Gerard asks 20 questions

20 THINGS YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO KNOW BUT WERE AFRAID TO ASK ………  TARJA OWENS

NAME ;  TARJA OWENS

1. Age:   23

2. Club: Helly Hansen / Giant / MBI

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

    TO:  I bought a mountain bike through Denis Brennan, his daughter Jenny bought one and that was it, I was hooked!..

4. GC:  What was your first win?

    TO:  The Junior National MTB title in Kilruddery, Wicklow 1994.

5. GC: How often do you train?

    TO:  I try riding every day, but mostly six days a week..

6. GC: Favourite training spin?

    TO:  Any Mountain bike ride with friends. In the summer, in the Wicklow mountains – everyone should try that! But my favourite track would be down by the fence in Djouce woods for those who know it.!

7. GC: Best result / performance to date?

    TO: My most memorable is probably winning the Senior National MTB Champs in 1996, when I was still a junior. On paper, probably the World Championships 2000.

8. GC: Ambition in cycling?

    TO; To become a savage! To go into the 2004 Olympics and be a favorite for a medal. And to bring Irish cycling to a new level in mountainbiking, to be world class.

9. GC: Favourite professional cyclist?

    TO:  Robin Seymour for his technical prowess, Filip Maerhague for his savageness and friendliness and Julie Furtado ‘cos she is the mountainbike ambassador.

10. GC: Pet hates?

      TO:  When you puncture in the most important race of your life – TWICE!.

11. GC: How do you relax?

      TO:  To relax my mind I train on my bike, to relax my body it generally involves music, going for a coffee and close friends.

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

      TO: Well, when I started racing with the 3^rd cats it was quite good , apart from all the crashes. I think for guys and gals that work all week and have family commitments and want to do a bit of racing, 3^rd cats is ideal, because they can at least enjoy the sport for what it is and at the end of the day, it’s the people who work all week that have the money to put into the sport which helps keeps our federation and thus racing, going.

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

      CP: Mostly in the U.K, Holland, Spain, Belgium, Switzerland, Turkey, Cyprus, USA, Australia, Germany, Italy.

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

      TO: I don’t know the Irish scene well enough to comment on that, but I believe that McCann and Power are pretty good!.

15. GC: Favourite race?

      TO: The world short course championships held in Ticknock, Dublin, August 2000.

16. GC: Best rider you have raced against?

      TO: Take your pick from the Olympic MTB race , Sydney 2000.

17. GC. Have you tried mountainbiking?

      TO; Eh, that’s not a real sport!!

18. GC: What makes you a good cyclist?

      TO: Probably my stubbornness to keep training and racing and constantly striving to improve.

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

      TO;  Yes!  I already have their training programs made out!

20. GC: Describe yourself in one sentence?

      TO: Persistent hard working masochist who loves coffee