This article was first published in Rouleur Issue 143
What’s your earliest memory involving cycling?
I would probably say right back when I was around six-years-old, just sitting and watching the Tour de France highlights at home, with my dad, in Australia.
Did you always want to become a professional rider?
Well, I actually played and tried out various other sports when I was growing up: athletics one year, rugby the next, and then I even played football at one point. I always really liked playing and enjoyed rugby union the most. But ultimately I was always super keen to pursue cycling and try and become a pro rider; that’s more or less what I’ve always wanted to do, for as long as I can remember.
Where’s your favourite place to race and train?
I would have to say Italy. I’ve always really loved the racing in Italy and have generally tended to have my best rides there. It is obviously a country that’s very passionate about cycling and they really love it, so for me that makes it a super beautiful place to ride and then to race. Where I live in Switzerland is quite close to the Italian border, so I head over and train in Italy very regularly throughout the year. I’m a big fan of the country.
What’s your least favourite thing about cycling?
It’s a sport that requires so much from you and unfortunately you can’t really be a pro cyclist and live in Australia, so the time spent away from friends and my family is probably the most challenging aspect of it. I would say having to leave Australia at quite a young age was definitely challenging for me. It was also really rewarding and ultimately a great life experience which I’d recommend to anyone, but it definitely brought its tough moments at first.
What’s been your proudest moment?
I think just initially turning professional and getting that first contract was massive, so that would definitely be up there. As I said before, I’d wanted to become a cyclist since I was a kid, so I really worked hard for that and it was something that I dedicated my whole young life to in order to get that first contract. It’s not easy to become a cyclist when you come from Perth, so I would say that and then winning the Giro in 2022. I think those two moments are the ones I’ve been most proud of during my career.
How did your Giro victory in 2022 change you on a personal level?
It was a completely life-changing experience, that’s for sure. Coming second two years earlier and losing on the last day was just agony, so to go back two years later and eventually win it, and to be the guy who effectively took the victory on the second to last stage, was such an unbelievable moment. The events that followed after that were crazy and it meant that you then end up with different standards for yourself and a completely different reality of what you realise you can achieve as a rider. I guess people then have a different perception of you and expect a lot more from you in races, so that definitely changed me.
Do you think the agonising experience of going so close in 2020 gave you the extra motivation you needed to go back and win it?
Definitely, I think that whole experience helped me a lot. I was pretty shocked to be in that position in the first place. To be in with a chance of winning the race overall wasn’t something that I expected at all, neither did the team or any of the people around me. That was really massive and ultimately was probably a career-defining moment. Having that experience gave me the hunger and drive to believe in myself and recognise that one day I could potentially go back to a race like that and win. It gave me the self-belief I needed when I then went back to the Giro a couple of years later, knowing that I could achieve something big.
In such a tough sport, what keeps you motivated to race and train nowadays?
I think cycling is now more demanding than it has ever been and if you want to be competitive and race at the highest level then you have to give it 110 per cent to maintain that. In order to achieve that level then you need to always be very hungry and motivated. I guess it’s about perspective as your career isn’t that long, so you probably only have a very small window in your life where you can do exceptional things, and that’s something that I always keep in mind. You really have to make the most of that because you can’t be a pro cyclist forever. That all gives me a lot of motivation to just simply make the most of each day and every opportunity that I get to compete.
Who’s your funniest team mate at Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe?
That’s a tough one! We’ve got a lot of funny guys on this team. I’m actually on a training camp right now with Laurence Pithie and he’s a pretty funny dude – the Kiwis are always good value for humour, I would say.
What’s it been like having Remco Evenepoel join the team?
He’s had quite a big impact already on the group in the short time that he’s been here and he’s had some great results so far this season in just the first few weeks; he’s also had a positive impact on the camps we’ve been on together, too. It’s been a very similar experience to when Primož Roglic joined us – you can really see and feel that the team is trying to make the steps to be one of the best teams in the world. When you sign a guy like Evenepoel, it’s clear that everyone is working above and beyond to push the team further and really trying to take us to a whole new level. When you consider his achievements: double Olympic champion, Grand Tour winner, world time trial champion, former world road race champion, and one of the best riders in the world currently, then you can really see that his presence clearly brings a lot to our team.
Do you have any hidden talents?
I can make a decent curry when I want to. I don’t mind cooking to be honest, but I wouldn’t say I’m like a master chef or anything like that.
What’s your most annoying habit?
That’s a hard one, although I’ve probably got loads – I know for certain that my partner would bring up plenty of things for this if you asked her! When I get home from a ride I’m always pretty cooked and I end up taking my drink bottles off my bike and leaving them at the front door for a while. That always annoys my partner as she says it then makes it look pretty messy outside our place when I forget to bring them in.
What music are you into currently?
I’ll listen to more or less everything and anything, except country music. I really like old school hip-hop at the moment, stufflike Outkast. My favourite band is probably Tame Impala, I really like all of their early stuff and the first couple of albums that they did. They’re also from Perth, just to drop that in there.
Who is the person, or people, that you admire most in life?
I’d say my parents, my mum and dad, but also my wife as well. They all give me the most inspiration on a day-to-day level and they’re the people that have helped me and taught me the most in my life.
Do you have a bucket list holiday destination that you would like to visit?
There’s a few! We went to Argentina last year which was pretty epic as I’d always wanted to go to South America, so that was really cool to finally get there. But in terms of places I haven’t been before then I think Nepal would be amazing, and also Morocco is somewhere I’d love to visit – I’m a big fan of couscous.
How do you like to spend your off-season?
That’s a good question as I find that the off-season is getting smaller and smaller every year that passes. But I like to just get a nice holiday in, catch up with friends, and then hopefully get back to Australia if I have time. I always like getting back to Oz and catching up with everyone there, friends and family, and preferably then spending Christmas in 40-degree weather, because that’s how it should be, with shrimp on the barbie and sitting next to the pool, or on the beach, and anyone who tells me otherwise is completely wrong, in my opinion.
What are you most thankful for?
It’s probably a bit of a cliché, but just getting to wake up every morning and be healthy is definitely something that I don’t take for granted and I am very thankful for. Then also just the support that I’ve received throughout my life from my family and friends that has enabled me to chase that goal of becoming a professional cyclist. I’ve been a pro for a while now, since 2018, and it’s often a very privileged life that we get to live as cyclists and I think that’s something that it’s important to remember sometimes. It isn’t always sunshine and rainbows, but in general I feel very lucky just to be where I am and to get to ride my bike for a living rather than doing something else.
