Interview with Jennie Reed parting words from the retiring 2008 Keirin World Champion
Interview with Simona Krupeckaite – top favorite for World Championships 2009
Interview with Sam Webster – New Zealand's rising sprint star
Interview with Kaarle McCulloch – the up-and-coming sprinter from down under
Exclusive interview with 6x Junior World Champion Kristina Vogel
4x US Champions Cari Higgins story: I am an athlete. I am a competitor. I am a sprinter.
Anna Meares watching the mangoes grow
Joshia Ng on the Malaysian team
Jennie Reed - parting words from the retiring 2008 Keirin World Champion
Jennie Reed was among the international top sprinters for more then a decade, consistently being on the podium in the UCI World Cup competitions. In 2008 she eventually won her well deserved rainbow jersey in the Keirin and also adding a World Championship bronze medal in the match sprint to her collection. Now, Jennie has decided to retire and RadSprint is talking with her about her long and successful career.
RadSprint: 2008 was your best year ever. Congratulations! After Beijing the world didn't hear much from you and now we learned that you have decided to retire. What was behind this decision?
Jennie: First of all, Thanks! 2008 was by far one my most accomplished years and also the most enjoyable. Funny this is, I was about to retire at the end of 2007, when Andy Sparks and Sarah Hammer motivated me to attend a women's team pursuit camp. I had so much fun doing something different and it turned in to working with Andy. It really just all fell in to place last year with Howard Marans sponsoring Momentum Cycling and having the right set up for training. I was enjoying myself more than ever racing, but I just had the feeling inside that when the year was over, I would be done. I always wondered if I would get that gut feeling about when to retire, and I did, and listened to it. I felt like I had experienced everything that I wanted to in sport and I was no longer inspired to do it again. I really was ready for new experiences in life. It was a great way to end on such an incredible year though.
RadSprint: Let's talk some more about 2008. Tell us about the World Championships and how you achieved your biggest success. You had already great form in January and February - winning silver medals at the world cups in Los Angeles in Copenhagen. How did you manage to get in even better shape for worlds?
Jennie: You know I had a lot of people around me that were tremendously supportive and believed in what I could achieve. In fact, I get emotional thinking about it because remembering back to some training sessions, my coach Andy Sparks and his fiancé Sarah Hammer would start talking about how I was just going to smash everyone and Win Worlds! It took me a while to really believe it and go for it. It really came together for me the last year and a half. I tried some new things in training that I had never done before. My strength since I was 18 was getting up to top speed and holding on and I just really trained that the last year. I was so motivated in training that it seemed easy at times. I had such an awesome training group. I just thrived on the energy that was in the track from Sarah, Dotsie, Andy and Dr. Kay (OUCH Team sponsor). The momentum carried throughout the year and I just got stronger and faster as the training continued. By the time Worlds came around, I was riding bigger gears and I was really clear in my head. I wasn't scared of losing. Instead, I was in the moment and ready to challenge myself to see what I could do. I never felt so good and supported in my whole career as I did at the Worlds.
RadSprint: Next stop were the Olympic Games. Unfortunately the "mask incident" created the most press for the US track cycling team. Eventually USOC chief of sport performance Steve Roush lost his job over the affair. Now more than half a year later, how do you reflect on the whole story?
Jennie: I still see it as just a "crazy" incident that happened. It really took me a while just to realize what it was that the USOC was upset about! It kind of came up on me and hit me in the side of the head and I didn't see it coming or understand what was going on. I was trying to have the best performance and was told that wearing the mask would help prevent me from getting sick. It got really blown out of proportion. I was really disappointed that no one supported us during the incident. USA Cycling hid behind USOC like a little kid getting punished and it was embarrassing frankly. It's one of those things where they tell you that you didn't do anything wrong, but they won't speak up for you or support you. It really made me view the Olympic Games differently. It made me feel that it is more about politics than about sport.
RadSprint: Had all of this an impact on the racing at the Games?
Jennie: As most people know, so many things can impact performance and of course it affected me. It's always a question of how much. The initial stress was hard but what really affected me was the lack of team after the incident. I felt that everyone sort of went in to survival mode and either formed opinions about it or just didn't know what to do, but the team feeling was gone. It wasn't a good formula for my success and I ended up getting a bad respiratory infection. I've always been a very resilient person and I still enjoyed myself though. I gave it the best I knew how and was proud considering the circumstance.
RadSprint: Any good memories of Beijing?
Jennie: The memories that really stand out are the friendships I formed with other athletes. I met some great people that I will be friends with for a lifetime.
RadSprint: How did Beijing compare to Athens, your first Olympic Games?
Jennie: I think my first Olympics will always be the most special. I had some difficult years leading in to Athens. I was training in Europe and was struggling to find any form and didn't feel a lot of support from people. I finally believed in what I knew and listened to myself, regardless of what everyone else's opinions where. I learned a lot about myself that year. I knew that if I wanted to make it to the Olympics, I was the only one that could make that happen.
