Lockdown Q&A: Tom Wright (Brother UK/Onform)

Today’s lockdown Q & A is from Tom Wright of (Brother UK/Onform) who is based in Spalding, (south Lincolnshire) and who’s highlight in 2019 was the chance to race in Belgium

Lockdown Q&A: Tom Wright (Brother UK/Onform)

Today’s lockdown Q & A is from Tom Wright of (Brother UK/Onform) who is based in Spalding, (south Lincolnshire) and who’s highlight in 2019 was the chance to race in Belgium as it was his first time racing abroad and he really enjoyed the experience.

Q: What has been your career highlight so far and why?
Tom: I would say last year, as a first year junior, it was my first proper road season which I took seriously and looking back I really enjoyed the Monmouthshire Junior Grand Prix. I felt it was the first time I was really involved in the race and it showed me how much I enjoy racing.

Q: Your last race and how did it go?
Tom: My last race I did was the Roy Thame Cup back in March, it was my first E/1/2/3 so I was looking forward to it however, about one hour in I got caught behind a crash and never saw the front again. Lesson learned – stay at the front!

Q: With racing outdoors cancelled, what’s a typical week training wise for you?
Tom: Regarding training, I have just started a more intense block in the hope that racing will resume in late July, putting me in good form for the return of racing. This includes endurance rides and a couple of Zwift races a week.

Q: Are you in lockdown at home?
Tom: I was supposed to be taking my A-levels this spring but now I’ve got all the time in the world to train, which is great but I would like to get a job when Covid 19 has calmed down.

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Q: Are you using the turbo for e-racing?
Tom: Yes I’ve been doing a lot of racing on Zwift. I find it a fun training session which is great if you do it with friends too.

Q: If you are e-racing, what are the biggest things you have had to learn during this period of no racing outside?
Tom: I have found that there is a real skill involved with Zwift racing especially when riding in a group and knowing when to attack. Last Saturday, I raced a Junior race on RGT, which was enjoyable but I discovered that it was a lot different to Zwift so I definitely need to use RGT more.

Q: Where do you do the majority of your training outside?
Tom: Living in the fens, I tend to always head west towards Rutland, where I can find some good hills, however having exposed flat roads is sometimes useful, especially when doing longer efforts uninterrupted.

Q: What’s the hardest thing for you about this Lockdown period?
Tom: I think the hardest thing about lockdown for me is not knowing when my next race will be, making it difficult to remain motivated.

Q: Besides cycling, what’s your biggest distraction during lockdown?
Tom: Due to A-levels being cancelled, I don’t have any school work to do so recently I have just started digging out my GCSE French books and with the help of Duolingo, I have been practising my French which adds a bit of fun and keeps me productive.

Q: What’s the bike that gets the most use by you and what is the best thing about it?
Tom: My Cervelo S3 is my most used bike. The best thing about it being that it’s relatively new and that it’s so much faster than my older bike.

Q: What’s the strangest thing you have seen since this crisis began?
Tom: I think definitely the large amounts of people out running or cycling. Normally I’ll see a dozen cyclists out but now if the weathers nice there’s no end of them, which is great.

Q: Do you ride solo or with someone from your household?
Tom: Most of the time I’ll ride solo but sometimes dad will come out with me.

Q: What has been the best ride so far during lockdown?
Tom: My best ride during lockdown had to be the other day when me and dad got a takeaway coffee, which was the first time having a proper Sunday coffee ride since early March.

Q: What race will you miss the most if there’s no racing outside in 2020?
Tom: I was really looking forward to racing Assen (Netherlands) this year for my first time as I’ve heard so many people talk about how much fun it is, but also the junior team were planning on racing the Tour of Ireland in July which would have been a great experience too.