Pre-race Chat: Rory Townsend

This Sunday, the 52nd Perfs Pedal British classic takes place & Eamonn Deane chats with last years winner Rory Townsend

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Pre-race Chat: Rory Townsend

Note: the start sheet for the 2017 Perfs Pedal Here

In the 2016 Edition of the Perfs Pedal, Rory Townsend had the first of eighteen victories for his team Pedal Heaven and prior to this years race for his new team, Rory spoke to Perfs local and former competitor, Eamonn Deane

Eamonn: The Perfs is a good race for you, what do you like about it?
Rory: I get more excited for the Perfs than I do for Christmas! I love racing my bike so this race is an early opportunity to let loose! The course is excellent, the hill splits it up and then the top section makes the selection.

Eamonn: Are you hoping for bad weather?
Rory: We’ve all got sparkling white Sidi shoes for the new season so I hope it’s a dry sunny day! (amen to that – Larry at VeloUK!)

Eamonn: The team obviously respects the Perfs and your team are clear favourites. Does that add any pressure or do you thrive on that?
Rory: I do think there’s added pressure on us, rightly so, there’s an expectation to perform being majority full time riders.

Eamonn: What about pre-race food? Evening meal and breakfast?
Rory: I’ll be eating as much as I can the night before and the same at breakfast. I’ll have a heavy week going into Perfs so it won’t just be race fuel but recovery too.

Eamonn: Is the pre race talk from Tim (manager and DS) calm and collected or is it a Churchhillian battle cry!
Rory: Tim certainly knows how to rally the troops! I think we’ll all be raring to go for the first one of the season on new bikes and kit, so he may need to keep us cool. Music choice will be vital, he gets that right 10 times out of 10.

Eamonn: Anyone else on the startsheet that catches your eye?
Rory: There’s some very handy juniors on the start list and I would imagine there will be a strong challenge there with many of them having an intense winter track programme.
… continued after advert

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Eamonn: Looking ahead, where will the team be racing in the next month or so?
Rory: After the Perfs, I am over in Belgium for a pro kermesse the first weekend of March, we have a UCI race in Holland the weekend after, then I’m planning to head over to Ireland for St Patrick’s weekend and race in Carrick-On-Sur which isn’t far from my family’s home town.

Eamonn: Has your winter training gone well?
Rory: Yes, training has gone well! First time in a long time I’ve been at home all winter, but with the help of Grinta coaching I am three months ahead of where I was last year. I’ve had the flu recently but looking to bounce back, and it did help me drop some of the Christmas weight.

Eamonn: You had a great season last year, what would you have to do to see progress on that this season; what are the aims?
Rory: I would like to make some progression in road racing as my major results came in criteriums last year. With there not being an overall series for the elite road race, it means each of us can go for races that suit us as opposed to one rider going for the overall.

Eamonn: Who is going to win Perfs
Rory: Bike Channel Canyon

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