RadSprint: But let's have a look at the beginning. When did you start cycling and racing? And how did you arrive at the track?
Jennie: I started racing two weeks before my 16th Birthday. My dad had started cycling for recreation and he introduced my sister, Laura and I to it. One of the first times, my dad asked my sister and I to go for a ride with him which was to ride 60 miles up to our ski cabin! I wasn't going to have any part of that but my sister, Laura, went. She started to get in to racing and would beg me to go training with her. I finally caved in and went but I still didn't like it that much. It wasn't until I did a mountain bike race and won a "free certificate" to a track class that I was hooked! I always did better at the shorter distances, so I loved the track. From then on, I started racing and qualified for the Junior Worlds. I was only going to do it on the junior level, until I got a phone call from Andrzej Bek (National Sprint Coach at the time). He said he saw me at the Juniors and thought I should be a sprinter and join the National Team! It all started because of that.
RadSprint: You had your first success as in elite sprinter in 1998/99 on the national and international level. 2000 and 2001 you didn't have much on your palmares. These were also the years of Tammy Thomas, who tested positive for the anabolic norbolethone in the 2002/03 season, was banned for life and was later convicted of perjury. What's your take of all of this from today's perspective?
Jennie: I actually got fourth place at the World Championships in 2000, but since they were after the Olympics, I don't think people would remember. I wasn't selected for Olympics in 2000, but I did have a great year. In fact I set my personal record in the 200m in 11.10 sec that year! Tammy was around those years and I remember being told by a coach that "the US had their female sprinters already." I did affect me not being selected for all of the World Cups and such, but really she didn't affect my ability to perform. It was unfortunate what decisions she made because she was a really nice person, but it was frustrating for me to see her do so well in 2001, taking the silver medal at the Worlds. I had been working so hard and I actually told her straight after she got the medal that I didn't respect her medal! I've always been straight forward I guess.
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American Velodrome Challenge
June 26/27
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Plan your summer vacation and make a trip to the beautiful San Francisco Bay area and compete with North America finest at Hellyer Velodrome during the American Velodrome Challenge. The program includes male/female elite/master sprint and endurance racing, and there are more than $ 14,400 in price money to win. |
RadSprint: After that, let's lighten up a bit. Tell us some funny stories and about some embarrassing moments!
Jennie: Geez, that's probably not too hard to do because I seem to do that a lot! The all time funniest story is back in 1999. We had done a World Cup in Italy or something and then on the way home we got stuck in Brussels. We were going to have to spend the night cause there was only one flight at 6pm daily. We had already been through quite a bit, trying to find connections, so the team was going to get a bus to a nearby hotel. Well, I was really hungry and decided to get a bite to eat in the airport with my teammate Marcelo. Andrzej Bek was the coach and he said, "Fine, if you want to do that then you'll have to find your way to the hotel if the bus comes while you're not here." I agreed and said not problem, but when the time came and I wasn't there by the time the bus was there, Andrzej was "furious!" Marcello was scared and Andrzej blew up on us. He started turning red and yelling about how, 'he didn't care if we hadn't slept for one week or eaten for one week or taken "shit" for one week, that we shouldn’t leave the group! I lost it when he said the last thing and I started laughing so hard I couldn't control it and I fell to the ground, still laughing! Marcello said he thought he saw steam coming from Andrzej! Marcelo just told me that he was soo glad it was me laughing and not him! We still joke about that today! Another embarrassing moment was in 2000. I was racing a World Cup in Mexico and was riding in the Bronze medal match against Aussie Michelle Ferris. The race was important for Olympic selection and therefore I really wanted to beat her. I had never beat her before and won the first match. In the second one I was going down the back straight and wanted it so bad that I got out of the saddle and was just giving it and when I sat down I put my whole body in to it. As I was sitting down I hit my forehead on my stem and I almost took myself out! My helmet was straight back on my head, but I didn't care cause I won! It was soo embarrassing though!
RadSprint: The UCI seems to be of the opinion that women are the weaker gender and so they shorten the distance for the women (500m vs 1000m in the time trail and 3000m vs 4000m in the pursuit). Aren't you offended by those old man from Aigle? I'm sure you can ride a hell of a kilo.
Jennie: Yeah, never understood that theory! I always thought it was because women are slower and they didn't want to add extra time on to the program. Who knows? I'm sure the decision was made long before anyone knew anything about training or women. And yeah, I can pull off a heck of a kilo! I'm sure a lot of women could if that was the race. Although if I was a good starter, I would have loved the 500m! I don't think it matters what the distance is, because whatever distance the race is, women are going to train to go as fast as possible over that distance.
RadSprint: And no Keirin at the Oympics.
