Rory Sutherland

Retooling on and off season

Published:

October 22, 19:43,

Updated:

October 22, 19:58

By:

Cycling News

Rory reflects on lessons learned

It has been a long time since my last diary. Apologies. So, what has gone on in the last couple of months? Quite a bit! We closed out the season in the Tour of Missouri. After a couple of lackluster performances earlier in the year I really wanted to do well in Missouri. I figured a change of attitude, a different perspective, and a change in training was required.

So off came the heart rate monitor, the power meter, and the speedometer. Yep, I was going old school! Like the good old days, I was running on feeling instead of watts, heart rate and distance. I did what I thought was necessary. I think it worked.

As much as I love technology and use it for training and racing, it’s a breath of fresh air to get rid of it all and go to back to basics. I did a ton of motor pacing sessions. Then came the time trial work. I spent hours and hours in that god awful, neck-straining position. Like most things you work for, it was worth it in the end.

I didn’t light the world on fire in Missouri, but I am content with the final outcome and the areas in which I improved.

My season was done after Missouri. It was time to forget about the bike and allow myself time to mentally and physically recover from the year. Unfortunately, this lasted all of a week and a half.

I moved from California to Colorado and a few days later I was back on the plane. Destination: Las Vegas! Now, let me make something clear. I love all of our sponsors and I enjoy meeting up with them. I also love all the people that stop by our booths for an autograph or to say hi. I enjoy catching up with old friends. However, I am not a huge fan of Las Vegas.

It could be the desert air, but more likely it is the fact that we are at the show for the entire day and then go out at night. I am so exhausted after only two days of Interbike! I know the people in the industry do a whole week and I am amazed by their stamina. I am exhausted by the mere mention of bikes after a couple of days in Vegas. Bike talk, bike parts, bikes in general and the bike show. Bike overload! Hence the hiatus from riding and all things bike related.

The off-season is coming to an end and I am excited to get back at it. New diary, new drive, new plans, etc. I have been evaluating the past year before starting fresh for 2010.

I think about what went wrong during the year, what went right, how I can improve and how I can achieve my goals and the goals of my team. The key to this is having great sponsors, a great team, and great resources around you.

One of these resources is new to me. It’s a full bike set up and check of the positions I have been riding in and tweaking for the last ten years or so. I scanned the systems out there and stumbled across www.retul.com. I’m not a big endorser of companies or products, but I think I have to do that here. These guys are awesome and they provide amazing data.

They made some little changes, tried to straighten me up, and tried to help get a few more seconds, or watts out here and there. I highly recommend this system to anyone! Mention my name and this story and your bike fit will be free! Well, probably not to be honest.... And I’m sure they will kill me for saying that. Any advertising is good advertising, right?? Hmmm.

I’m going to do my best to do another diary in the coming weeks. Things learnt during the 2009 season:

• Hard work does pay off.
• A change of scenery might just re-energize you.
• Motor pacing can hurt… A LOT!
• Start from a clean slate.
• Get yourself set up and fix the injuries.
• Lastly, go take a long,hard look at yourself and be critical. It can only be a good thing!

Rory www.teamouch.com

Happy hosts of the cycling family

Published:

August 7, 04:41,

Updated:

August 7, 04:44

By:

Rory Sutherland

More plane rides for Rory

It seems that I am always on a plane when I am writing these diaries!

This time I'm heading for San Diego. It's always nice to go home again, but I will only be there for four days before departing for the next trip. Another weekend, another state. However, I do appreciate my life and all the great things in it. I have the opportunity to do a job that most people do as a hobby. This sport is something we all love, no matter how many ups and downs we may have.

This month I've read a book. Yes, I managed to do it. I dragged myself away from the Internet, my iphone and a myriad of magazines just long enough to finish one of those old fashioned things called a book! I spent the weekend reading what I refer to as 'Floyd's Book'.

Now, I am an honest person and if I thought the book was garbage I would have no problem saying so. However, it was pretty damn captivating. The book includes fantastic descriptions of the inner workings of a cycling team and a Tour de France winner's life. Sorry Floyd, but I didn't buy it... I got it from something called a 'library'. Amazing - they lent me a book for free!

We lead an interesting cycling existence here in the United States. It's a big country, and the types of races vary greatly from week to week. For those wondering, traveling in the USA during July/August is normally a nightmare. However, I have discovered that there is a silver lining.

There are certain races in the US where we have something known as 'host housing'. This can be a difficult concept to fathom for those that grew up on European racing. To my very happy surprise, this is one of the best experiences in US racing. Complete strangers invite an entire team into their house!

