Gerard asks 20 questions

20 THINGS YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO KNOW BUT WERE AFRAID TO ASK …………… COLM BRACKEN. 

NAME ;      COLM BRACKEN

1. Age: 30

2. Club: Usher Insulation Irish Road Club.

3. GC: How did you get started in cycling?

    CB: My brother had a bike and I used to go out on it after school. . I was playing football for the school and the local club and they kind of disbanded and so I took up cycling at the weekends. I saw these cyclists out, you know the racers and I thought that might be interesting so I just took it from there. Then I started going to the races, to look at them and I used to meet lads out on the road and I asked someone how do I go about it and they said ‘see that man over there’ and that was Noel Scanlon from the Les Jeunes club and that’s how I started out. I went on tours with them all summer and they had races too and I started racing.

4. GC:  What Was your first win?

    CB: First year junior, first race of the season, the Beechmount Cup. I won it in a bunch sprint and I didn’t know how I did it !

5. GC: How often do you train?

    CB: Every day

6. GC: Favourite training spin?

    CB: Around Clonee and Dunboyne.

7. GC: Best result / performance to date?

    CB: Yellow jersey in the Ras 1992

8. GC: Ambition in cycling?

    CB: To win as many races as I can.

9. GC: Favourite professional cyclist?

    CB: I don’t know, they’re all on drugs.

10. GC: Pet hates?

      CB: Negative riding.

11. GC: How do you relax?

      CB: Sleep

12. GC: Do you think 3^rd Cats should be re-introduced?

      CB: Yes.

13. GC: Apart from Ireland, where have you raced?

      CB: America, Belgium and France

14. GC: Who will be the next Irish rider to win a Tour De France stage?

      CB: Mark Scanlon

15. GC: Favourite race?

      CB: Club races

16. GC: Best rider you have raced against?

      CB: Guiseppe Guerini

17. GC. Have you tried mountainbiking?

      CB; Yes I was out with Peter Purfield for a good many years from the yellow house in Rathfarnham

18. GC:What makes you a good cyclist?

      CB: Dedication, commitment

19. GC: Would you let your kids take up the sport?

      CB: Yeah.

20. GC: Describe yourself in one sentence?

      CB: Big burly sprinter.