Feature question and answer with Sophie Faulkner of women’s team Fusion RT Fierlan who’s spending the winter in New Zealand!
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Q & A: Sophie Faulkner (Fusion RT Fierlan)
1. When will you start your road season and what will be the first race?
Sophie: My first road race of the season will most probably be the Twickenham CC Dave Peck Memorial RR. It will be a fairly late start to the season for me as I am away in New Zealand until the end of March.
2. What races will be your targets for 2016 and why?
Sophie: My main target for the 2016 season will be to enjoy racing and try and be consistent with my results. As a team, we like to do well in the Women’s Team Series so if I can help get some good points in those events, then that would be great.
3. How will you spend the time on the bike between now and your first race in training?
Sophie: I usually like to do lots of long miles during the winter but I also do a lot of gym work to help improve my strength.
This year will be slightly different though because I am heading off to New Zealand to hopefully get some quality training in as well as travel around a little a bit. My training over there will start off with mainly miles but towards the end of my trip, I will be doing interval sessions to improve my top end fitness before coming back home and getting stuck into the racing.
4. What was your favorite Xmas present?
Sophie: I got lots of little presents for Christmas this year as well as some money to put towards my trip to NZ. An unexpected delivery of winter kit from Fierlan was a great surprise too!
5. When it rains, which its doing a lot right now, is it turbo time or wrap up and get wet?
Sophie: If I’m honest, I’m a little bit of a fair weather cyclist and usually end up on the turbo if the weather is really bad. Occasionally, if I haven’t been able to get out on the bike for a couple of days, then I’ll brave the elements and get out on the road but usually it’s the turbo for me.
6. If you could do any race in the world including the best ones in the world etc, what would it be and why?
Sophie: It would have to be the Women’s Tour of Britain, being able to race with all the top riders in the world on home roads with home crowds would be a great experience.
7. What piece of food can you not do without where ever you are on the road during the season!
Sophie: Almond butter!
8. What is your favourite music track when warming up for a race or on the turbo?
Sophie: I usually find myself listening to Eminem although I do sometimes just listen to the charts music.
9. If given the option, would you prefer normal brakes or disc brakes on your road bike?
Sophie: Normal, I’ve never tried disc brakes but I think normal brakes look better on a road bike.
10. What’s the spec of your race bike for 2016
Sophie: I’ll be riding the same bike as last year, a Kuota K-Uno with Reynolds wheels and a standard Ultegra groupset.
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