Xmas Feature – Tom Moses

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Winner of the CiCLE Classic in 2014 and second at Ryedale GP this year, VeloUK fires its Q & A at Yorkshire’s Tom Moses

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Xmas Feature – Tom Moses

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1. With your team all sorted for 2016, what races are you looking forward to most next season?
Tom: The team is looking great for next year. It’s going to be good racing with a good few lads that I have ridden with before. From people like Connor Dunne who I was on the same team with as a junior to lads such as Ali Slater, Jon Mould and George Atkins who I lived with in Manchester during my time on the GB Academy.

For next year, the team has been strengthened massively with the aim to step back up to the best team in the UK. Racing wise, I will be having a later start to the season. I’ve decided to miss the early season races in Australia and concentrate on a European start to the year.

The plan is to start racing around March time. In terms of the races I’m looking forward to, it has to be the ones that I am targeting. These will be the Tour de Yorkshire, Rutland Melton Classic and the Lincoln Grand Prix. I never forgave myself for messing up the Lincoln in 2014 so that is the one that I want to win more than any other race next year!

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Lincoln GP, 2014

2. What were your highlights in 2015?
Tom: I had a terrible start to the year in 2015. I was ill a couple of times in March and April and struggled to find form. A big highlight for me was just riding the Tour de Yorkshire. The last stage was on my birthday and went past my parents house.

It was pretty cool to be racing on the roads that I train on every day. After that I started working with Tim Kennaugh as my coach and he turned my season around and got me competitive again. I was a bit gutted to get second at the Ryedale GP after getting so close to the win but it was nice to be back to a level where I was going for the win.

Another highlight for me was the second stage of the Tour of Britain. Once again the roads were local to me, and to still be in the front group of 30 at the end of the stage gave me confidence to take into races such as the Tour de Yorkshire in 2016.

3. What race was the most fun in 2015 and why?
Tom: I really enjoyed racing the RAS in Ireland. It was the first time I’ve ever raced it and it had a really good atmosphere and was pretty different to any other UCI stage race that I’ve done. It’s really unpredictable with hard racing from the gun to the finish which makes it hard to know how the race will pan out! The hotels and food were also all really good which helps make a good trip!

4. What’s the best piece of cycling related advice you’ve ever been given and who gave it to you?
Tom: The best bit of advice I’ve ever had was from Sid Barras (former pro and a bonafide legend). I was 14 and just starting to take cycling a little more seriously. I met Sid on the group rides from Keighley and I can still remember him telling me it to this day.

His advice was “nice guys don’t win bike races” which sounds horrible but when you’re in at the kill of a race, you have to do what it takes to win. In order to beat your competitors, you can’t be the nice guy just giving the big turns to keep a group away then get hit in the last few kilometres.

5. Tell us about your winter training bike, what is different about it compared to your race bike?
Tom: Usually it would just be my race bike as it is in the summer but with this year not going to Australia, I’ve decided to go for the full mudguards mainly to keep myself dry but also not to annoy f my mates on group rides!

I don’t know how people train during the British winter without them! Why wouldn’t you want to stay dry and clean? It will also feel pretty nice when I get on my new race bike in the spring; it should feel a lot faster!

6. How will you spend December on the bike?
Tom: December for me will be all about getting a good base down ready for the season ahead. Probably 20-25hr weeks with a few strength efforts in but nothing too serious in terms of hard efforts.

I will just be training at home. We have a good group of lads living in the area that are out every day which makes it fairly easy to stay motivated and get the hours in.

7. Cheeky Xmas … if you could have any cycling related Xmas present – what would it be!
Tom: This is definitely the hardest question! There’s not much I’ve not got or need cycling wise so literally cannot think of an answer for that one ha ha!

Thanks Tom and good luck in 2016!

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