The Boz- The interview

CNO Cycling caught up with Ian Boswell on his Tenerife training camp with Team Sky. Currently in training for his first Giro d'Italia where he will ride in support of Mikel Landa. "The Boz" took some time to talk to us about Training camps, Safety in the peloton and his buddies in Nice.

'My Dad used to do professional triathlon and cycling back in the 80's, so cycling was really part of my life from the start' Ian says of his introduction to the sport. 'I used to do loads of sports: Soccer, American Football, Skiing and snowboarding and the like. But cycling was really big in my hometown from the start.' Ian grew up in the town of Bend, Oregon on the west coast of the United States where the outdoors really became his life. 'I got into BMX and Mountain Biking and at the age of 12 got onto the road bike.'

I then asked Ian about who he enjoys to spend his time with when in his hometown of Nice. 'there's actually a really good group of guys who I ride with in Nice, there's actually quite a few Americans who live there; Joe Dombrowski, Larry Warbasse and Tejay Van Garderen. In terms of Sky it's probably Pete Kennuagh and a bunch of them live in Monaco so we just meet up with them there.' Ian also spends a lot more of his time now on Team Sky training camps, like the one he spent with Chris Froome in South Africa earlier this year. When asked about how that camp was, Ian replies with 'Yeah, it definitely showed me how much I've come on as a rider. A few years ago there's no way I would have been able to do that, but it showed i have a higher level of fitness.' Ian speaks very highly of Chris's ambition and mental drive with his training, saying ' To see the continual work of a great champion like Chris is definitely inspirational.' Ian is currently in Tenerife with Nicolas Roche, Wout Poels, Chris Froome and Geraint Thomas. 'The atmosphere is definitely different from South Africa, I'd say it's more specific and there are more staff here so it's more focused.' When asked about his relationships with his teammates, he speaks highly of them all. 'There all great guys, I mean look at the success they've all had.' 'Geraint was massive in Paris-Nice and he worked super hard for that and Chris has won two tours, so its pretty elite company.'

Many cyclists struggle with the off-season but Ian has his past times which he has loved since he was a kid. 'I've loved the outdoors since i was a kid. Fishing, Hunting and Hiking are really my favorite things to do in the off season and that's probably what i miss most when i'm off racing in Europe.' Ian also is a prolific user of Strava which you can find here https://www.strava.com/pros/262535 and says that when he's training by himself, he uses this as motivation to better himself on segments and gradually tracking his progress on the popular platform. 

With recent events in the peloton like the death of Antoine Demoitie, I asked Ian about how he feels about the safety of the peloton. 'I think lots of riders can make life easier for themselves. Lots of people make big efforts to get into gaps that aren't there and cause crashes. Also many riders don't have any respect for the motorbikes. They could make life easier for themselves by moving over for the camera bikes.' Ian has a similar view to Chris Opie in that this isn't all the fault of the Motorbike riders. ' I think there could be a better system in which the riders are told on race radio that there are motorbikes coming through at this time and you have to move out if the way.' 

Lastly we'd like to say thank you to Ian for the opportunity to interview him and good luck for the season!

                                                                                              

Scott Mitchell @modcyclingphoto

Chris Opie Interview

Chris Opie is one of the top British pro's in the peloton at the moment, and the ONE Pro Cycling rider took some time to talk to us about how its going.
Chris Opie has a palmares ranging from stages in the Tour of Libya to the Stockton Grand Prix. Opie was a young bloomer, starting racing at the age of 10 years old 'It was always there' he says 'it was always something i wanted to do.' Chris went on racing from there and started to realise he could make it as a teenager. Despite this, Chris had to endure a few years of hurt after having multiple different crashes and injuries. 'My biggest setback was in the years when I was 19,20. I couldn't really get back to the level i was at when i was 18 (before the crashes and setbacks).' This eventually paid off for Chris, as he got his first pro contract with Team UK Youth in 2012 and then moving to the Rapha Condor-JLT squad in 2014.

