Andrew Bye Interview

Andy joined the Kingston Wheelers and in his first race, came within seconds of claming the long standing 25 mile time trial record. In the same season, he went from fourth category to first category and then up to Elite the next year. Following two stellar seasons with the club, Andy joined Team Sigma Sport in order to compete in the national Premier Calendar series. But he's kept up his Kingston Wheelers membership too. Following his excellent 2008, Andrew sat down for an interview with KingstonWheelers.com.

   

How's it been on the Sigma Sport team?
Sigma have a really friendly set up, its been great to have really experienced competitors such as Gary Dodd (local team captain) and Matt Stephens (Premier team captain and former national champion) around to provide advice about many aspects racing and training.

Tell us about your 2008 season, what was the best ride?
My 2008 season went mostly as planned for me, making the progression from Sigma's south east team to the premier calender squad. Winning two road races at the Hounslow road race in March and the Southern Counties Road Race in July were definite highlights, and winning them was a great feeling. However racing is also relative to the quality of the opposition, and so for me best ride was probably the FBD Ras stage race in Ireland where against a mix of professional and top amateur riders I managed to hold a top 10 position for much of the race and made it into breaks on the second and third stages.

...and the worst ride?
Unfortunately on fourth stage of the Ras I injured my hip which started off as a minor niggle but over the next four days of racing 100 miles a day got more and more painful until it made it absolutely excruciating to pedal. The second to last stage was a five hour stage run off into a horrible headwind which saw me lose out on my position in the top 10 of the ras and suffered more than I have ever suffered on the bike. To add to this I ended up riding with a niggle in my hip for the rest of the season which has made cycling at times pretty uncomfortable! Definately a day I'd like to forget!

Which rider from all those Premier Calendar races has impressed you the most?
Well the most obvious choice has to be Russell Downing, who has completely dominated racing in the UK this season and has done it with seeming ease. However within the Sigma team Matt Stephens has also impressed me as he has the ability to keep riding at the front of a race all day, and that as well as working full time as a police officer. During the first premier of the season, the Bikeline Two day, I stayed at his house and despite racing two stages on the first day which left me collapsed on his sofa all evening, he didn't sit down until about 10pm after cooking dinner for everyone and playing with his son.

What have you learned from racing at the top level?
Positioning in the bunch is a vitally important skill at this level. I have too often found myself last man in the peleton, clinging on whilst others in front have cracked and left gaps for me to close. To make up for my inexperience at this positioning an ability to cope with pain has been essential for moments such as this.

You went from fourth category to first in a season, any tips for a beginner today?
You have to set yourself a goal, after that you can work out a plan how to achieve that and then go out and do it. Also be prepared for things to go wrong, and then be able to shrug it off and bounce back. Doing well at bike racing for me means I have to give it a of commitment, as I have to be prepared to take time to train and race hard, but also more importantly get good recovery which means eating and sleeping well.

What's your strong point in a race?
My strongest point in a race seems to be not giving up when it gets tough. I can go well on the hills, but often in races where i've had my best performances it has been through gritting my teeth suffering through the hard parts and then being prepared to attack. For example in the hounslow road race I was close to packing for much of that race as I was cramping in the cold and wet, however once the race got going again towards the end I was able to come through that and made an attack that saw me win.

Describe a typical week's training?
When I'm training I spend between 8-14 hours in the saddle each week. Normally I "train" on four days of the week that is ride putting effort into it, but I do try to to ride everyday as riding easy is a good way of getting around and also keeping the legs from seizing up. I use a Powertap which I can use to help me gauge how well I'm going on any day, however I tend to plan my training depending on how I feel on that day.

Any goals for 2009?
I want to improve on this year! I hope to be able to be in the picture more often towards the end of the racing in the premiers, and in particular want to go well at the national championships this year. Hopefully in addition stay injury free and continue to enjoy bike racing.

You can read Andy's Introducing interview here. Andy also keeps a blog where you can get the inside track on his training and racing here.