IrishCycling asks 20 questions |
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20
THINGS YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO KNOW BUT WERE AFRAID TO
ASK ……… PAIDI O'BRIEN
1. Age? I am 18, my date of birth is 13th of February 1984. 2. Club? I race with the Kanturk Credit Union cycling club. 3. How did you get started in cycling? What do you like about the sport? Most young people in our area try cycling at least once. I like the toughness of the sport, but also the fact that you make a lot of friends through it. I have met a lot of nice people over the years - even my rivals are friends. 4. What was your first win? I won the Middleton Crit as an under 12. 5. How often do you train? I train 5 or 6 times a week, about 400 kilometres or so in total. 6. Favourite training spin? My favourite is known locally as the County Bounds. It is a route near where I live, it goes through Killarney, Macroom and Millstreet. A group of us do it in the winter and we always have good crack. The scenery is nice too, around the Cork-Kerry border. 7. What is your best result / performance to date? My best result was winning the Omloop der Kempen 2002 in Holland. It is a big race, very well known. I was surprised to win it - I was in the break, was only hanging on but then had good legs in the finish. It was my first really big win and it did a lot for my confidence. 8. What is your ambition in life? How do you plan to work towards that goal? My ambition is to stay cycling until I stop enjoying it. I am hoping to race abroad next year as that will bring me on well. I think I might go in May as I don't want to head out too early as I am still young. 9. Who is your favourite professional cyclist, and why? My favourite professional is Ciarán Power. He is a guy we all know and we can identify with him a lot more than some of the foreign riders. He is showing the Irish guys that it is possible to make it, and that is very important. 10. Who is the biggest influence in your life, and why? I don't know yet..I think I am a bit young for that kind of question! 11. How do you relax? I relax by going to the Cinema and listening to music. They are good ways to switch off! 12. What is your favourite film? My favourite film is Braveheart. I have liked it ever since it came out. I think Mel Gibson is a good actor, his films are usually interesting. 13. Apart from Ireland, where have you raced? I have cycled in France, Holland and the UK. 14. Who do you think will be the next Irish rider to win a Tour De France stage? Mark Scanlon. He is very strong, he is some operator. 15. What is your favourite race? My favourite would be the Stamullen GP. It has a great course and Gabriel Howard generates a really good atmosphere. There is always a good crowd there, both in terms of the riders taking part and the people watching. 16. Who is the best rider you have competed against? What impresses you about him? The best I have raced against is Mark Scanlon - his strength is very impressive. 17. Have you tried mountainbiking? How did you get on? I have tried it. It is tougher than road racing but good fun. I didn't get on too well, though, as I crashed loads of times. My bike handling wasn't too good at the time! 18. What qualities makes you a good cyclist ? The enjoyment I get out of training and competing. That's the most important thing. 19. When the time comes, would you encourage your kids take up the sport, and if so, why? Yes, because it is great fun and it is healthy. 20. Describe yourself in one sentence? I am good humoured, fun and stubborn. |
