Q & A: Andy Turner of VC Equipe – Flix Oral Hygiene

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This Question & Answer feature on VeloUK’s website is with Andy Turner of VC Equipe – Flix Oral Hygiene

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Q & A: Andy Turner of VC Equipe – Flix Oral Hygiene

Q1: What was the highlight of the 2016 season for you?
Andy: Getting my Elite licence was definitely the highlight. I didn’t really expect it after a bit of a rocky patch in the summer so I was very pleased when I got that sorted.

Q2: What was your favourite race of 2016?
Andy: There are two which stand out. Stage 2 of the Kalas Cup, where I spent half the race in a 2-up break with one of my regular winter training partners, was good fun. Finishing 3rd on that stage result put me into an overall podium finish. The West Midlands Regionals was the other race; I was really happy with the result, finishing in 2nd place behind a damn good climber. The finish was a fairly steep one! (The riders in question were Tristan Robbins (Madison Genesis) and Liam Holohan (Team Wiggins).

Q3: What was the toughest race of 2016 for you?
Andy: Easily the West Midlands championship. The course is notorious for early breaks succeeding so I went from mile one. I was joined by five others after 15 miles and it stayed that way for most of the race. With a lap and a bit to go, another group were close to bridging and people started missing turns so I attacked again with one other rider and we stayed away. 90 miles in the break was tough! The one rider was Elite Holohan!

Q4: If there was one thing you learned most in 2016 to help you go faster/better, what was that?
Andy: Usually if you’re hurting, the others are too, so push through the pain and man up.

Q5: What is the best piece of equipment (clothing/bike/gadget) to do with racing you are proud of most?
Andy: My bright pink ‘F**K CANCER’ socks. It’s something my family’s been having to deal with throughout much of this year and I find they help motivate to pedal even harder.

Q6: What is your warm up routine for races – rollers or turbo? Music or no music?
Andy: Definitely turbo. Accompanied by a mix of AC/DC and Deadmau5. Good pre-race tracks

Q7: What are you looking forward to most racing for your new team next season?
Andy: Being in a proper team environment with support at races will be great and something I’ve never experienced. There’s a good bunch of lads on the team and we all get on pretty well so it should be a fun season too.
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Q8: When will you start training for 2017 and what comes first – long steady miles or a mix of miles and efforts?
Andy: I’ve been back in training for around a month now after an off-season working extra hours as a barista to help fund next year’s racing. It’s generally a mix of longer miles with efforts thrown in and some turbo sessions on work days.

Q9: Do you use a special winter bike with mudguards etc or using a normal race like training bike?
Andy: I have a very special winter bike, Claudia, my single free winter steed. She has mudguards and lights, plus turquoise and purple leopard print tape over the top tube and seat post! The group I train with try to outdo each other on outlandish single frees! Being a single speed makes maintenance cheaper and easier plus it’s good for leg speed on most terrains and over-geared work up the climbs.

Q10: Does winter training consist only of riding the bike or running/swimming/gym work (cross training)?
Andy: Mostly riding the bike but I’ve thrown in a fair bit of off the bike strength, gym and stretching work

Q11: What have you learnt over the years to best deal with the winter months on a bike?
Andy: I’ve only been riding for 3 years and most winters so far have involved some kind of illness or injury so I’m hoping that I can have a problem free one this year! You don’t have to spend long training in the UK to learn to wrap up warm in the winter months…

Q12: Will you stay in the UK to prepare for next season during the winter or get in a training camp or two abroad to get in some serious miles?
Andy:: I’m actually going to spend the first two months of the year living in Girona! A friend and I found a good deal on a place to stay so we can escape any risk of waking up to black ice covered roads. Hopefully I’ll find my climbing legs around the mountains there!

Q13: What are the goals for 2017?
Andy: I’d like to do better in the premier calendar events next season. This year I didn’t perform as well as I hoped for various reasons. Certainly the speed and distance early on in the season was a big step up from anything I’d ever done before.

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