By entire team I mean just that:

Eight riders
One director
Two soigneurs
One mechanic

These host families allow us to basically take over and turn their lives into complete disarray. Not only do these people take us in, they also feed us! It's an interesting concept to get into my thick skull. However, this is the essence of the sport we love.

People are enthralled with cycling and are willing to put themselves out to enjoy our whirlwind visit. When did I think it would be better to sit in a hotel room and not give back to the people that make the sport happen? After a week of wreaking havoc on the fridge, pantry, and freezer of this family, I am a believer. Not only that, I've also experienced 'real kindness' in its simplest form.

Final quote of this entry. Take it or leave it advice that I have learnt more about his month - I remember my mother telling me this years ago (to which I never listened). "If you have nothing good to say, say nothing at all."

Rory Sutherland Team OUCH - Maxxis twitter: rorysutherland1

Back at it

Published:

July 6, 15:48,

Updated:

July 6, 15:54

By:

Rory Sutherland

Rory Sutherland gets back into the action on the East Coast

The season is flying by as usual. However, we say this every year, so we should not be shocked by it. As sure as the season started, it will end in the next few months and we will be done with 2009. I'm sure in a blink of an eye I'll be out in the cooler weather, heaving my body up a hill. I will wonder how I managed to become unfit in just a few weeks off the bike.

The last two months have been a bit of a whirlwind. It seems like I've been in an unimaginable amount of planes, hotels, and cities. I managed to hit eleven different states in just eighteen days! Ummm, that's a lot. This is my job, and funnily enough it's one of the fun parts. Not too many people can say they fly around the country/world to all these different and amazing places on someone else's credit card! (A quick apology to the person paying for my travel.... sorry to bring this up, as I'm sure you would rather sometimes forget).

Things always change a bit as we move to the East Coast races. We move to ‘chewable' air, hot/humid weather, afternoon thunderstorms, and big cities. I like racing on the East Coast, but I'm happy I live on the other side of the country. I love visiting, but the West Coast is just more suited to me.

Philly is the most popular one-day race in the USA. The Philly experience includes the famous Manayunk wall. This climb is difficult… there are laps when it feels like the climb is not long enough to make a difference in the outcome of the race. However, this is quickly followed by those laps when the climb feels entirely too long! Anyway, it's still damn hard to climb that thing ten times.

Manayunk is also a complete scene. There are people everywhere…drunk people, families, Uni students, house parties, and lawn parties. Some girl was actually reaching out to touch people as they went by! These spectators might not have any idea what cycling is about, but they are out there having a good time. They seem to enjoy the spectacle and we need spectators to keep racing like this alive in this sponsor-less and money tight year.

Tactics and results have been a key component of all of the races this year. Sometimes there is no explanation to what happens during a race. You can have a foolproof tactical plan, but it may not work out the way you planned.

I know our supporters and sponsors want to see us win all the time, but as athletes it's not always possible. It isn't from lack of trying! I would love for our team to win every weekend! Most of the time it's just some little piece of the puzzle that does not quite work out. This is true for all of the teams that are out there fighting day in and day out. We all have team goals and priorities.

It can be very frustrating when things don't work out the way you planned. This is when you stay passionate and keep going. Continue to work hard and believe in that end result …it will come!

I'm on the gain in my twitter rankings! Given, mine are not especially exciting, nor do or should people be especially interested in what I have to say. However, I think I should have the same amount of followers as Lance in a few years. (Please note Aussie sarcasm).

Fourteen. Yes, this is the number of times I have been called "Floyd" in the last two months. Sorry folks, wrong person. But I suppose there are far worse things to be called, especially when you are riding a bike in spandex in Southern California!

Until next time,

Rory Sutherland

www.teamouch.com

rorysutherland1 - Twitter

Down Time

Published:

May 26, 22:22,

Updated:

June 11, 02:45

By:

Rory Sutherland

From watching the Giro on the box to learning foreign languages: it's all about relaxation for Rory this month

Apparently when it's on, it's on. This is how the last month has been. You're either at home, dying to get to a race; or you're on the road, starting to think about getting home. This whole year seems to be a series of races running back to back, followed by weeks of nothing at all.

Don't get me wrong, I love being home, but I also love to race. A happy medium somewhere in the middle would be great.

After several weeks on the road I am sick. By sick I mean my body shut down a little after the stress of racing. I am doing just fine and enjoying complaining and lying on the couch. I think that during stage races we put in so much effort, so much concentration, so much worry and thinking, that by the time the race is over, we need to shut it down.

I decided that there is only so much time I can give 100 percent and concentrate - the rest of the time, sorry, I'm going to relax. You rush to the airport and trek across country as soon as the race finishes. You are beat by the time you get home. When you don't have to train hard, or race, your body kind of knows it and shuts down the system. This can be a blessing in disguise. Every time I get a bit down or fatigued it's a tell tale sign to take it easy.

