Close up with Matt Chrabot
A 2009 World Cup Winner, American Matt Chrabot has positioned himself well for London 2012. He finished 2010 ranked 12th in the world and as the highest ranking American. More recently, Matt took the gold at the Miami International Triathlon in the 5150 season opener. This tough as nails triathlete got together with Sal Farruggia to discuss the ITU, his breakaway propensity and plans for 2011.
Slowtwitch: We missed you at the Sprint National Champs at Clermont. Did it not fit in with your training plans?
Matt: My travel schedule was a bit excessive last year. I wanted to get in 3 solid months of training while sleeping in my own bed in the pre-season. So yes, I guess it didn't fit in the plans.
ST: Is your 2011 season focused strictly on the Olympics?
Matt: That's about all I care about. Not to say that I don't care about all my races on the calendar, but this tends to be a bit different.
ST: Are you OK with the American qualification process?
Matt: Depends on my mood. Some days I'm all for it, other days I'd rather have Australia's system or our former system in 2008. It is what it is though. Still have to show up & go for it.
ST: With so many national federations using the London WCS as an Olympic qualifier, it is shaping up to look like the 2011 Olympics.
Matt: Not exactly. From what I've observed in the past, the test events a year out (in not just our sport) are always more competitive than the actual Olympics. This year London will have 20 more guys on the start line than the games. This year will have 15 or 16 Russians and Brits, next year will be 6 at most. The quality of the field will be different but, there's much more at stake in 2012.
ST: Are you surprised by the international depth of talent?
Matt: No. I think it appears deep because the sport has let the weaker riders into the game by coming up with easy bike courses, a lot of glorified swim/runners who take a breather on the bike.
After talking to Greg Bennett about this last summer, I guess the depth has always been there. Aside from Gomez & Brownlee, the talent hasn't changed much. We're running faster because we're riding slower. On depth: it really shows on the WCS level. There's only a handful of races a year… therefore all the players can show up to just about every event. 4 or 5 years ago there were over a dozen World Cups a year and 1 World Championship event.
ST: At last year’s Sydney WCS race you led the race for a bit after a bike break. Was that in the plan?
Matt: No. Breakaways aren't always the plan. They just tend to happen. A year ago my fitness was spot on. I was the new guy on the US national team & felt like I had to hit a home run in the first half of the season. Missed the podium by 30 seconds or so.
ST: How does one know when its right to try to make a break?
Matt: Sometimes there could be a lull in the pace & effort. I can feel the field get less aggressive further into the bike. My favorite time to attack is when every one is balls to the wall…on the rivet, about to break. It takes everything you got to snap the elastic & continue the rest of the 40km though. It’s something you have to prepare for. Luck is much less the issue… the field doesn't always say "oh, we'll let this guy get out front. He isn't a threat for a top 10 finish"
ST: This year are you going into Sydney with a plan? Or is that information top secret?
Matt: Haha. That's tough to say. I'm not swimming, cycling, or running where I will be in the summer time. I'm building into this season very slowly, taking one thing at a time. No need to rush anything.
ST: Out of curiosity, do athletes make deals before or during the race when contemplating whether to attempt a break on the bike?
Matt: Haha. I've never been part of a deal… but I'm willing to negotiate…
ST: So what would your ideal ITU course be?
Matt: If they can modify the course in Kitzbühel to a 2 or 3 lap bike with long climbs & technical descends, that would be it. From what I hear, it is close to becoming a reality. Imagine watching the race & the riders disappearing into the clouds & rain… not having a clue where anyone is until we go passed a fixed camera or descend to the bottom. The ITU wants "good a for TV race." It is right there. Just have to pave a small section of road.
Dream course: hot day, surf swim, hilly bike & run.
ST: I personally would like to see more breaks on the bike in the WCS. How do you think the ITU could give the strong bikers more of a shot?
Matt: The ITU wants to race in big flat cities and have a dumbbell shaped bike course. Man up & close 2 or 3 more streets. Quit it with the 3 or 4 road drag strip thing loaded with 180s. Real bike races don't have an abundance of 180s! I'm tired of changing out my break pads so often!!! 40km plus or minus a couple km is fine as long as it’s a quality course…
High quality course = higher quality race. Kitzbühel & Madrid were the best bike courses last year & the races ended up being more exciting.
ST: At the 2010 Grand Finale you rode 15 seconds off the front solo for about 30k before being caught by the pack on the last lap. I think you surprised a lot of people with that really strong run. (Matt finished 16th overall)
Matt: That afternoon in Budapest, the roads were particularly slick from the rain & the large amount of divots, potholes, & railroad tracks made the course dangerous at higher speeds. I knew a breakaway of skilled riders could very well succeed. Without warning I put in a small surge after I heard a crash behind me. I think the stronger & more skilled cyclists like Greg Bennett, Stu Hayes, or Bruno Pais may have been caught behind all the chaos & didn't notice I was off the front until a few Km later. I just sat there controlled effort & waited to see if anyone would join me until about 10km to go. I could have tried to put a minute or two in field alone, but my run would have been worthless. After I got caught, I rested up a little for the run. Managed to run into about 10th place with 4km left, but at that point my legs began to fizzle.
ST: Which of the 3 disciplines do you focus the most on during training?
Matt: It is fairly even straight across the board. About 8-9 hours a piece a week, some weeks more than others. If I feel like my swim is off a little, I'll throw in a few harder workouts to build my confidence back. Same goes for the other two. It’s difficult to train all 3 very hard all the time. The trick is balance.
ST: How do you preserve your body with high training volumes?
Matt: Bodies preserve well in glass jars of formaldehyde.
I don't log stretching, ice/hot baths, self massage, etc. If I did my training would add up to well over 40 hours a week. Discipline helps.
ST: Personally I'm intrigued by triathlon's collegiate swimmers versus collegiate runners debate, but you don’t come from the usual channels, do you?
Matt: I swam all four years at George Mason. I took up collegiate cycling the 2nd half of college. When it comes to ITU, I figured the skinny swimmers or runners with at least 3-6 years of competitive swimming before the end of high school will always prevail in the end. I knew if I kept at it on the run I'd eventually come around without sacrificing too much in the water. I was that scrappy kid who showed up, worked hard and got my ass kicked on a daily basis by more talented swimmers or cyclists. My ego was never bruised on the way up the ladder of triathlon because I was used to half ass performances & not being the best my whole life. If I made the consolation final at a big meet, that was a big deal.
I felt like USA Triathlon never thought I had much talent early on. Just showed up one day & started knocking on the door. The recruitment program is great though. Lots of talent & big egos. I love it.
Beach lifeguard competitions sparked my interest in triathlon. It’s raw & gritty. Plus it’s sexy…like Baywatch. Not to mention I could surf in between events. I barely have time for a Powerbar now.
ST: You train and race with a bit of (dare I say) swagger. What drives you?
Matt: I march to my own beat. But sometimes you have to forget about your best & do what is necessary to perform. The tricks of the trade can only take you so far. Hard work is the majority of it.
Here is one of the quotes I live by "It is not enough that we do our best; sometimes we have to do what is required." – Winston Churchill
Halfway through the bike in the Miami 5150 I began to lose contact with the leaders. The gap grew…5, 10, 15, 20 seconds. Then out of sight. The little crybaby in my head started getting louder. I wanted to come up with a list of excuses for what was happening.
Then I remembered one thing:
Racing hurts.
ST: And for all your new fans, how do you pronounce your last name?
Matt: Shär-bôt. Unless you're an announcer, I can care less. I've heard it mispronounced for the past 27 years.
Check out the new Matt Chrabot website at: mattchrabot.com
