Xmas Feature – Chris Opie (One Pro)

A little festive question and answer with Speedie Opie, that’s Chris Opie, of One Pro Cycling, who moves up to race in Europe in 2016

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Xmas Feature – Chris Opie (One Pro)

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1. With your team all sorted for 2016 and now pro conti, what races are you looking forward to most next season?
Chris: To be honest, every race! Finally, I’m going into the season with the opportunity to ride the races I grew up watching and dreaming/striving to compete in myself. Most races are going to be completely new to me and that is a really exciting prospect.

2. What were your highlights in 2015?
Chris: The Tour of Britain and Pete Williams winning both the KoM and Sprint jerseys. Then two weeks later watching Marcin (who had already won the first World Tour stage for ONE Pro Cycling) in the Worlds TT! They were both really exceptional performances!

3. What race was the most fun in 2015 and why?
Chris: Ronde van Midden-Nederland in Holland. It was a two day this year for the first time and we finished 2nd in what is so far our only TTT. Then, on day two, the road stage covered 200kms of roads that I ‘grew up’ racing and training on. Every part of that stage had a special memory from years past. I knew every metre, every corner, every village and I just enjoyed the weekend more than any race I’ve done. It’s a shame I couldn’t contain my excitement in the sprint, going from 700 metres out was too early!
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4. The team has a strong sprint line up – will you be doing any special training to improve your sprint even further and can you see the team doing more work on that sprint train they used so well at Stockton?
Chris: I actually don’t do too much sprint training. The sessions that I am scheduled leave a big dent and are by far the hardest ones I complete. I really believe that with the speed of the riders we have for 2016, we will be able to compete with the best when the opportunity arises.

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5. Tell us about your winter training bike, what is different about it compared to your race bike?
Chris: It is essentially a race bike, but the inner tubes are filled with Stans NoTubes. It’s a no brainer to me, I can’t believe that everyone doesn’t do it. Over fill the tube and you will not have to change one tyre this winter. It’s standard practice on an MTB to use NoTubes and it’s taking too long to catch on in the road world. If I could choose my own bike, however, I would love a winter bike with discs, but that’s an entire interview on its own!

6. How will you spend December on the bike – at home or abroad, long miles only or a mixture of intervals and miles and bike only or gym/cross training too?
Chris: It will be half home and half away this year, with our team training camp taking up a large chunk of the training time. There are a lot of long hours, but there will be plenty of intervals to help pass the time on those rides. There’s no chance of getting bored during a Steve Benton session!

7. A cheeky Xmas one, if you could have any cycling related Xmas present – what would it be!
Chris: I would absolutely love a Cyclo-Cross bike. Carbon frame, Di2 & hydraulic discs. Wide rims. Tubs. 44cm bars and a 53-42 chain set. There are so many bridle paths, right of ways and open access land where I have just moved to, it would be the ideal way of having some fun in between training properly. It’s flat too, hence the 53-42. If anyone is reading, I’m open to offers… Hint, hint …

 

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