Luckily, I'm an absolute expert on taking it easy! So the lesson is this: Listen to your body! Rest, recover, and try not to worry about things. You're not going to lose a couple of months' worth of training and form by taking a few days on the couch when you are sick.

So, how do you cure the boredom of couch and down time? TV really seems to be a thing of the past. I shed a little tear every time I walk into my living room. I see the nice LCD screen staring at me, and it reminds me that I could have bought a fake plastic one and it would be used nearly as much.

TV is out, internet is in. Whether it's searching in a bored manner for things to buy, watching programmes, downloading something, or finding yourself linked from one site to the next, the internet is the cure to all boredom.

For the past two weeks I have been watching little bits of the Giro in the morning. There seems to be more and more sites with live stream video being shown. The really fun part is searching the web to see how many languages you can watch it in. I got a little bored with one commentator (yes, the guy who struggles to pronounce names) and now I'm onto the Belgian TV station. Luckily, from five years living of in Belgium, I can understand what they are saying and enjoy hearing the differences in opinions from one county to another.

I think I am going to try Russian when I become bored with Flemish. It's a language I know nothing about, so I can basically watch the race in peace.

Now the boredom and sickness have gone. I've moved onto the slight worry about races still to come, and the speed at which they are approaching. I've come up to Santa Barbara for a few days to reset and do some fantastic training.

I'm lucky enough to have made great friends in lots of places across the county. When you are sick of riding the same roads, or need to get up and move, these places are a god send. Even luckier is the fact that my friends here in Santa Barbara have a backyard that IS the ocean. An amazing way to end the day... sitting and watching the birds, dolphins and boats roll by in the sun. Am I spoilt? Yes, I most definitely am!

Next up we're off to the East Coast for what's left of Philly week. The crits seem to be beginning, and the racing changes as frequently as we change states. By moving east, it normally means the weather is heading towards summer! I seem to spend my life in an eternal summer, but I love it all the same. As exciting as doing the Tour of California in the cold and rain of February really is, I'll stick with the heat.

* Note for the month. If you come across another rider coming the other way on a ride, raise a hand, smile, or say hello. No one is too big to acknowledge a fellow rider out doing what we all love to do. Don't be that guy (or girl)!

Rory
www.teamouch.com
rorysutherland1 - Twitter (the new communication for people who don’t communicate)

The calm after the storm

Published:

February 28, 00:00,

Updated:

April 22, 19:04

By:

Cycling News

Here we are again. As fast as it seemed to begin, it has now ended. What was a build-up is now a...

February 28, 2009

Here we are again. As fast as it seemed to begin, it has now ended. What was a build-up is now a come down. Honestly, the life of a pro bike rider is either full on, or full off. I'm enjoying the splendors of full off right now. Living in San Diego gives this time of year/week/day a whole new meaning. Why shouldn't I enjoy some down time in the sun? And the other question to that is, why are there no seasons in San Diego??

Training camp this year was a fantastic experience. Training is not the most important thing on the agenda for the week. We always put a big emphasis on getting the guys together, meeting everyone, starting the working together, and doing a little something we like to call "bonding." A few examples of this "Camp Bonding" are as follows:

- Bowling - what a stupid game that turned out to be! Watching bored teammates bowl 2-3 balls at the same time only to be nearly getting kicked out is fairly amusing. - Mixing with the locals on evenings out in the most dingy bars the world has seen. - Singing Karaoke in said bar. - Watching some teammates try and pick up said locals in said bar. - Smashing each other out riding in what is considered a strongman/kudos battle. Anyone would have thought we were battling for Tour of California spots or sprinting for cash.

So we are through with training camp, we can tick that box, and camp was a success. Everyone "bonded," everyone trained, and everyone reached their limit in more ways than one.

Onto the circus that is the Tour of California. Really, this race is as big as it gets in the USA. Now it also seems that it's one of the biggest races in the world. Take out the Tour de France, and I think anyone who is in the sport understands how big it really was this year. The crowds were amazing and deafening. Even in the pouring rain of Northern California (sorry Nor Cal people.. I hate the fact that it always rains there!!!) the fans were out in their numbers cheering and chanting.

What people might want to pay a bit more attention to...Yes, you just saw Lance in the first ten riders, and yes, you want to watch him ride away... but please don't forget the other 120 guys you just turned your back on because they are about to run into you. The Lance mania was apparent and I think we are all little tired of it.... enough said.

A quick insight into what it takes to run and organise this race from the team perspective...

