Q&A: Josh Brown (Tofauti Everyone Active)

In the final Q&A feature from the team of young riders at Tofauti Everyone Active, we quiz Josh Brown who is a junior and based in Northamptonshire.

Q&A: Josh Brown (Tofauti Everyone Active)

In the final Q&A feature from the team of young riders at Tofauti Everyone Active, we quiz Josh Brown who is a junior and based in Northamptonshire. Josh Brown, 17, is from Kettering and while it wasn’t until he was a second year Under 14 that he started taking racing more seriously, Josh had done a few races before that. He came to race bikes when his dad bought a road bike and loved it and Josh followed suit in 2015. He went along to the Kettering CC kids club on a school night and that gave him the push he needed to start racing.

Q: What has been the highlight of your cycle racing so far?
Josh: Probably my 3rd place in the TT at the Assen Youth Tour. I hadn’t been going so well on the previous stages so it came as a real surprise.

Q: What event has been the most fun to do so far in your cycle racing?
Josh: Midweek crits at the Milton Keynes bowl are lots of fun. Lots of friends turn up and it’s a great chance to see everyone and do a fast, fun race.

Q: Did you get to race in 2020 and if so, what events and how did you find them?
Josh: I got a couple of TTs at Mallory Park in, which I just heard about through word of mouth.

Q: What was the hardest thing about not racing in 2020?
Josh: I always love going out and riding, but it was tricky to motivate myself at times for training when there was no hope of racing on the horizon.

Q: What was the longest ride and/or biggest challenge you had in 2020?
Josh: I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in June so getting my head round that was a bit of a challenge. My longest rides of the year came on a mini ‘bike packing’ trip that me and my dad did from Kettering to Bath, then to South London, and then back to Kettering.

Q: What has been the best bike you have ridden so far?
Josh: My Planet X aero bike with 60mm wheels is a super fast bike, and great fun to ride.

Q: What is the best thing about being part of a team like your one?
Josh: The balance the team has struck between the importance of finishing my A levels this year and being able to go to some really high level junior UCI races.

Q: What event in 2021 are you looking forward to most?
Josh: The Junior Tour of Wales. I was really looking forward to a race with some proper climbs in 2020 but obviously it never happened, so I’m excited about the prospect of racing it in 2021.

Q: How many hours a week do you do on average training?
Josh: 8-12 hours most weeks.

Q: Where is the favourite part of your world you like to ride your bike?
Josh: Out of the places I’ve been, Annecy was my favourite. The lake and the climbs around it are stunning.

Q: If it is raining/snowing, do you have a rest day and put the feet up, or do the session on the turbo?
Josh: Jump on the turbo.

Q: What’s your favourite social media and why?
Josh: Instagram – I’m someone who takes a lot of photos of everything and sharing them makes me happy.

Q: What’s the furthest you have traveled for a bike race?
Josh: To Assen in the Netherlands. That was a long day in the car.

Q: How do you keep warm (how much clothing) on the bike during the freezing winter we had?
Josh: I find a base layer, jersey and winter jersey always works.

Q: The roads are icy, do you go off-road or stay inside?
Josh: Definitely stay inside.

Q: Finally, if you could win one race this year, which one would it be?
Josh: The Junior Cicle Classic. I love riding in Rutland, and it looks like an amazing race with the offroad sectors so to win it would be incredible.