Macca goes Tour of California
Stage 7 of the 2010 Amgen Tour of California is a 21-mile individual time trial in Los Angeles and Chris McCormack and a few other triathletes get to test themselves against the best in that discipline. We had a few words with Macca about it.
Slowtwitch: Macca, thank you very much for the chat.
Macca: No worries. Too easy.
ST: Word has it that you are registered for the TT during the upcoming Tour of California. Is that correct and how did it come about?
Macca: Wow word travels very fast. Yes it is true I will be doing the TT this year in the Tour when the race hits LA. I actually participated in the Tour of California 2 years ago in the prologue in Palo Alto and it was a lot of fun. I was invited by the organization 2 years ago and accepted the challenge. It was great fun to do my first prologue ever and I enjoyed the experience. Through my bicycle sponsor Specialized who sponsors two of the major Pro Teams racing in this year event, the opportunity presented itself again and I was invited to race. I took them up on the offer and said, yes that would be lots of fun. I live in LA, and this is the biggest cycle event in the world outside the Tour De France and it is in my backyard. I would have to be crazy not to want to be part of this event again. Being a Specialized Team rider has its perks and this is definitely one of them. Spending time with all the Specialized Teams on Tour and being part of this event is great. I jumped at the opportunity and will enjoy it!
ST: Have you looked closer at the course profile?
Macca: I have no idea what the course looks like or how hard it is. My training will not change at all for this event and for me it is all about having fun and enjoying the experience. I have a few big training days leading into the event and have a long run scheduled for after this effort. I don’t care for the profile, I just want to enjoy the atmosphere and absorb the enormous support that these riders will be getting on this course.
ST: The course appears to be technical and has a little climb up Olive in it.
Macca: I raced bikes growing up and am technically very good on a bike. I raced my first 6 years as a pro triathlete in Europe, which are technical courses in their own right. I think the race will be fun, I intend to ride as hard as I can but understand that my training in no way suits the demands that this event is asking of me. I am in heavy base mode and don’t think I will have the anaerobic threshold to hold high power numbers for sustained periods of time. I am looking at a possible Ironman 5 weeks later in Europe.
ST: Considering all that, where do you think you’ll end up versus the Pro field that is racing the whole stage race?
Macca: This is always a tough question. It is unfair to look at the field and assess where we stand as many of my friends are racing this event as pro cyclists and I know their objectives for this TT are to save their legs and ride hard on the final day for their team. The real comparison needs to be made between myself, and the guys riding at the front of the TT and I think these guys will absolutely destroy me. Even after a very heavy day prior with the climb to big bear and fatigued legs, these guys are specialist bike riders and the best in the business, racing in one of the most important races on their calendar. They will be much better than me and I will enjoy watching the day unfold and have an appreciation for just how fast these guys are.
ST: What about other competitors that race the TT, for example Chris Lieto and Chrissie Wellington?
Macca: I think Chris Lieto will do very well in this event. I know Chris and he will take this very seriously. He is in a different training phase to me and looks like he is targeting shorter events, which will suit this race distance. I think he could be very strong here and will be looking to race very well here. He is a great bike rider and is in awesome cycling form on these shorter events right now. I raced him 4 weeks ago in Miami and he was riding incredibly fast at a race of about the same distance as this TT. This will be a focus of his for sure and he will be looking at posting a very fast time here. I know how Chris mind ticks and this is great for triathlon. Chrissie Wellington is capable of anything. She is such an amazing athlete she continues to impress me every time she pulls on a race number. She is raw and talented and a pleasure to watch.
ST: How about you, what else is on your schedule in the near future?
Macca: I am currently in close negotiations with a European Ironman and very close to signing off. This may give me the Ironman I like to do in the mid season, which will be wonderful. Of course I am racing a few of the Ironman 70.3 races including the one in Austria in late May and Buffalo Springs in June. My focus is on Kona this year in a huge way. I got so close last year and had a very mixed day. I know I can fix those things nutritionally and am excited about racing on those lava fields again. I just can’t get enough of the suffering in Kona. I live for it.
ST: Anything else new and exciting?
Macca: We are very close to buying home in the USA finally. We love it in California and love LA and will have a home here by July or August. We hope to make this our base for good over the next 10 years of our lives. We have so many positive things on the horizon it is awesome. I have been working closely with Jillian Manus in planning my foundation and working at putting everything in place here in the USA so as to set up home here. I love the USA, I love Los Angeles and am enjoying the people and the possibilities that are available here everyday.