Jennie: It's too bad that women have so few events, especially at a time when women's track cycling is getting so competitive and exciting! We have photo finishes in the first rounds now and 10 years ago you didn't see that. It's just a matter of time and evolution of women in sports before women get more events in the Olympics. Women have only been in the Olympics in cycling since 1984, and it always takes time for change. It does say a lot about the people making the decisions, but the only thing women can do is to continue to compete at a high level.
RadSprint: RadSprint's motto is "Sport is best without the bureaucrats (and the athletic-industrial complex)". Speaking of the complex, you have been a professional cyclist meaning it's was your job. How did the money making aspect work out for you? I'm hearing that Sir Chris has signed advertising contracts worth $3 million.
Jennie: I feel fortunate to have always made enough to do what I needed to do to race my bike and prepare myself for it. I never had to work and train together. It always seemed to work out with money. I think a lot of it comes from the timing of when I got involved. USA Cycling had a program that fully supported you if you were getting results. Later in my career, I was fortunate enough to have some very generous people help me. When one sponsor or grant ended another one appeared. I was always comfortable but nothing that was going to set me up for my future.
RadSprint: I’m riding at the Hellyer Velodrome in San Jose. For every junior you find about 10 master racers. Not that I think it's bad thing that so many old farts like me enjoy track racing. But where is the next Jennie Reed coming from?
Jennie: Yeah, it's hard to inspire kids to race when there isn't even a program to look forward to at USA Cycling. I think it's going to take more and more junior programs around the country to find future talent. One of the things that I am working on right now is starting a Junior Cycling Academy in the Seattle area. I want to teach local Juniors World Class skills and technique from early on. Something I never had. If juniors can be prepared locally to a higher level, we won't have to rely so much on the National Team to teach them everything. If you want info on the junior program, you can email reedjuniorcyclingacademy@gmail.com.
RadSprint: It's the athlete who's in the limelight on the podium, but there are a lot of people behind the success. Can you talk about the people who supported you throughout your career?
Jennie: Yeah, I've definitely had many awesome people support me along the way. It started with my family and locally with Gregg's Cycle. There were some really great people around Seattle that set the foundation for my career and my attitude. I have had several coaches throughout my career and they all played a role in some way. Andrzej Bek taught me a lot from the start about what it took to be on the World level, Kurt Innes taught me how to relax and laugh and Andy Sparks had passion and inspiration that took me to another level. I've had support from Howard Marans, Dr. Brent Kay (aka training partner to Sarah and I!), some really great training partners along the way. Mark Whitehead was always supportive and motivating. Really I have had so much positive come out of the sport in so many ways. There were difficult times, but really it always seemed to turn in to something positive and I ended up being around great people.
RadSprint: Do you ride your bike for training and racing only or do you also cycle around town?
Jennie: After the Olympics, I have only ridden a handful of times, but I will ride more when it warms up! I am a huge cycling fan and love everything about bikes. I plan to ride for fun for my lifetime, whether it's mountain biking, or commuting or just going for a coffee. My latest thing is that I want a totally decked out commuter bike! I love the idea that you can just cruise around in your street clothes and not get all greasy!
RadSprint: So, what's next for you?
Jennie: I'll be starting school this month to finish my undergraduate degree. Also, I am starting the Reed Junior Cycling Academy. When I got started in cycling, I had a lot of help from local Master riders and a lot of passionate people, but I didn't have World Class coaching until I joined the National Team. I want to give kids World Class skills and technique on a local level. It's something that I am really excited and passionate about and hopefully it will continue to grow! For more info on the academy email: reedjuniorcyclingacademy@gmail.com
RadSprint: Jennie, thanks so much for the interview and all the best and good luck for your future plans.
Simona Krupeckaite – top favorite for the World Championships 2009
Simona Krupeckaite is among the international top sprinters for more then five years. After a number of UCI World Cup podium placings 2008 was her break through year. Simona won two silver medals at the Manchester 2000 World Championships and continued to show excellent form throughout the 2008/09 Word Cup season: Simona dominated the events in Beijing and Cali winning all the individual gold medals and breaking the 34 sec barrier in the 500m time trial.
See also Who are the fastest men and women? - Preview of the UCI Track Cycling World Championships 2009 in Pruszkow, Poland
RadSprint: Simona, 2008 was your best year ever. Congratulations! Are you going to win your first rainbow jersey in Pruszkow?
Simona: Yes, I wish and so hope to win the jersey!!! It is my dream! And I'm training for that.
RadSprint: You already showed peak performance in Cali and Beijing, but then you took a break from the Copen World Cup. What's your training strategy for peaking in Poland?
Simona: The last competition was very good for me, so my coach decided to skip over the Copenhagen World Cup and to have a good training camp instead!
RadSprint: The Beijing Olympic Games were a bit of a disappointed for you. Did this create some extra motivation?
Simona: Olympic Games is a big event and provides a big lesson for life!
RadSprint: Pruszkow (near Poland's capitol Warsaw) is only 500 km from neighboring Lithuania. Will your fans come and support you?
