that they don't have any you know underlying heart conditions that could just surprise him from doing doing sport in the future and I think it's so I you know at the age of sort of 16 I did various tests and you know got got the all clear and I I wonder if I I don't know so for me I you know I trust that you know my heart's healthy and you know touch with nothing's you know nothing's going to from a personal experience but I don't know yeah I have no idea what this I wonder whether you know it's just things that have been undiagnosed or yeah no one's too alarmed with it there's not much to talk about it I think I mean I think I think I don't think it's I think there's definitely going to be more more tests more sort of heart heart related tests you know like we you know every year you're on training camp doing it's not like you know I think it's not like you don't do do the tests basically but yeah a weird one this year no if they really know what it is today's episode is brought to you by better help as we pedal closer to the end of another year I can't help but reflect on the highs and lows that come along with it whether it's the excitement of the holiday season or navigating the occasional winter Blues it can be a bit of a roller coaster I've been thinking about how this time of year can be a little bit overwhelming dealing with the stress and changes that accompany it all whether you've ever dipped your toes in the therapy or not let's chat about the bigger picture benefits and a language we can all relate to think of it as a toolkit for Life a bit of space where you can learn the ropes of positive coping skills some time for self-reflection and even somewhere where you can learn how to set those critical boundaries in your life if you're contemplating the therapy Journey why not give better help a spin this is therapy that's entirely online crafted for ultimate convenience flexibility and tailor to your schedule just a quick questionnaire to match you with a licensed therapist and the freedom to switch things up at no extra cost anytime it's therapy on your terms and I've got to say the convenience is a total game Cher so find your bright spot this season with betterhelp visit betterhelp.com roadman today to get 10% off your first month that's betterhelp hp.com Roan the details are in the description below I'd won this year I went uh do a long day a gravel day I was trying to do one of those fastest known times and I'd like 12h hour ride and then it finished up a sticky enough climb like a 10 minute climb that's with one of my buddies and we went full gas over
The last climb and my heart rate my garm was actually dying so I was in that power server mode where you can only see it on and off so I I knew I went full like I was out of breit at the top then it was a long descent and I still felt out of Brit on The Descent I was like that feels weird why haven't I recovered and then we like 5K into town and I still felt really weird like I like I was still doing a Max effort and then finished a roid like 10 minutes later whever press save and it's like new max heart rate detected 229 and I was like Jes that's not [ __ ] good and I was like maybe it's like maybe that's just a mistake or whatever so I stopped the file restarted a new file so I could see what the heart rate was and it was still like 200 just standing there my Max is like 190 and I was like okay this is not good so I sat in like a a kebab shop in like the earth end of nowhere and I was thinking this is where the story ends this is it and I went to got cardiac test and everything the next day and the doctor's like n look it's there's nothing wrong like your heart's perfect you had be going full gas on the treadmill and a pair of jeans and stuff and just more sha and issues than that and he's just like no you're grand it was a some sort of viral infection mixed with dehydration but it scared the [ __ ] out of me because I was in that waiting room waiting for them results scary stuff in it yeah when I was 16 he actually had to like stop there was I had like two months almost off just just so they double check the results I did because I did a similar thing you know like you do like a Max test and basically they didn't want to they didn't want me to train until they got you know the the all clear but it was I remember being really nervous like really like yeah could this be because yeah because like even you know for you obviously it's your livelihood for me it's not my livelihood cycling but I still love the cyc it's cyc it's a part of my identity but I was in the waiting room and everything's gone through your head and I was like okay okay maybe I'd still be happy if I couldn't cycle but I won't be able to cycle I won't be able to run I won't be able to go to the gym I won't be able to play five so the lads I won't be able to ex thatly it's it's a big game changer yeah no it's really scary stuff and I yeah I wonder what why there's been more whether it's people training more like I don't know where people are putting more effort in you know more outs you camps more just overall load that you I don't know I'm not a doctor so I can't I can't I can't I can only I can only guess so yeah just scared looking back uh another another top 10 in Flanders I heard a whisper you're doing 350 Watts normalized for 7even