Q & A: Joe Fry (Bike Channel/Canyon)

Winner of the Tour of the Reservoir in 2016, young rider Joe Fry goes into 2017 in a new team, Bike Channel/Canyon

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Q & A: Joe Fry (Bike Channel/Canyon)

When asked how it felt to be asked to ride for the new team, he says “it was a great phone call to receive from Tim telling me of the big plans he had for a new team was about to go ahead”.

“It was so clear in his voice his excitement for this new set up and that got me equally enthusiastic hearing about the sponsors, riders, and races that we were going to have for the next year. After all the fear of not having a team for the 2017 season, it was a massive relief to finally hear it was going ahead (he never doubted you for a minute Tim!)

1. What was the highlight of 2016 for you and why?
Joe: To pick one from the whole season is a hard task. But it has to be the Tour of the Reservoir. In my second Prem, I went into the race mainly thinking about how I was going to help my team mates get through this. Then after stage 1 and coming 3rd, I was thinking I am the wrong guy in the team to try and finish this with a win. But after team talks and a day of everyone in the team riding their hearts out for me, being able to win it for the team was something special that I will not forget.

2. What was your favourite/most fun race of 2016
Joe: A shock to some maybe, but the An Post Ras. Hearing about how shocking the weather is every year, I was worried I didn’t have enough winter kit to see me through but in the end I didn’t have enough sun block to stop me burning! That along with a great team of riders and staff, there wasn’t a moment during that race that wasn’t filled with someone laughing. I didn’t get to finish the race but regardless of that, it was without question, the most fun race of the year.

3. What was the toughest race of 2016 for you and why?
Joe: The Tour De Yorkshire was unparalleled in how hard it was. The mix of weather, terrain and my first taste of racing in a field with World Tour teams was a recipe that pushed me to my limit. It helped me gain a perspective of what kind of level these guys race at and how far I have to go still.

4. What is the best piece of equipment (clothing/bike/gadget) to do with racing you are proud of most?
Joe: The Garmin. For me, without this, I think I could be in trouble during races. I rely on it a lot now in races that are a lot longer.

5. What is your warm up routine for races – rollers or turbo? Music or no music?
Joe: I will jump on the rollers for a bit, nothing too aggressive before that start of a long road race. There is always the neutral and a lot of km’s to warm up throughout the start of a race now. For a crit or TT though, I will stick to the BC roller/turbo warm up. I’ll listen to music every time. It really helps get me in my own zone before the race.

6. What’s your favourite discipline on the road; road racing and/or crits (and why?)
Joe: Road racing for sure. I think I need to get involved in a few more crits before I can really get a feel for them and get stuck in and race them properly but at the moment, they aren’t my preference. Road racing suits me better because of the type of rider I am I think.

7. Will you stay in the UK to prepare for next season during the winter or get in a training camp or two abroad to get in some serious miles?
Joe: A mix of both really. I love getting out to Spain for the mountains and being a Southerner, the warm weather out there agrees with me. I will be staying in the UK for a lot of the winter though. I’ve got to get used to the cold for these early season prems. Training out in Spain won’t prepare you for how cold they are!

8. When will you start training for 2017 and what comes first – long steady miles or a mix of miles and efforts?
Joe: I started properly a little while ago, a mixture of both miles and efforts at the moment, getting in a solid base block of training in to start off the winter.

9. What are the goals for 2017?
Joe: Nothing too specific just yet. I’d like to be more consistent in my results. Last year I had a good start to the season and then seemed to dip off a bit which wasn’t ideal. I’d like to race in as many UCI races as possible too: Tour of Yorkshire, Cicle Classic, Ras, Velothon.

10. How tough is it being a pro bike in the UK – what are the biggest challenges?
Joe: It is really tough. The jump this year from Junior to Under 23 was a fairly big gap and not until you do that first proper race do you realise that. The goal is always to try and reach that higher level of racing too. Trying to get noticed on the Pro Conti or even World Tour level, so putting in the hours as well as trying to get results that will make you stand out from everyone else is always going to hard for every rider I think.

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