Simona: Yes of course! I have no doubts!
RadSprint: How big of a deal is cycling and specifically track cycling in Lithuania?
Simona: Lithuania is a very small country but we have cyclists we can proud of!
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American Velodrome Challenge
June 26/27
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Plan your summer vacation and make a trip to the beautiful San Francisco Bay area and compete with North America finest at Hellyer Velodrome during the American Velodrome Challenge. The program includes male/female elite/master sprint and endurance racing, and there will be substantial price money. |
RadSprint: Accoding to the fixedgearfever.com velodrome database, there is only one track in Lithuania: the Klaipeda Velodrome, a 333m out concrete track by the beach. Is this where you train? I imagine this would be pretty tough during the winter months.
Simona: A new cycling track was openend in my city Panevezys 6 month ago. [A picture of the Schuermann designed Velodrome is shown below]s I expect that in a few years we will have more good track cyclists in Lithuania.
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View Larger Map The route from Panevezys to Pruszkow |
Panevezys Velodrome
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RadSprint: How did you get started with cycling and how did you end up on the track?
Simona: I'm start cycling in 1994. But I'm into track sprinting only since 2003! Before the track, I raced on the road.
RadSprint: What kind of bicycles do you own and do you also use a bicycle to get around town?
Simona: Around town I using my car:-). Driving it is my passion!
RadSprint: Will we see you here in California for the American Velodrome Challenge (June 26/27, 2009)?
Simona: I hope so.
RadSprint: Thanks for the interview and good luck for the World Championships.
Simona: Thanks for the interesting questions. :-)
Interview with Sam Webster – New Zealand's rising sprint star
Sam, you set a new record at the Australian Youth Olympic Festival: 10.356 sec. Congratulations! That was quite something. Did you expect that?
Thanks! I was really stoked to ride that time. I rode 10.68 on the Launceston track in Tasmania, I was hoping to go low 10.6 as I haven't done any speed work as NZ Nationals aren't until March and Junior World aren't until August so I was very very pleased to see the time flash up on the score board.
How did it go with the sprint tournament?
The tournament went really well. I experimented with new tacitcs that seemed to work. I managed to make it through the tournament with out being taken to any third rides so that meant that I didn't get the chance to learn from mistakes but all the rides have been analysed and points for improvement have been noticed and been put into practise since returning from the championship
You did have less luck in the Keirin. What happened?
The keirin was quite unusual as the gun was fired for the riders to start as the durny reached the pursuit line, so all the riders rushed for the bike, I had a bit more of a casual start and was in at third wheel. When the front rider reached the durny he eased up considerably and the rider infront of me flicked up the track to avoid a collision and i had done the same but our wheels over lapped and I had three spokes ripped out and the wheels wasn't fit the be ridden. I was unlucky to not get a re-start but that is Keirin racing i guess!
How’s the rivalry between the Kiwis and the Aussies in general?
The rivalry! Man-Oh-Man, it is a massive rivalry. The Australians always bring their A-Game. The kiwi lads don't want to lose ever and always put out a gutsy, passionate effort. The races are great to watch as nobody ever backs down. The rivalry still exists off the bike in the pit areas, however it is always maintained as a friendly rivalry and both sides are always the first to congratulate the other.
What’s the Australian Youth Olympic Festival anyway? Can you tell us from the Northern Hemisphere?
The Youth Olympics Festival (AYOF) was scheme created to get usage out of the venues that were created for the 2000 Sydney Olympics. It also gave me and all the other athletes over all the sports the chance to experience living in "the village" and having to deal with dilemmas that would occur at the real Olympics e.g. Bussing to venues and also having to deal with the pressure of the big championships. I myself used it as a chance to gather composure and get myself ready for what I expect to encounter at World Cup events and other simular styles of events I hope to attend.
So what’s the plan for 2009? Junior Worlds in Moscow being the highlight I assume?
Junior Worlds in Moscow is the big events on my calender for 2009. I've heard so many stories and watched the Theo Bos record for the 200 and look foward to getting to ride on the track. I have heard of other Kiwi's riding there and I have been told that the track suits a fast-drag racing style of match sprint so I look foward to some great toe-to-toe battle with the French, Brits, Russians of course Aussies and what other riders appear from the wood work from now to then.
Have you checked out the competition for Moscow? Who do you see as your strongest competitors in the various sprint disciplines?
Yeah, I've been keeping my eyes open and trying to see who is posting what time but also how they follow up in the tournament series. I can't really say there is one particular person. I think with such a fast track, top qualifyer may not follow through in the tournament series so it will really come down to who is the better man on the day. I am heading there to give it my best shot and if I get beaten and I've given it my best shot. I'll be the first to congratulate the guy.
Any other big races you plan in before that. Maybe some racing in the US or in Europe before Moscow? Everything is on the way from Auckland to Moscow?