When asked about his long term goals, Chris remains very humble claiming that he just wants to 'get the best out of himself' and 'be a good father.' He is however a lot more than a 'good father', with 24th in the Handzame Classic and a crash ruling him out of the Three Days Of De Panne. Chris goes next to the Volta Limburg Classic where he will be riding with the likes of Marcin Bialoblocki and Matt Goss for the ONE Pro cycling squad. When asked about what ONE has done for him, Chris comments on the positive environment of the squad. 'I feel as though they have helped me hugely, its a really positive environment with a race program that suits me.' The race program has improved greatly since the team became Pro Continental.'also the facilities that the team offers are wonderful and i feel that gives me the opportunity to get the results.'

After recent events we felt it appropriate to ask Chris to comment on the safety of the riders in the peloton. 'Lots of it has to do with the riders common sense, lots of riders fight for positions that they dont need too.' Chris comments on this after having a nasty crash in the three days of De Panne. 'Also the race organizers can help with the route. For example in the tour of De Panne there were tram tracks in the middle of the road which you couldn't really avoid.' Many riders feel the same way, as so called 'road furniture' has caused many crashes in the peloton and are probably more dangerous than the motorbikes and the neutral service cars.

This year Chris plans to take assault on the National Championships in Stockton and after his win on the circuit last year in the Stockton GP and his powerful sprint, he is definitely amongst the favorites.

Lastly we'd just like to say thank you to Chris for doing this interview with us and good luck for the season!

George Harper Interview

George Harper



On the 2nd March 2016, George Harper finished one of the most impressive races of his career. For George, this result had been a long time coming. Le Tour De Langkawi has long been a major early season race for many top pro's, but this year it had been struck by an incredible young British talent. George Harper had finished 6th overall and had achieved two top 10's in stages 2 and 4.  This had come after impressive results in the Tour Series, including a win in last years hill climb event at Aberystwyth. 

He started cycling after being encouraged by his Dad and Cousin on a family holiday to take part in the prestigious L'Etape Sportive. Similarly to his brother his first sport had always been running, but as he says 'I'd always been a good runner at school so they assumed the two would convert.' George then goes on to talk about his first proper ride. 'A few days later they were ready for another ride so I decided to join them for my first outing, after a long day in the saddle and an ascent of Le Tourmalet in the bag, I instantly knew I wanted to be a pro cyclist and one day race up climbs like that one.' Climbing the beast that is Le Tourmalet on your first ride is a fair achievement. George was clearly a huge talent.

George goes on to talk about his race in Le Tour De Langkawi.'It was an incredible experience and a great start to the season with ONE Pro cycling. I went in with good form for this time of year having lost some weight over the winter. I'd never raced in extreme heat before so I wasn't sure how I'd cope, so naturally I was a little apprehensive.' This extreme heat George talks about is something that prevents many cyclists from achieving their full capacity, this clearly isn't the case with George. 'After being up there in the sprints in the first few stages I got my confidence and went into the hilly stage feeling good.'
'Once we gained 4th overall we looked for ways to win the race. I had some bad luck in a few sprints getting caught behind crashes, so it became a race of sprint bonuses for us. Overall I was happy with the result, and it was a good confidence booster for me.' He then goes on to talk about how impressive the ONE Pro Cycling squad were in the race to help him gain 6th overall.'The team were incredible , the support from my team mates and the management on the road allowed me to do what I needed to do.' The ONE Pro Cycling team have done nothing but impress in their first two years of their existence and clearly their future is very bright.

When we asked George about his challenges in getting to this point he claims to be rather lucky in the fact that he's only had minor injuries from crashes holding him back. This could possibly be due to the fact he had the base fitness before becoming a cyclist as a runner, or maybe because of the exceptionally hard work he puts into his cycling. 'I'd say mastering my mind has been the biggest challenge, I think being a professional is almost more down to the mindset, there are a lot of physically gifted people around, but without the correct mindset it's useless. Joining ONE Pro cycling was a huge turning point for me. I've had the highest level of support from amazing people like Steve Benton (ONE pro's Performance Director), They have provided the platform I've needed to develop and step up. It's early days for me so I hope to keep improving with their support.'

