 Apr 26th, '09. "I like to race aggressively" New Zealand Olympian Glen Chadwick tells RoadCycling NZ from his home base ... one rather large suitcase.
KOM in Mexico
(c)Luis Barbosa
In the third of the "Where in the world is ..." series, Glen Chadwick talks to RoadCycling's Sarah Christian about the year to date, big breakaways and the dynamics of his team, Rock Racing.
Update Apr 29th - Chadwick wins opening stage in Spanish Vuelta Asturias
In the first half of this season Glen has been in some great breakaways, he's worn the King of the Mountain jersey and placed fifth in two Tours. Whilst he doesn't consider any of these a standout result, Glen counts the 5th place in Mexico as the best to date.
"I guess of all the results the Mexico 5th overall was the hardest to grab. It was a really tough tour basically due to the terrain and poor road conditions! Also for an early season tour there were three stages in a row over 200km with massive transfers before and after so it was a mental challenge as well as physical."
On a personal level, Chadwick enjoyed the responses he got from his breakaway moves in the final stage of the Tour of California (ToC). In this stage Chadwick took off alone from the front of the peloton. He reached and passed the break, then raced ahead on his own to lead the race for a fair few kilometres.
"The break in the final stage in the ToC was fun, as I had friends all over the world in and out of cycling just happen to be watching TV at home or in a pub and there I was belting along.... They loved it, so it was good for them to actually see what I do for a living."
Mexican breakaway (c)Luis Barbosa
His three man breakaway in Portugal broke free from the peloton after 98km with 60km to go and managed to stay away through to the finish line. In the three man sprint finish Chadwick almost made the line in front, but had to settle for second.
"Breaks are never fun, they can be a real slog, but I'm always looking for a way to get up the road and sometimes I can pull it off at some point... I like to race aggressively" said Chadwick.
Alone out the front at ToC (c)Ken Conley
I asked Glen if this was team tactic and can it be frustrating when his body wants to go, but team strategies demand something different of him
"Yeah for sure sometimes you just have to back off and try a different option even though the engine wants to keep the throttle down. My Director Sportif came up to me to let me know that the three guys were coming back to me, so it was better to wait for them."
"Once we were all back together Frank Schleck said that we should all work together and take it easy on this final climb. Nibali had a different idea and rode a solid tempo popping myself and the Rabobank rider. Might of been better if I hadn't of waited? Ahh well S@#t happens
."
After a great start to the season I asked Glen what to expect from the rest of the year.
"I never really plan to be on form too early in the season, I just see what happens... I'm generally looking to be on top of the game in the next few months. I've got the Tour of Columbia which is a 15 day stage race beginning in early June and then after that the Tour of Qinghai Lake in China."
"Both are tours at altitude and where I'd like to be peaking. But basically I just race until the form kicks in and I use it to my advantage, I don't really train to a schedule to bring myself up for a particular event, when it happens it happens!"
Glen's Rock Racing Team certainly portrays a different personality than most of the pro teams. Glen explains that Rock Racing feels different than other team's he's raced in.
Warming up to Rock tunes at ToC ITT
(c) Vero Image
"Its a big bonus to have directors you can have jokes with and call your friends also. I also get on really well with Michael [Ball, team owner], he's a great guy and has got a an awesome direction as to where he wants his team to be."
"In the Tour of California we really stood out with our team truck (The Beast) and our constant Rock Tunes belting out of these two large speakers hooked up to the rear of it. It was quite fun. Plus I love racing with all my Spanish team mates, they are so fun (even though I can't understand Spanish yet) but we have some great laughs and some of these guys have already achieved a lot in the sport so its great to continue to learn from these guys!
"
With Tyler Hamilton announcing his retirement this week, I asked Glen how Rock Racing team morale was.
"I haven't really heard much from the other guys since Tyler retired, to me he was and still is a great friend and awesome guy! He is the nicest person you'll ever meet on two wheels. So for me its sad to lose him as a team mate but I haven't lost him as a friend so its all good! I know he'll still follow the team and support us 100%."
Quick fire questions...
Talking Rock Racing
(c) Vero Image
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
- Representing NZ at the Beijing Olympics
Who are your cycling mentors?
- My Dad really helped me a lot when I was younger.... and the last few years I've had a lot of Direction from my old manager and Director Ed Beamon.
Where's your kiwi hometown?
Where is your current base?
- A Big Suitcase or if I do manage to get a little time off, I try to head to Valencia, Spain
Other "Where in the world is..." articles:
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