I would like to have a hit out in a Grand-Prix somewhere depending on where our build up to the Worlds is. I am only 17 so I still have one year of school to go so with that in consideration I will be trying to evenly balance the trips and school work. I think trips to do the T-Town thing or Europeans season will have to wait a while until I get out of college and then decide where from there.
Your home track is the Manukau Velodrome in Auckland, right? This is a concrete 285.7 m (I thought only the US with its metric issues has so strangely measured tracks) outdoor track. Was this a big different to racing at Sydney’s Dunc Gray Velodrome?
The track was made for the 1990 Commonwealth games, outdoor, cracked and concrete. So heading to Sydney with the 250 board design was quite a treat. There is an indoor track in New Zealand but I found Dunc Gray handled smoother coming through the 200 allowing the riders to stay up high when hitting the timing strips. I think Dunc Gray is my new favourite track, I haven't ridden too many track but I really enjoyed how it felt.
How big a deal is track cycling in NZ? There have been great riders coming from the islands, but in general NZ track cycling is a bid of an unknown for the folks further away.
Track cycling is a minority sport in NZ, casual commuting on Fixies has meant for a small rise in interest with the fixie riders coming to have a go at the track but it still remains a small sport compared to Rugby and Cricket.
How did you start with cycling, specifically on the track?
I started cycling by seeing Tyler Hamilton ride with a broken collar bone in the Tour De France and Lance being the most successful TdF rider ever, I then started track after my friends came back from racing saying they had won races and thought ooooo that sounds like a bit of me and I gave it a shot and have then gone from novice u17 riding every event and getting 4 National titles and then leant toward the sprint disciplines and have been enjoying it since.
You are turning 18 in July and you are finished / about the finish with high school. What’s next for you? A professional cycling career? How would this work in NZ? Many of the German start “working” for the government but really get paid for cycling. Anything like this in NZ?
Yes, one last slog at school to get that done with. Professional cycling career would be the absolute ideal, realistically I will need a "fall back" as cycling is the sort of sport where one bad crash can end a career. I am yet to decide what I want to do on the side to cycling but I have time on my side. The sprint programme in NZ almost non-exsistant as the population base isn't big enough for the mass talent to emerge like in other nations and there are only a select few in NZ who are full professional athletes in cycling.
In private life, do you use a bicycle as well or do you prefer public transport or drive?
Im only a Learner license holder so I can't drive by myself so I have ridden to school almost every day since I started college. I do drive to the track most days with Mum or Dad there to supervise the driving and training
What model is your track bike? What kind of bikes do you have besides your track bike?
I currently ride a Dolan ARC, it is the same frame mold as the Teschner Track Pro. I also own a Specialized Tarmac kitted out with Ultegra for road training. The commuting bike is an old Scorpio Flite, full alloy kitted out with Sora which gets me to school and around about for day to day tasks
Riding track bikes on the streets has become a trendy thing in the big cities in North America and Europe. How about Auckland? Is it a big thing there, too?
The fixie craze has sweeped Auckland. Seemingly every courier and 'hipster' has one. It is great to see more people riding bike and enjoy it...the only down side is trying to buy chains, they are always sold out :)
Interview with Kaarle McCulloch – the up-and-coming sprinter from down under
RadSprint: Hey Kaarle, you had a good start in the 2008/09 season with two silver medals at the Oceania Games and a bronze in the 500m and 4th places in Sprint and the Keirin at the World Cup in Melbourne. Congratulations! What are you expectations for Cali and the rest of the season?
Kaarle: Thank you! Based on my form in training I think I can expect pretty similar results in Cali as what I achieved in Melbourne. In Cali I want to make the finals again in the Sprint and Keirin and try and lower my personal best (PB) time in the 500m TT. I am pretty excited about the end part of the season this year as I have come into the early part quite underdone in terms of speed. I am very strong at the moment and have a great base, and towards the end of January our focus will turn more towards getting some speed into our legs, so I am pretty confident I will just get faster and faster! My big focus this season is to qualify for the World Championships and compete in Poland.
RadSprint: What are you current personal records for the flying 200m and the 500m time trial? And where would like to see those by the end of the season?
Kaarle: My 500m TT PB is 34.831 which I set in Adelaide a few weeks ago. I would love to see my TT drop to below 34.5. My 200m time is 11.417 which I set in Manchester last season at the World Championships and I would love to see that lowered to a low 11.3.
RadSprint: What’s the delta between your 200m personal bests between an indoor wood track and an outdoor concrete one? Are there also different tactics when riding on the different kind of tracks?
Kaarle: My experiences on outdoor concrete tracks is fairly limited. However I spent a lot of the off season this year in Trexlertown (Pennsylvania, USA) for the summer series there and it was my first major block on an outdoor track. I found it was very good at helping to develop my power and we used it as a big strength building block. I found that this outdoor track suited me quite well and I really enjoyed it. I rode an 11.8 on that track which for that time of the year is quite good, and it was fairly windy. When the weather is spot on, I am told that outdoor tracks can be the fastest in the world. There are definitely different tactics that come into play with every track, whether indoor or outdoor. I think it comes down to being comfortable on the track and knowing how to use it to your advantage.