I also asked George about his advice for newcomers to the sport 'My advice would be to try and relax, I know that sounds odd when you are supposed to be racing! But if you don't do this you can't begin to understand the race and what you need to do to win. I was always so wound up and nervous when I first started I wasted all my energy. If you can master this early it will help hugely.'

When asked about how he see's his future, he claims 'I think it's important to dream big, it's the mindset you need ultimately. What keeps me going is the thought of winning the Tour de France one day, It's a huge part of why I fell in love with the sport.' George also wants to help his brother, Will, win a major race whilst riding in the same team. A truly humble and admirable goal. With the talent that George quite clearly displays, the sky is definitely the limit for the young Hampshire man.

George Harper is one of the most prestigious talents that British cycling has to offer and I wish him all the best for his bright future. He has been a true gent during this interview and I would like to thank him greatly. 
Thanks George

Will Harper Interview

Will Harper The Interview


On Sunday March 13th Will Harper of Pedal Heaven excel Academy took his first National B race at the SERRL RR at Chillham. We caught up with the quickly progressing rider in the week. 

Will was a late bloomer when it came to the art of cycling preferring to take part in the similarly painful sport of Running. To find out how he got into the sport we had a word with him. " It was my brother, George, who encouraged me to start cycling. I went to watch him in a round of the tour series in Canary Wharf in 2014." Will's brother, George, who he refers too is a similarly talented rider who resides in the exceptional ranks of One Pro Cycling. Alongside the likes of Marcin Biablocki and Chris Opie, George plays out his trade incredibly taking 6th overall in the Tour de Langkawi 2016. "I was quickly drawn in by the fast and aggresive nature of crit racing and later that week i joined the Dulwich Paragon cycling club." Will goes onto to describe his first races for the London based club "I went for a flyer in my first race at Hillingdon, and was caught on the line so had to settle for second place. A couple of weeks later I raced the Crystal Palace 3/4" this was the race that would prove to Will that he might have what it takes. "I broke away solo with a couple of laps to go and stayed away. It was at that point I knew I wanted to be a pro".

Will now rides for the recently launched Pedal Heaven Excel Academy and speaks very highly of the man who was responsible for getting him on the team- Tim Elverson. "it is DS Tim Elverson I have to thank. Tim always has his finger on the pulse in terms of new talent coming up through the ranks - especially when it comes to local riders. I contacted Tim in the summer of 2014 when I was still riding for Dulwich Paragon. I knew it was a long shot because I was so new to the sport , but fortunately I got a positive response from Tim. He told me he had been following my progress for a while, and would consider a meeting in the near future, but wanted to keep monitoring me for a bit longer. " Will's excellent results in only his first year of cycling were clearly something to behold. He had begun riding only that year but was still achieving some seriously impressive results.
"Tim kept in contact and followed my progress closely. I managed to get some decent results, which led to Tim taking the calculated gamble of signing me for 2015. 2015 was therefore my first full race season. I won a number of National b circuit races and started to go well In the National A crits towards the end of the summer. Hopefully repaying Tim's trust in me!" To find out what Will means by National A and National B races i have attached a link to the British cycling website. https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/road/article/roadst_National_Regional_Rankings_Explained "As a result of my solid progress in 2015- I was offered a place in the Pedal Heaven Excel Academy for 2016. The team is full of exciting talent, and our results have proven this so far. Personally , I have felt strong this season, but I have struggled a bit tactically. Thankfully, with the help of DS Anders Christensen, I managed to get it right last Sunday, and won my first National B road race. I am confident if I keep learning and progressing at this rate , I will achieve my goal of making it to the top of the sport. I believe Pedal Heaven provides the perfect environment to pursue this goal. The support we receive is amazing - both Tim and Craig are absolutely passionate about the sport and about their riders. This passion and energy is felt throughout the whole team, and makes us extra motivated to dominate in every race we enter."

When we asked about his brother Will speaks incredibly highly of him, saying that he rode exceptionally in Malaysia. He then goes on to say his long term ambition is to ride in the same team as George and that "he will be my lead out man!" 

I'd just like to end this by saying a huge thank you to Will for agreeing to this interview and the best of luck for the future, it seems that it could be bright.