Xmas Feature: Oscar Hutchings

Xmas Q & A with Oscar Hutchings, a Primera-sports.com team rider for 2016 on board a Specialized Tarmac with S-Works shoes and helmet

Xmas Feature: Oscar Hutchings

1. What were your highlights in 2015?
Oscar: Highlights of the year were the Ras de Cymru in July, 5 days racing in South Wales with an epic mountain top finish in the rain and wind.

Getting a top 10 in the University 10 mile TT champs in April as well. It was nice to finish my time at Uni with that result.

Also towards the end of the season, when I managed a good run of form with a few podiums, almost all of them from breakaways which I seem to enjoy.

2. What races are you looking forward to most next season and why?
Oscar: I can’t wait for the National Road Series races, particularly the Wiltshire Grand Prix as I live so close to the course now! It was the first ‘prem’ I did, so getting a result there would be awesome.

3. What race was the most fun in 2015 and why?
Oscar: All the ones I did well in! Probably the Fin Del Verano stage race at the end of September. The weather was great, and the racing tough but fun. I still had some late season form so went for the KoM jersey which was different for me. I was racing in a composite team, with riders from my girlfriend’s club, and they all worked incredibly for me on the hills to help me take the jersey.

4. Whatâ€™s the best piece of cycling related advice youâ€™ve ever been given and who gave it to you?
Oscar: Pay attention to rest. My first coaches, Julius Jennings and Simon Edney, reminded me that resting is when you see improvements.

You can’t keep training as it just wears you down eventually. It’s taken me a while to heed that advice but this summer I started taking two rest or easy days per week and it really seemed to help. I was able to push harder in training and racing, my results improved towards the end of the season, I think in part because I was resting properly.

5. Tell us about your winter training bike, what is different about it compared to your race bike?
Oscar: I’ve got a proper winter training bike. Heavy aluminum beast with full mudguards and disc brakes. I like having a heavy, slow bike in the winter, it makes me work harder than everyone else so when I get on my race bike again it feels good. I make sure the positions and set up are all the same though, it’s important to be used to the position you race in.

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?
Oscar: I’ll be at home for December, although hopefully I will sneak in a week away somewhere warm in the new year.

I’ll be building the duration first, getting used to being in the saddle for up to five hours but I’m making sure I do two hard sessions a week. These start off as strength sessions on the bike, big gear work, with core strength sessions at home.

I then move on to more threshold sessions and intervals for TT and breakaway type efforts. I’ve done a couple of ‘cross races already, but I prefer it when it’s dry! I’ll do one more after Christmas, it’s a great way to remind me how to suffer. I’m really looking forward to joining the Primera team for 2016 and getting on board the Specialized Tarmac.