RadSprint: Who are your toughest competitors in the various sprint disciplines?
Kaarle: Domestically we have a lot of good riders up and coming so the competition in Australia is hotting up for the women. Obviously Anna Meares is a pretty tough opponent across all sprint events and in particular the 500m TT, but I would say in the world at the moment Victoria Pendleton has definitely set the benchmark of where women need to be at to be competitive over the next Olympic Cycle. I think for me in particular any rider who is around the 11.4 mark is a tough opponent as I am in that range as well.
RadSprint: Team Sprint – when I talked earlier with Anna (Meares) she mentioned that the two of you would be teaming up. Is the deal still on?
Kaarle: I really hope so!!! I think Anna and I have a chance at being very competitive in the team sprint. There is talk that Anna and I may ride one world cup together to get an idea of where we are at, however it is all going to come down to whether I can drop some time in my first lap and whether Anna is going to be race fit enough to compete. Only time will tell! I certainly hope so, and if not we will be working together over the next few years to hopefully stand on top of the podium in the rainbow together!
RadSprint: You are starting for Team Toshiba, but there is also a Team Australia in the World Cup line up. Can you explain the set-up and the dynamics and how the team for the World Championships will be eventually chosen?
Kaarle: This year the qualification criteria to make the Worlds team is quite tough and it comes down mainly to the selection panels discretion. There are automatic qualifying times, which for me are 11.2 and 34.5, however results at the Australian Titles will probably have the most influence on who is selected. In terms of the two different teams it basically gives more riders the opportunity to ride at the international level. If we didn't have Team Toshiba only 2-3 female sprinters could race as opposed to 3-4. Toshiba is a massive sponsor of Australian cycling and for that we are all very grateful to ride for such a company. Generally speaking the sprint riders in the Australian Institute of Sports (AIS) ride for Team Toshiba and other riders ride for Australia.
RadSprint: Tell us more about your cycling background: how did you start with cycling, how did you get on the track?
Kaarle: I actually only took up cycling just 4 years ago now. I was a middle distance runner who was competitive on the domestic scene, winning a few Australian titles in various teams events but I just couldn’t quite crack it into the big time. So I decided it was time for a change as it is my goal to represent Australia at the Olympic Games. I gave triathlon a go, expecting my run leg to be my strongest leg however after losing a lot of time in the swim I made it all back up on the bike and then was smashed for the run! My step father then convinced me (it took a lot of convincing!) to give the track bike a go. I gave it a go one day thinking this is going to be so lame: who would want to ride a bike with one gear, no brakes, in lycra around a banked track! After a few laps of thinking “don’t stop pedalling, dont stop pedaling” I had what I like to call a life moment where I just knew this was it, no questions asked. Two weeks later I quit athletics, six months later I won my first state title, a few months after that I won my first Australian title and qualified for the Junior Worlds where I would wear the Australian uniform for the first time (which still gives me goosebumps) and coincidentally won my first Worlds medal - hopefully with many more to come!
RadSprint: I just rode for the first time (I’m a bit of a late bloomer) on a 250m, 48 degree indoor track and at end was sliding down from the top of turn 2 when day dreaming slowed me down too much. Now every key stroke hurts in my right shoulder. Did this ever happen to you, too?
Kaarle: Ouch! I hope your ok! Yes admittingly I have fallen off for not going fast enough! I think this happens to most riders, and if it doesn’t then they should try it, its fun!! Remember your not a real bike rider until you have fallen off!! haha. At training now we actually have a skill session where we have to go as slow as we can, which sometimes ends on the ground. It really helps you to learn the track, see how far you can push the limits and helps your confidence a lot. Every time I go to a new track I do this so that I know how slow I can go.
RadSprint: Do you have any funny stories to tell (involving track sprinting)?
Kaarle: I have been training and living with my 3 male team mates for the last four months so a few funny things have happened to say the least. In our cool down on the track they like to pick on me a fair bit by riding next to me and headbutting me, taking me up the track and pinning me on the fence, playing 'elminations' and rubbing the back of my wheel. It is pretty funny sometimes and it helps our general skills at the same time. I have had a few blonde moments at times: When it was really hot one day at training I was rolling around in the cool down and went to try and get my bideon out of the cage which obviously doesn’t exist on a track bike!
RadSprint: What about your life beyond cycling? Where and how did you grow up? Do you go to university or have a job (other than cycling). What about personal relationships? Any plans for life after professional cycling?
