Q & A: Patrick Fotheringham (Halesowen Academy)

Patrick Fotheringham of the Halesowen Academy takes the VeloUK question and answer quiz

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Q & A: Patrick Fotheringham (Halesowen Academy)

1. What was your favourite race of 2016?
Patrick: Difficult to choose between two; the team had a great ride at the Climb on Bikes Road Race which ended in a 1-2 and 4th, and I loved being a part of that. Also really enjoyed racing the Newry Three Day out in Northern Ireland, which was an amazing race that I love riding, great atmosphere and nice to wear the Green Jersey on the second stage.

2. What was the toughest race of 2016 for you?
Patrick: Definitely the West Midlands Divisional Championships. It was a hot afternoon and even just rolling in with the bunch behind the break was agonising.

3. If there was one thing you learned most in 2016 to help you go faster/better, what was that?
Patrick: Not turning the big things into little things and the little things into big things. By that I mean not stressing about trivial things pre race, it’s just energy wasted and there’s nothing worse than getting on the start line already tired.

4. What is the piece of equipment/clothing that you are looking forward to most in 2017?
Patrick: The skin suit from our clothing suppliers ProVision, the design this year looks absolutely ace and they look super fast!

5. What is your warm up routine for races – rollers or turbo? Music or no music?
Patrick: At the start of last season, I would just spin the legs on the rollers for a bit and then go for a little loop on the road, but now I have a set playlist that I always listen to on the rollers before a race.
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6. What’s your favourite discipline on the road; road racing/crits/time trials and why?
Patrick: I’ve always enjoyed crit racing but for me it’s all about road races. I like racing in new places and having different conditions to deal with, especially when the wind becomes a factor.

7. When will you start training for 2017 and what comes first – long steady miles or a mix of miles and efforts?
Patrick: Being between college and university has finally given me a bit of time to finally do some quality training. I started by doing some solid base miles and exploring some new roads, but now I’ve started to get some more intensity into my training with intervals and turbo sessions.

8. What are the goals for 2017?
Patrick: Hopefully to do some more stage races as I really liked working for the team in 2016. There’s a couple of races that I would love to get a good result in but the main target that my season revolves around is going out to Belgium for a couple of months with one of my team mates to get a good block of racing in.

9. Does winter training consist only of riding the bike or running/swimming/gym work (cross training)?
Patrick: I’m very lucky as I am sponsored by Teme Leisure, a branch of Leisure Centres local to me, so I’m able to use the gym, swimming pool and spa there which is great for me to be able to use the facilities there. I do most of my training on the bike and in the gym.

10. What have you learnt over the years to best deal with the winter months on a bike!
Patrick: Check the weather the night before you go out as it is really easy to get caught out in rain storms, if the temperature drops and you’re soaking wet you could lose out by getting ill.

11. What was the best thing about riding for the Halesowen Academy in 2016?
Patrick: It was great to be part of a good core of quality riders getting results week in week out, and it feels good that there is a real sense of developing riders while not poaching talent from others. We have amazing sponsors in Wenlock Spring, OTE Sports and ProVision, and it’s a really relaxed atmosphere to be able to perform in.

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