Perfs Q & A: Mikey Mottram (Morvelo Basso RT)

A double puncture didn’t stop Mikey Mottram (Morvelo Basso RT) from a top six finish at the Perfs Pedal – we quiz him on his race

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Perfs Q & A: Mikey Mottram (Morvelo Basso RT)

1. How did you feel your race went at the Perfs Pedal despite the punctures?
Mikey: I’m fairly happy with how my race went. There was always going to be a decisive spit, which I knew I would have to make, and so did. Puncturing twice in a row with two laps to go limited what I could do a little, as by the time I got back onto the break, there were already five strong riders up the road. So despite putting a bit of a chase together, we were always going to be up against it, especially with Mitch and Rob sitting in to jump if they were brought back.

2. How did that first lap of the course go for you when the hammer went down?
Mikey: The first lap went OK. Personally, I was expecting the Bike Channel guys to let a few individuals soften themselves up a little bit, by letting them go and bringing them back on the second lap.

I tried to stay at the front as I knew it might go, but got a bit swamped as we turned left off the main road. I saw it starting to split after the climb, and knew I had to be in the front group because they almost certainly wouldn’t get pulled back, so I just rode as hard as I could across the gaps to make sure I was in that front group.

3. Bike Channel Canyon showed they were beatable – did you feel that when they were dominating the moves in numbers?
Mikey: Yes, they showed they could be beaten, but everyone’s beatable! They were not the only team with six riders there and they were well drilled and put it all on the line on that first lap. I think that with someone like Chris Opie in the move, you knew it would be very difficult to catch them out or to simply out sprint them, so I knew I would be up against it to win, but wasn’t ruling it out mid race.

4. How was the finale of the race for you after the double puncture?
Mikey: I punctured coming down the decent. I waited until I could see the service car was ready to stop until I pulled over as it was a slow one. They were fantastic and there was some one there putting a wheel in as soon as I had mine out.

Just as I passed the service car getting back onto the back of the group I hit pot hole and punctured again! The service was great again, but the second puncture meant that I was chasing back through the lanes which was a quite difficult, and the split went on the climb while I was off the back. I tried a couple of times to jump across to the guys off the front but Rob was particularly good at shutting it down. Finally he jumped with about 3 km to go. I followed and got away but never got on his wheel.

5. How has your winter training been before the race – in the UK or camps abroad as well?
Mikey: I have been in the UK all winter. I use my commute to and from work to train and extend them a bit. There have been some very early and dark mornings!

6. Was the Perfs your first race of 2017?
Mikey: Yes, Perfs was the first race of the season for me. I was glad to get going and see how I compare as there is only so much numbers can tell you.
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7. How did you make sure you had your race legs at the Perfs – intervals in training, chain gangs, or turbo work?
Mikey: I’m coached by Tom Kirk at Custom Cycle Coach who also coaches the likes of Dan Bigham and Josef Metelka, so always know I’m in great hands. As I use my bike to get to commute, all of my training’s been on the road, so Tom sets various intervals to simulate race situations.

8. What is the next race goal for you?
Mikey: Next Up I have Primavera, Roy Thame and Jock Wadley before we head off on team training camp, which should set us up to go well mid season.

9. Which events are your season goals for 2017?
Mikey: We should have a fairly busy May, where we will look to produce some good results as a team. We will also be aiming for positive results at Nationals and Suir Valley 3 day. I also like to race on the track and to race Derny events, so will be aiming high at Derny Nationals this year.

10. Finally, how did you get started in cycle racing and what’s the best thing about it for you?
Mikey: I used to be in the GB Rowing Team as a U23. I was cut shortly after U23, so I started riding my bike instead of going back to club level rowing. I never intended to race seriously, but I met Tom Kirk at Castle Combe one evening and he helped me to develop as a cyclist and set some goals. The thing that I love about racing as a cyclist is that it’s so open and you can always have an influence on the race, as opposed to rowing which is very closed, sterile multi-lane racing.

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