Kaarle: I grew up in New South Wales about two hours from Sydney in a place called Bowral. Being in a fairly country type town I didn’t have much exposure to bikes so that is why I took up running. Although it is ironic that we have a velodrome in the town. I am currently studying a Bachelor of Education in Human Movement at the University of Sydney, with the intention of doing a Masters in Sport Management. I am 3 years into my course, however now I am living in Adelaide and doing correspondence it will probably take me another 2 years to finish. I think it is really important to have something else to occupy your mind because life at the elite level of cycling is very taxing mentally. I am currently as single as they come! There is not much time in my life for anyone but me I'm afraid! I am really lucky to have my team mates, who although annoy me a lot, are my temporary family away from family. After cycling I see myself still being involved somehow. I think I would make a good coach or manager.
RadSprint: The seasons and consequently the cycling calendars in the Southern hemisphere are opposite to the (still dominating) Northern hemisphere. Does this have an impact on your training plan and race schedule?
Kaarle: It doesn’t have too much of an affect on track sprinters. The only thing we can benefit from is getting away from our winter and going overseas to race minor carnivals such as the Trexlertown series or the GP's in Germany.
RadSprint: Any chance that we will see you racing during 2009 Northern hemisphere summer in the US or Europe? (Hint: The San Francisco Bay Area is always worth a trip and the American Velodrome Challenge is in June)
Kaarle: Usually we get an opportunity to race in either Germany or the USA during our 'off season', which is good for us because we get out of our winter and get to do what we love - race! Financially I don’t think that is viable for us as a team this off season, a lot of the funding went into the games and we are rebuilding at the moment. I would definitely love to race however and I am sure we will all be pushing to go somewhere.
RadSprint: In private life, do you use a bicycle as well or do you prefer public transport or drive?
Kaarle: I hate using public transport! When I was living in Sydney I was on public transport all the time and it was such a drag. In Adelaide I drive everywhere mostly and sometimes I ride to training. Adelaide has a lot of good bike paths so it is an easy and safe city to ride around.
RadSprint: What kind of bikes do you have besides your track bike?
Kaarle: I have a road bike which is a Leggera, a form of Teschner, which all the AIS sprinters ride. Other than that I don’t have many other bikes. I would definitely love to give a BMX and Mountain Bike a go one day for some fun though.
RadSprint: Thanks Kaarle. Good luck in Cali and for the remainder of the season!
Kaarle: Thanks heaps and I think what your doing is great. Any exposure for our sport is much needed and appreciated!
Exclusive interview with 6x Junior World Champion Kristina Vogel
RadSprint had thought to see you again on the podium at the U23 European Championships this fall. But unfortunately you had a crash at the Erfurter Sprinter Cup. What happened?
Thanks so much. I didn’t expect that I would be so successful again this year [Kristina also won three Gold medals at the 2007 Junior Worlds].
The crash in Erfurt, well, the rider in front of me blew a tire and as I was too close, I was going down with him. I fell on my shoulder and three strings called Tossy III which hold the ....
I had to undergo two operations and one was during the European Championships.
But now you are doing much better and returned to full training. What are your plans for the 2008/09 season?
For now, my goal is to get well established in women elite field. I hope that I get well adjusted to the new level of racing during the World Cups in Cali and Copenhagen and that I can show at the World Championships that I have the potential to become a champion at the women’s, too.
Who do you see as your strongest competitors in the various sprint disciplines?
This is hard to answer, every women in the international fields has her string sides. Right now, Victoria Pendelton with her Olympic medal is clearly the strongest competition.
What are your plans for this season’s world cup and the world championships?
I haven’t set the really big goals for this year. The level of competition is on a different level that at the juniors.
But I want to improve my personal records during world’s and may I can make it in the top 5-8.
Is it already decided who you will team up with for the team sprint?
Probably with Miriam Welte, we are a good team and understand each other very well. We plan was to give our international debut at the European Championships, but this of course fell through due to my crash and injury.
How do you see the situation at the men's? Chris & co dominated the worlds and the Olympics. Will the French fight back? What can the German team do?
I hope that we [the Germans] can compete again this year. The boys trained hard and the team was re-organized.
I hope that the French and us can fight back, otherwise it’s going to be too boring.
Speaking about men, Roberto Chiappa made it, in speedos only, on the title of the Italian Vogue. Earlier this year, cyclocross world champion Hanka Kupfernagel could be admired in black latex and white ... . What do you think of that? Hot or not?
Why not? Athletes have beautiful bodies and as long it’s not porn, I think it’s HOT, absolutely.
You did move from Erfurt to Cottbus. How come and how do you like Cottbus?
I didn’t change the team. Erfurt provides the best training environment for me in Germany. I joined the federal police in September. There is group supporting athletes which enables me to combine my sport and my job on a very professional level. I have to be Cottbus for boot camp until December. In total I go through a 3 year training program whe re I can spend 8 month training. Upon completion of the program, I will be police sergeant and I only have to be 3 weeks per year on the job until I finish my cycling career.
How did you start with cycling, specifically on the track?
