Feature Interview – Kristian House

2014_ContinentalGenericBanner

Talking to the winner of the 2009 British RR Championship, Kristian House, who won the Beaumont Trophy ahead of the big target, the 2014 British RR Championship

RST Cycle Clothing & Trigon Bikes

Feature Interview – Kristian House

NOTE: Send your results as well as club, team & event news here

Startlist for Men’s Road Race

2014_BeaumontTrophy_24

“This is the perfect end of a training block which is all about the nationals” explained Kristian House as he waited on the podium at the Beaumont Trophy last Sunday.

“We did really well out there two today with the win and two in the final break as well” Kristian added. “We had a strategy for having as many guys in the front as possible and that didn’t really work out for us. We had probably four or five guys for us who could have won the race having come back from the Tour of Korea where they won stages (& the race)”.

“Initially, the plan was to make the race as hard as possible but when we only had two guys in the lead group, Rich (Handley) and I had a chat and decided to change the tactics until another group came up which never happened. So, we let the teams with three or four guys do most of the work and we did bits and pieces when we felt the need to.”

“Once the race got to the halfway point, I knew Rich was climbing really well and he loves the Ryals climb, so I said to him to have a go and see if we can force a selection and make the others have to work. Both of us then got away in a group of five or six but that one was never going to stick as the riders chasing weren’t tired enough.”

“So we waited for it to come back and then hit them the next lap (on the Ryals) and that forced that final group of eight away and that was it. Once the numbers were more even with two from us and Raleigh and one from NFTO (Adam Blythe), Metalktek –Kuota (Dan Fleeman), Velosure-Giordana (Steve Lampier) & Madison Genesis (Tobyn Horton), we wanted to keep hitting them.”

2014_BeaumontTrophy_14

“Rich and I kept going one after the other and eventually there were five of us and then Rich had a go and I had a go and we were away; me and Mark (Christian). I’d got away and looked back and saw him coming and there was still a long way to finish so over the top of a hill, I waited and we worked really well together.”

“Neither of us missed a beat until a K to go and then we start vying for the sprint. I wanted him to lead it out but I also really didn’t want to be doing track stands, not because of what was happening behind but because that’s crap, so he swung over and I thought I’ll take it up.”

“Fortunately I managed to come out on top and win the race.”

Good form ahead of the championships
Although a target for Kristian was the Tour of Korea, the manager asked him to stay back and help his team win Sweetspot’s Pearl Izumi Tour Series. This they did with his manager John Herety saying Kristian had been the glue that stuck his team together in that crit series.

The goal though for Kristian is the British RR Championships where I’ve watched him battle hard over the years take on the European pros and be the final, or one of the final British pros, to challenge the World Tour riders.

2009_MensRoadChamps_House

“That’s where all the training has been going towards” Kristian explained talking of next Sunday’s race. “It is going to be a hard course. It’s up and down with some tight bends and fast descents; it’s not a floater for sure.”

“I rode it last Wednesday and there are some hard sections early and more later on that we have identified, and the finishing circuit (Kristian won his title after laps of the same finishing circuit) is rock hard as well.”

“It doesn’t look it when you ride it once but after ten times, it’s tough. I’ll never forget the win there.”

With the section before the Celtic Manor climb being so narrow (if it’s not barriered, expect some cyclo-cross there!) as there will be a massive fight for position on the A road that leads into Celtic Manor. Kristian says that’s bike racing adding there is always an element of luck in a race like that. With so many European based pros in the race, the race could be even harder than previous years as Sky try to break it up or perhaps, with more potential wheels to follow, that could make it ‘easier’.

2009_MensRoadChamps_House2

Kristian being attacked on the finishing circuit by Dan Lloyd and Peter Kennaugh

It is expected that Team Sky will have numbers there even if all their riders don’t start and they are said to be ready to drill it from the start to get the numbers down and make it safer ahead of the Tour de France and other major events.

Like at Beaumont, that may well play into the hands of riders like Kristian, having them ‘burn their matches at the front’ whilst he saves his for the crucial sections. Look at the 2009 result, pre Team Sky, and Kristian didn’t just beat the home pros but many of the Worlds best now. Can he do it again… watch this space!

2009 Championship – Abergavenny
1 Kristian House Rapha Condor JLT
2 Daniel Lloyd Garmin Sharp
3 Peter Kennaugh 100% ME
4 Christopher Froome Barloworld
5 Roger Hammond
6 Mark Cavendish MBE HTC-High Road
7 Evan Oliphant Endura Racing
8 Ian Wilkinson Team Halfords Bikehut
9 Russell Downing Velosure – Giordana RT
10 Jeremy Hunt Garmin Sharp
11 Hamish Haynes
12 Andrew Fenn 100% ME
13 Ian Stannard ISD Cycling Team
14 Andrew Tennant Team Halfords Bikehut
15 Mark McNally Team Halfords Bikehut
16 Mark Christian 100% ME
17 David Clarke Pendragon
18 Robert Partridge Team Halfords Bikehut
19 Alex Coutts Heraklion-Nessebar-Kastro
20 Ben Greenwood Rapha Condor JLT

Send your results as well as club, team & event news here

Other Results on VeloUK (including reports containing results)

Other News on VeloUK

Tags: , ,