Team Ouch/Maxxis had eight riders at the Tour of California, and to give you an idea of what it takes to get these eight on the road every day, here is our staff run down:

Pretty crazy, isn't it? You would think that with so many people helping out things would be easy for them. Well, that is not the case at all. We eight riders are like a pack of high maintenance, 15-year-old girls. Our needs/wants are sometimes beyond the realm of reality. But, the staff plugs away, putting up with our crap, treating us like the superstars that we really are not. So, thank you staff, I wouldn't trade my job with you for a second!

Boredom and access seems to have breeded twitter (rorysutherland1) in pro cycling. People (older generation than I) have made it their own version of facebook. Apparently, facebook is for kids, twitter is for the cool people... BUT by mastering and running both Facebook AND Twitter, I must be supremely important, educated, and informed. Imagine if I could master Myspace at the same time! Yes, these things above are a perfect cure for inquisitive and bored minds. Twitter seems to also be the new vice, much like coffee in the morning, the internet itself, or the endorphins of racing.

Now the Tour of California is done, I really don't know what to do with myself. Where to from here? Obviously nothing is as big as where we have just been. Till 2010 TOC, I guess. Thank you California/USA, it hass been a blast once again!

From the San Diego Tribune Newspaper after the last stage. Couldn't help but laugh at it:

"From a spectator's perspective, I don't get it. You arrive hours early in order to get a spot, stand around and do whatever, and then the pack comes by in what, a minute or two and it's over. plus, the riders don't even acknowledge your existence. How is that fun and 'fantastic'?"

My closing words for the day:

I am a believer (and I think I've always written this in my diaries) of rest. As much as I like cycling, I like shutting it down, letting my body recover (something I don't think enough guys do) and actually enjoy this great life we have. What's the point in working hard for something all your life if your going to turn fifty and say "shit, I forgot to enjoy the ride"?

Rory Sutherland Team Ouch Maxxis www.teamouch.com

Back in the USA

Published:

February 28, 00:00,

Updated:

April 22, 19:04

By:

Cycling News

My time in Australia is done and I am back in the USA. It all seems to have gone by so quickly, but...

January 22, 2009

My time in Australia is done and I am back in the USA. It all seems to have gone by so quickly, but that is what happens when you are having fun and are busy. I spent two months in that lovely brown island called Oz (otherwise known as home). These days it seems less like home, as I generally spend between ten to eleven months in the USA.

Things went well in Australia. They were not stellar, or even amazing, but overall things were okay. Things can be taken in a positive or negative way, and I choose to take it as positive. I am healthy, happy and well trained. Granted, not everything went my way, or as well as the previous year, but it would have been tough to best two medals in two events in the nationals. I have learned that things don't always go to plan in the sport of cycling. This also rings true in real life! I think you can teach yourself to deal with things as they come. Dealing with change isn't the easiest, but I seem to get used to it as I get older.

Being back in the states is pretty interesting. It's funny how you get used to everything in one country or another. Then you notice all the little differences between the countries (United States/Australia). I'll pen some of them further down on the diary. Another thing I came to the conclusion about is that:
1. People only remember the bad/negative things.
2. People sometimes don't realize that a foreign country actually means that....
3. A perfect place does not exist. By this I mean there are both good and bad things about both countries.

So we're off on the new adventure, the adventure that is 2009, and the new formation (well, mostly new) of Team Ouch presented by Maxxis. It's going to be a hell of a lot of fun, and with a big bolstering of the roster, I really think we have a pretty special group of guys for this year. I know, I know, I say this every year, but it's not every year you are riding with Floyd...

I'm under no illusions that it won't be a hard year. As a team we will be under the microscope, and have greater expectations than we have had before. With some serious names and firepower on the team, responsibilities will fall more on our shoulders than ever before. I'm pretty excited, new things are always fun, and when camp starts later this week, that wonderful day called "Christmas" is upon us again. By this I mean turning up at camp with your laptop, wallet, and toothbrush. Seriously, this is all you need. Bags and bags of stuff start arriving-hence the Christmas nickname. From the casual kit, to shoes, to all the race and training clothing, sponsor presents, bikes (by that I mean a few). So yes, it's a busy and fun time!

After camp it will be all systems go. Tour of California will be only a week and a half away. It's always hard having the first race of the year be the biggest. However, at least the rest of the season isn't as hard as those nine days!

Australia

USA

• Petrol is ohhhh so cheap
• San Diego winter is 26C/80F, nothing wrong with that!
• Its' all sometimes a little too fast paced for me, getting used to traffic again is touch.

I'll have another update from Training camp, as I'm sure there will be plenty of stories to tell! Some will be told, while others will be kept in Temecula (where camp is held in California). I'll also be writing my regular daily diary from the Tour of California!

Cheers,

Rory Sutherland
Team Ouch Presented by Maxxis