hours and you true from there something like that yeah it's it was like on from the start we we even planned it was quite cool actually the sports directors were like it's really nice when they come in with the slightly different plans and normal and they said right guys we're just going to in there's a slight chance of cross wins in the first 30k be in mind that way is that way to break them go this year in mind why 28k race okay there there's a slight chance of cross wins definitely vaner paal and vanard some of the other big guys they're going to be sat at the back let's just [ __ ] it and see what happens whether that was the best strategy or not I think it it there was you know Vander Paul was was at the back and had to spend spend some energy I think so yeah but that basically meant that the break didn't go till yeah the first Cobble sector I remember it and then and then you're almost on the on the qum mon the first time so it was really yeah pretty because I flicked on late and I was like why is the break not gone and then I was because it was two hours or more and The Brak still hadn't gone and I think was it the fastest ever addition of tour of Landers yeah something like that but that's just because of the way basically it's it's nowadays you know you've got when you got the likes of Pat in the race everyone's trying to preempt the final trying to take advantage of having someone in the move to you know get into into the final and a better ahead of the top guys you know the top three guys and that was that was our strategy basically and I'm in the end it might have been better it would have been good if we actually had someone in that very very early move cuz normally people you're like I don't bother but I then came across to that after still with you know 100K to go or so in in like a pretty strong group and I remember pedison had a teammate in that in that original break that was really helpful same with ice green so it would have been yeah I'm I'm I'm still kind of waiting to like sit down I'll do it before I race L next year but sit down watch it and see where I went wrong because yeah there this you can always pick things out which is
What's so great about these races but like do you almost have to get creative now to beat those like we call them the like superhero X-Men like yeah you know we're talking about like Pacho W and MVP did do you need to come up with a creative strategy yeah I I I think so and I think I've we I think we we I mean we I felt like I nailed it this year kind of ultimately I me I almost thought about them too much and I was really impressed with how pedon rode it like he rode you know he attacked from the group we were in instead of waiting for them to come to us and that was and and he he yeah I I think that's that's that's the next sort of change in is I was thinking about still just getting a result in the race because I knew that they were coming rather than actually okay how do we win this race I'd almost with say 50k to go when you got you're doing the qu with the patb for the last time or how however long to go that is 40k to go you're coming into it yeah 40 50k and there thinking okay they're they're going to come to us how do I get a good result instead of pedison was in his head like no I can still I'm still going to try and win this race so he then you know he attacked and Pacha only just caught him on the on the top of the CL I think but I guess that's just a box ticking exercise like for you now you've had two top 10 T Flanders the last two years if you're in the break next year your head's not going to be as much in the frame of mind as oh if I get top 10 this is a great result you're G to be H top 10 I've done that twice I'm better off going for broke and try win this race and then bro yeah and that's what's I think that's what you know hopefully will come next year is it's just each year you I've gained confidence gained confidence in how I race and what I want from from the races and I think yeah hope that's what I'm hoping will lead to sort of some big some big results next year but the the I'm you know when you're when you're racing these guys it's not it's not easy to win these races but I'm sure you know it's all it takes is that's why I like I love rub Bay you know all it takes is so there's there's other factors involved Flanders is a bit more about the legs at the very end but but r with Ru when you got random randomness thrown in there it's really that's that's where they could a big opportunity in the next few years that I'm doing well I'm going to be doing it for 10 the next 10 years so I'm sure there'll be an opportunity in the 10 tries of full full Matt hon on it yeah exactly I I'd be I'd be happy to get to the end of my career with no with just one one Nationals and a one rub that would be yeah that would be fine but you're super good a position into climbs that's why I think Flander suits you really well the technical jof or position which unless anyone's ever done it I don't think you can explain how terrifying and dangerous and skilled that is to get into position for these key sections but you seem to be able to pull that off really really well which is actually quite a nice segue to your one and only race Victory British Nationals because it was a technical course and I remember it was Simon