My first state championships have been on the track and I won three state championships. After that my coach took me to a ... and there I was so good that I made it immediately in the national team.
Initially I started with cycling because of flyer “E.T. – cycle home”.
In private life, do you use a bicycle as well or do you prefer public transport or drive?
So, so. When the weather is nice, take the bicycle, of course. Going at slower pace through twon is fun, too. But when it’s cold, I prefer my car.
What kind of bikes do you have besides your track bike?
A lot: a couple of road bike, one for the summer, one for the winter, a mountain bike, and what I call a city cruiser.
Packed and Ready
By Cari Higgins
As I sit the in San Francisco’s international airport terminal,
I realize this is the most free time I have had since Nationals
at the beginning of October.
Instead of using the time to reflect, I am going to look forward and set new goals.
A good week at Nationals changed all my winter plans. Instead of feeling like I needed a break from the bike and a vacation with Greg, my husband, I felt more inspired and ready to work harder. Luckily my coach suggested I take some time to regroup and prepare mentally for a tough winter. The planning started…
Here I am waiting for my flight to Melbourne, Australia. I will live there for about 2 months enjoying the summer down under and training without snow. The plan is to race in the Melbourne World Cup, the Melbourne Revolution, the Tasmania Carnivals, and then complete the trip with the Beijing World Cup.
Of course I am excited. Am I nervous? Yes, of course. I have just about every emotion possible.
The truth is that I am very realistic in my expectations of performance and I know racing internationally is the only way to get better right now. I am an athlete. I am a competitor. I am a sprinter. In order to rise to the next level, I need to get a taste of that next level. I can’t wait until I can do 200m in 11.3 seconds to gain the racing experience. I need the experience to correspond with the speed.
In the summer of 2006, Greg convinced me to travel to every big domestic race I could to gain the experience of racing the track. It was my first real summer of racing. Without a team funding my travels (for track events) or teammates to travel with (for track events), I went to Seattle, Portland, T-town, and San Jose trying to understand what track racing in the US was all about. I learned a lot that summer - learned about the competition, learned how to be self-sufficient while traveling for races, learned the mental side of track racing, and, most importantly, I learned what it would take to be a National Champion.
The winter of 2008/2009 is similar to the summer of 2006 for me … but an obvious new level. I am prepared to learn many lessons in Australia and China. Racing internationally will expose me to a new level of competition and provide a new source of inspiration. I will be a student of the sport but I won’t be a passive one … I am going to race! It is like when I was a freshman on the Varsity soccer team - there are the seniors you have always heard of and they have no idea who you are and now you get to play with them. I watched videos from the past 2 years of World cups and studied most of these girls racing the keirin and sprints.
I look forward to having my teammate, Shelly Olds, and team manager, Nicola Cranmer, with me. Thank goodness for PROMAN Professional Cycling Team! Their experience and sense of humor will keep my nerves in check. (And, we will have some fun too!)
I could spend time getting stressed about the little things- what gears should I ride for this level racing, how are these tracks different then ADT, blah, blah. But, I remember. I am an athlete. I am a competitor. I am a sprinter.
Anna Meares on the World Cup Season
Plans for the season
My plans are to take the remainder of the year off.
I have not trained much since Beijing and
plan on spending the final 2 months of the year at home
with my family in Queensland.
In January I will look to come back into full time training and racing.
Focus on specific Disciplines?
I focus on my passions and the events I enjoy most.
For me that means the 500m Time Trial first and
when I come back that will be my main focus.
I will still ride the sprint and keirin and
I also look forward to working in the team sprint.
Just me vs. Victoria?
It is never about one rider for me.
There may be one dominatnt rider
but I never focus on just one rider.
An olympic year is always tough for those
who have trained through and experienced the Olympics.
To come back so quickly into a new season trying to carry on form
and training is physically and mentally tough.
I very much struggled with it post Athens
which is why this time around I have decided to have a break
and give myself a rest and then come back when I am ready.
Team Sprint
I normally ride team sprint with my sister Kerrie
but we have some up and coming girls and
if I ride it this season I would ride with Kaarle McCulluch.
Boys
Chris Hoy has really set a new standard for sprint racing
as has all of the British team. I think their style and
dominance in the past few years will change dramatically
the style of racing and you may see the tactical play almost disappear.
As for Theo and indeed any other ider in the ranks ...
it is all in their hands and that is something I would not comment on.
As for any nation striking back it will be a big ask!
Great Britain seem to have the measure of everyone in the world
and I only hope it inspires people to keep trying rather then give up.
Joshia Ng on the Malaysian team
RadSprint spoke with Joshia Ng about the upcoming World Cup season: "I'm excited for the upcoming world cup season. It will be interesting to see how everyone goes post Olympics. A lot of team's budgets get cut after the Olympics so it will be interesting to see how that affects performance. Watch out for team Malaysia. We now have a full development and elite program so we'll be an up and coming team to be reckoned with!"