Lockdown Q&A with Joe Sutton (Vitus Pro Cycling p/b Brother UK)

In the last of the current Lockdown Q&As, we quiz Joe Sutton (Vitus Pro Cycling p/b Brother UK) based in Kent but isn’t phased by training on the turbo…

Lockdown Q&A with Joe Sutton (Vitus Pro Cycling p/b Brother UK)

Q: Your last race was?
Joe: It feels like a long time a go! It was Saturday the 14th of March. The plan that weekend was to race at Velopark midday, then drive straight to Belgium and race a Pro Kermis on the Sunday.

Q: With racing cancelled, what’s a typical week training wise for you?
Joe: When racing was first cancelled, I carried on training normally for a few weeks, then as lockdown hit, I had a week off the bike and focused on some of my other interests. I went out for walks and took my camera. I have lived in Rochester all my life, but I was able to find new places to take photos and explore. It was very refreshing! I am now back on the bike doing about 11 hours a week. Riding zone 2 and Zwift racing, generally keeping it fairly unstructured.

Q:Are you enjoying using the turbo?
Joe: I have always used the turbo a lot so I’m not phased about spending time on it. Racing on Zwift was something that I didn’t enjoy until lockdown, but now I am finding myself competing a lot. In fact I got my first win of the season on it. A win is a win right!

Q: If on the turbo, what’s your favourite distraction?
Joe: Personally Zwift and music go hand in hand. I have known riders use the turbo not looking at anything but their Garmin in silence, which I can’t get my head around! I am fortunate enough to have a great turbo set up and parents that can handle hearing Drum and Bass wherever they go in the house. If I play music loud enough not to hear myself breathe, I go a lot harder!

Q: What’s the hardest thing for you about the Lockdown?
Joe: I miss racing my bike. Without the focus of competition, I found myself a little lost when lockdown began. I knew I needed to find ways to keep myself mentally occupied. I have always loved the German language and culture. I studied German all through my school years. Sadly, when I left I didn’t keep it up. So I thought it was a great time to start learning again. More than bike racing, I miss my friends and family! My friends and I have found ways to stay connected. We do a weekly quiz night on Whatsapp Video, which is a laugh.

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Q: What’s the weirdest thing you have seen since this crisis began
Joe: I have seen my fair share of weird and wonderful face mask creations. But something that really stood out to me (although not really weird) was a photographic project done by a group of Natural Geographic photographers. They displayed a series of images of the worlds busiest cities and how they have changed during the COVID-19 crisis.

One image really stood out to me. A picture of the Himalayan peaks from Jalandhar in Punjab, India. Where smog had been blocking the residents view for decades, that now has cleared. Seeing world cities so quiet and empty is actually pretty weird, especially in contrast their usual 24/7, 365 day hustle and bustle.

Q: Where you do you enjoy riding your Vitus the most in this country or abroad?
Joe: This is my first year on a Vitus, so I can only really say the hills of Kent! But, I am looking forward to taking it on a training camp. I have never used disc brakes on any long mountain descents. So I am looking forward to that!

Q What Namedsport Energy products do you use most on a training ride?
Joe: Good question, I like all their products. My favourite drink is the Isonam powder. I use this over their plain energy drink because of the added creatine and ginseng. Previously, I took ginseng and creatine supplements separately, but now I only need one drink!

Q: What Schwalbe tyres are you using on your training wheels?
Joe: I use Schwable Pro one’s on my training wheels. Because we use them tubeless, I can get away with using supple, grippy racing tyres all year round!

Q: What is your favourite piece of Velotec kit?
Joe: The Skin suit. But sadly it is frowned upon to go out training in a skin suit! Saying that, I might do my own 10 mile TT, so it might get some use this year!

Thank you Joe for the Q&A and good luck on the roads of Kent – stay safe, take care.