car at one point absolutely smashed the climb basically dropped the entire field but you just have a knack popping up in the place at the right time obviously you have the legs as well but you're very good at hold in that position yeah I I you know I think I think matate will tell me that I've still got more to improve in the old classics positioning but that's he's he is the master at doing that so I think that's I'll take that I'll take that criticism but in terms of like picking out moves and stuff I feel like that's one of my strongest strongest traits I kind of almost know I know now what I've got more of understanding of myself and what it takes to and how it's almost like understanding how knacked everyone else is like and trusting that CU you're you're knackered so everyone else should be as well and then it's a good time to to attack is it's that's the kind of sort of simplest simplest way of describing it I guess it's kind of did you have a good did you have a good read on how [ __ ] James Knox and Stevie Williams were in the Nationals yeah there was one point where they it was that the longer steeper climb just at the very top I sort of put a dig in I was able to put a dig in over the top of that one and I had I knew then I was like okay if I can do that then I should you know sort of telling myself not to panic but I should be able to to win this like I felt Fair fairly confident but n it was such a good race it was it was so hard though I think that was the yeah probably hardest race one of the hardest races I've done just cuz of of the nature of the course and Nationals you always just smash the crap out of each other I've seen KNX as power data he was like I think 5.4 or 5.5 watts per kilogram normalized
For the entire race for over five hours yeah something it well my I actually um I dropped my chain and knocked my magnet off so I I did I lost power for the like the whole thing and it was so gut was probably one of the best files I would have ever had you you went early in the Finish as well like you went super super early cuz you went on that second last climb that kind of 45 minute kicker or 45 second kicker yeah well I kind of the thing is with Stevie and knoxy are really good mates like I'm I'm good friends with both of them but they were they're such good mates and were almost playing they were playing the mate card a little bit and I sort of knew that they would in the almost as if they were both team they weren't they're not teammates but they were riding like they were teammates and I basically just I knew Stevie one of them was going to have a go on that climb and like I said from the from the other one of the times I I knew I was able to get a bit of a gap over the top of them attacking before so I thought oh this is the moment and and went for it and I kind of felt like on that downhill section before the last climb there's you know if I'm if I'm tucked in heavier rid or I'm even if they're chopping off there there's no benefit they're not going to be here any faster than I was so yeah was it was just about the right move in the end when I seen you in the Big Ring up it I was like mean it's business the boys are in the little ring spinning away up it I think that's but that's just what that's one again what is why it suits me is that none of the efforts we were doing were that like I don't know it wasn't like the the watchs per kilo at that moment were that high but it's being able to just do continuous short Punchy efforts that are like we I don't how many in were in that race probably hundreds but they all they all add up and if you can soak them all up and still keep being able to do them then you've you're in a good place is it a strange race though the week before the tour because I remember racing Nationals and Philip Doan who was ring for Sky then coming back to race the Irish Nationals and crashing in the Nationals and missing the tour like is that in the back of your mind to be risk off yeah I think like looking looking at the season now I would and looking at how like obviously I'm so glad I won nationals like it was such a you know such a special day but in terms of tour prep that was the worst Nationals to do like I I started the tour in the B country you know like and I just wasn't I I wasn't quite fresh enough you know it was such a hard race it took it took it takes longer than you expect to recover from you know you think oh the tour is next week it's fine but you know you're traveling to the tour tour I was traveling to the tour not that many days after Nationals and it's it's a it's you know it's a big bit of load to just have right before you do do a grand tour so you know I looking at how the tour went last year and this year okay the courses were different different situations the way was race was slightly different but I definitely started the tour this year not as fresh so that's would you consider skipping Nationals what's that would is consider skipping Nationals like is stage four I think this year so it's we're racing early this year that's what I mean I think yeah that's a question to with the team and to work out because it is yeah It's Tricky one I don't it's I think my personal opinion is that everyone should race Nationals like all countries that there should be a thing there should be like rules where everyone races Nationals I think like it's it's important for the sport that and like the sport in in your home country that you do the Nationals like I don't I think I think it's a bit stupid that everyone that people skip it because that I think it's yeah it kind of goes against what like the way it I think it should be but it it's not it's not ideal prep I don't think excuse the short Interruption but I wanted to find a way to bring our little Community together to problem solve to share training advice and to support each other in what can sometimes be a lonely road as we all Chase health happiness and Longevity through cycling to facilitate this I've set up a Discord Channel I'm going to leave a link in the description down below it doesn't cost anything to join it's totally free plus I'm also picking out random winners for spot prizes inside the Discord Channel if you'd like to join it click on the link down below it's kind of cool as well as a fan watching your national champ at the highest level like the British fans are going to get such a kick out of seeing you next year at the front of the tour of Flanders wearing the British Champs Jersey like this is cool to watch yeah I I I kind of almost forget you you forget about that bit until you like it's so that's that's like the best bit of Nationals it's just every day being able to put on a stripy Jersey it's like just just today putting on you know may they're a little
Bit tighter than they were in the in the last SE now but no it's great it's really nice well you need to do is get two different sizes offseason size and an on season size yeah I yeah I I I've not put put on too many kilos but it's enough to notice to think why didn't why did I go for a small why didn't I go for a medium in these long sleeves in these long sleeve jerseys how extra special was the win in Nationals given how the tour Wiss went with obviously the tragic loss your friend Gino yeah it's you know I'm I'm happy happy to mention it happy to to you know talk about it mention it just cuz yeah I feel like it's it's it's important you know to to talk about these things because it's it's not something that anyone really knows how to deal with I I certainly know that you know F when the moment you know finding out about it it that whole that whole week before Nationals was you know I didn't I sort of poent sort of questioning why I was doing what I was doing I kind of had very little motivation I think I think part of it is because it's I was so focused on the tour you're so like drilled training is everything you know you're really like more focused than ever on on eating and and getting the most out of yourself and then something like that happens in it you know you're I think the natural the reaction is you think to about yourself and you go what what am I doing like why what what's the it it basically just puts everything into perspective and I really really yeah that was you know one of the hardest weeks of my life I I don't know what the I can't imagine how his you know his family is his girlfriend especially like it's it's it's awful but you know with that there is that extra you know mat was talking about you've got that you kind of lost that motivation and perspective but then you also gain you just sort of you gain a bit of freedom and that it doesn't you know it doesn't really it matter we're just enjoying riding our bikes like it's not let's you know let's just let's just enjoy it for Gino because that's what that's what he unfortunately can't can't do anymore and yeah I think it it it it certainly meant that Nationals I raced it with more you know more freedom and I wasn't you know I wasn't bothered that much about about winning I was I kind of ultimately it doesn't matter I'm I'm just there enjoying racing my bike and that's what that's kind of the most important thing about what we what we do I guess we had a not obviously on that like you know condolences to you and all the lads who knew him uh we had a another tragic accident here in Ireland last year as well roughly around the same time uh it was a prominent female cyclist in the Irish Community and out on a training ride and she got hit head on with a car and she didn't make it or she passed away on the scene and I know for me like in the aftermath of that it was just it was really hard to process it like because it's just a TR like you know when I went away from kind of chasing the pro Dream It's Dangerous like when you're doing these races and you're descending at 100K an hour you're following Wheels you're taking risks you're cutting blind Corners I was able to to kind of segment that and say to myself okay that's dangerous but what you do now like racing locally you know doing group rids that's pretty safe and then when she got killed it was like I almost didn't know how to process that because I was like I thought what I do now is safe yeah like it's kind of it's still actually even talking about it it's still pretty hard to figure out how to compartmentalize that yeah that's I think that that's even more I think the nature of you know the nature of Gino's crash was it was so it was so particularly unlucky you know like there's like there was so many there were reasons what why you know just where he crash you know I don't want to talk about it but it it's but when like you said when it's when it's happens on a training ride which is the day-to-day stuff it's yeah it's not you know it certainly makes it I can't imagine it's how to it's you yeah it's definitely a lot a lot to yeah no no I mean no no one really knows how to talk about these things but it's that's it it's just it's saying words out loud isn't it I you don't know what to say like no but it's I think I prefer the approach of saying words out loud rather than keeping everything keeping everything in or or whatever it was it was handy actually you know when I when I found out my my my you know my dad randomly had just come up to stay just up up here in in in Manchester and so I you know I had people around me that I could you know come to terms with it with it with rather than just being on my own because I think it would have been real tricky if I was you know just just on my own with with no one to talk to obviously the team were helpful talking but it's that you know personto person conversation is is helpful as well and I don't even know if there's an answer to this one there me and a good buddy of mine had often the bate that we've been came iding together for years
And you know we've seen in the last four or five five years a couple of just really tragic crashes a friend of ours HIIT from behind and couldn't write again obviously Gabby who I mentioned tragically passed away look at Gino same fate and it's like I love cycling and I get so much out of cycling and I encourage everyone that comes into my life they haven't tried cycling to cycle so my best mates are cyclist and my Fondest Memories Are cyclists and races and then I just wonder like is the risk to reward wor it like is what we do just so dangerous that these things are inevitable and we somehow just bury our head in the sand to the dangers of this sport I mean I think like I said in you know in Gino's case Les Les's V it it was you know particularly unbelievably unlucky whereas with drivers and the nature of the roads and I think more I in with things happening on training rides and out on the out on the roads not necessar races I think there is more more you can more awareness to be had because I just know that drivers have got worse since I've you know now I it get better when you have the national champs kit on well not no not they don't know they don't give a [ __ ] who the [ __ ] is and I think you know like cars are getting bigger like cars the the standard car people buy nowadays is is an SUV and there's less space on the road for them to overtake like like there's just and it's the relationship between cars and drivers like it's just I don't know people are oblivious though I stopped I stopped the traffic lights to an SUV and like I wasn't even aggro I had my headphones in I was listening to co play or something like it's pretty chill there were like uh I wasn't listen a gangster rapping rolling up on this guy rolled up tapped on the window and he was nice enough middle-aged dude and I was like bro you're one millimeter away from kilometer like you passed me at km hour and you miss me by A M I was like that was game over and he was just like totally apologetic and had no idea he was just in his own dream world like oblivious to the consequences of that weapon he's driving I've had a few few like that recently where you you say something and they actually don't realize that they've passed you close and it's yeah it's and that's almost worse like I'd rather they would angry with me or like oh you know get off the road rather than oh I didn't even know I was close to you like that's a bit bit more scary so I think it's yeah you know I used to look at people in high viz Toops and I be like oh what a geek looking him in his out Shing on his lights but you know what I'm designing like a road man orange Jersey at the moment for just some extra visibility yeah nice you know I now you make sure I got a light on my back the back of the B and stuff just because yeah you you just got to be got to be that extra careful just because of just because of drivers it's it's just such a I don't know I don't I kind of don't understand it half the time I think because as a pro cyclist you live a different life to what other people's lives are you know like you you have more time on your hands you're just doing a 4-Hour training ride but on a dayto day if what you're not the drive like I don't understand why people get so angry like what the all right so here's my hot take on it so right when I was playing football and you're obviously in the UK big football culture you have a [ __ ] week in college your girlfriend's cheated on you you're parents or your dad's beating you around the place right you had the worst week of your life yeah you play a football match on a Saturday whose fault is it it's the referee's fault no matter what happened to you that week it's the referee's fault cyclists are becoming the new referee it's like oh my pound doesn't buy me as much anymore inflation is killing me I can't get a job you know government's [ __ ] me over it's the cyclist fault the traffic as [ __ ] it's the cyclist fault it's the cyclist fault and this rage just seems to be building up that's totally irrational yeah no I think you you you hit the nail on the head it's it's always that anger is most of the time irrational and the best way to respond to that is always not to you know not to rise to that to that sort of irrational because if you get angry as well it's kind of like what you're both losing ruin your right as well don't know like you're just going around big tick on you for the rest of the day I think my my dad has always said like if you can then if you can somehow flip it and make them smile you know just by being like oh this is stupid or whatever then then you then you then that's that's that's the way to to win to win it win them over but it's not it's not easy it's definitely yeah I'd say it's more dangerous now than than ever to to just ride on the road I think that's how you know you're getting old for maybe yeah maybe maybe I'm just more less Reckless I'm only 24 I feel I still feel like i' I've got yeah a few screws loose uh finishing up looking back in the
Season now and having the benefit of a bit of an offseason and I'm sure a couple of beers to give you some perspective what do you think you could have done better oh that's a good question what could I done better um or basically even another way to reframe it like what lessons will you take from last season that you're going to bring into and change this season I think there's there's there's a there's a few things it's kind of you know I need to it's structuring a program out of and really focusing on what I want rather than this is you know big thing I've been you know trying to sort of have a chat with the team have a chat with my coach and and work out it's like right what you know what rather than okay the past few years where it's been like I'll get really fit I'll get race ready and then I'll race and hold on to the form and see see where where that gets me I kind of it's focusing more on actually having a proper this is where I this is where I'm going to Peak or this is where because I think you know most a lot of the time you end up like before the tour I'm training altitude but there's no I I messed it up and I I peaked probably at Nationals where I should have wanted to peek a little bit later or in the classics I don't yeah I think it's it's it's being more confident in in not just going right we'll train so I'm I'm ready to race and then and then race it's like accept that in almost accept in some races that you're not going to go as well and and use and like build build like have yes it's I think the more years you do the more confidence you have in in how you appro how you approach things and previously I've gone in with the mindset of if I'm feeling good on the bike then I can just keep racing until I don't feel good on the bike anymore is it nearly a case that you were I don't want to say insecure but you new and coming up and you feel like you need to prove your worth yeah every single race rather than being able to go okay 90% of these races don't matter a [ __ ] to me I'm just training but these 10% of races really really matter to me yeah it's having that that approach to things and I think it's it's it's because the Olympics are next year I really want to that's it's important like that will for me okay it's not team related but that will be the most important race of the year so it's doing every doing more to ensure that I'm not that I'm that's when I'm at my Peak rather than you obviously it's going be difficult they want me to do the tour to France or whatever but whether that means you know how we go into the tour or rather than just going to the tour into in the best way possible it might be a case of actually starting out a little bit where build into it so that the Olympics are are better I just think like last year the first race of the season in Valencia I was I was too too you're too you can be too keen and desperate for it and that was yeah you know not even March and it's it's it's a it's a long season you really have to you know make sure when I'm when I'm you know when I'm flying I really I can really use that those moment can you win the Olympics I don't know I'd I mean I'd I'd love to that's like that' be you know that's kind of as a kid growing up on the track I always wanted to you know follow my track dreams I guess it's part because as being part of British Cy that's just the way the way things are you know you want to be a team Pursuit you want to win a gold medal on the track the reality is now that's you know that's not going to happen on the track but you know why can't it happen on the road so yeah spoiler alert Fred you absolutely can win the oics well yeah yeah no I I think I can it's it's going to be hard but I think I again it's but that's that's again what I need to work on is is that confidence thing it's it's like being in racis and being like no I I can do this I'm not going to worry about what's going on going around going on around me stick to the you know the plan what what I'm doing and yeah that's when it will come you heard it here folks stick your house on Fred Ro for the Olympic Road Race championships Fred thanks for taking the time to sh well I got to get in the team first but I'm think I should be all right I think if you enjoyed that episode please press here for another conversation that I know you're going to love and don't forget to subscribe to the channel and share it with your clubmates
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