Interview: Andrew Tennant

 

Interview Posted: July 14, 2006

Words & Images: Larry Hickmott

Link: European Track Championships Coverage >>>>

 

In 2004, as a first year Junior, Andrew Tennant, was 6th in the British Junior Pursuit Championship and 5th in the Junior Road Race Championship. A year later he was World Junior Individual Pursuit champion and he continues to develop rapidly, evidenced by his recent 3rd place in a UCI 2.2 ranked stage race in Luxembourg. What we have seen is a rather rapid transformation from a rider able to do okay in domestic events to one who can hold his own with international riders many years older. As his coach Rod Ellingworth says, "Andy has shown a lot of potential this year."

Andy himself says of it, "its been a whirlwind, to be honest. This time last year I didn't think I was going to the Europeans never mind winning a World title. Originally, when I got a place on the ODP (Olympic Development Programme), I thought I might get to the Worlds and it would be a good experience but to win the title was huge thing for me, the biggest thing a Junior can do."

Last July and August were pretty special months for Andy and then it got even better when he was selected to go to Australia and ride for England in the Commonwealth Games. Everything was looking rosy. However, the life of an athlete at the highest level is a roller coaster ride and Andy's racing briefly went off the rails in Australia.

"I have had my ups and downs with injuries" he says. "I wasn't really used to the workload and although I have handled it quite well, it has been a steep learning curve. Before last year, I just rode my bike and raced, I didn't really train. So to be riding every day and doing double sessions, it was taking its toll and I overdid it in Australia, which I got quite depressed over."

Being part of a performance focused squad, he naturally became nervous about his place in the team but his manager and coach, Rod Ellingworth, reassured him that it was just a phase. "I took a week off at home, had a mini holiday and that brought me into Italy (where Andy and the squad have been based) in April really fresh, when I really wanted to race my bike again" Andy says of it. "I came out of that hole and had quite a few highs afterwards. It was hard in the Giro delle Regioni and then I had a high in Fleche du Sud where I got third."

Andy is quick to praise his coaches in the GB team: "I think Rod is a great coach along with Simon (Jones - the GB Team's Head Coach) and they work well together. I think they have brought us forward very quickly with the aim of us being ready for the Olympics of 2008 and 2012. I think with their help, we can all achieve our dreams: for me that is to win Gold medals."

Asked how his programme has eveolved, Andy said "now my programme is structured and everything is done for a reason. I'm also making sure I am resting which is something I struggle with being an active person. I think the key to our success is getting the quality training in a structured way and resting."

His result in Luxembourg surprised many people -- after all, he is only 19 years old and hasn't been racing seriously on the road for much more than a year really. It surprised Andy too. "It was just as much a surprise as the Junior Worlds" he explains. "We went there with the aim of Geraint Thomas winning the Under 21 Jersey. Then I got into the break on a stage, with a lot of help from Rob Hayles, and then Gez got across and we were soon four minutes up. We rode well as a team there and I was determined to keep my 3rd place and help Gez stay in 1st."

And does he put down that success to the time in Italy? "Yes, Italy has definitely helped bring me forward to achieve these sort of results."

Prior to the lads leaving for Italy, they all appeared quite excited by the prospect. 'Living the dream' is one cliche that comes to mind and these boys were certainly doing that. Asked was Italy what he expected, Andy said "It's been as good as I expected but also different. I think we have proved in that short period of time what we can do as bike riders. Max (Sciandri, former pro and GB team advisor) was a bit unsure to start with but by the end he seems impressed that we were going into races looking for wins and not just to hang on".

The lifestyle is also quite different, living as they do in a Tuscan village. Andy explained he thinks it's a great place to be with one of the highlights being a two hour ride to a cafe called Cappuccino King with great coffee and staff that look after them well.

And their house, what's that like I asked? "The best way to describe the house is it's like the Big Brother house with six lads and no girls" Andy says. "There are no distractions which is great because I don't feel like I'm missing out and I can relax. We just go out to the town and have a few coffees. Its very relaxed. When we were living in Manchester we were bored because there were other things were could do but were not allowed. Where we are now, though, there is nothing we can do so it's a different type of boredom."

There are also lots of other good things about being in Italy and some not so good. Besides the free coffees and the respect the drivers give cyclists, in a country where the sport is a way of life, the locals don't always race by the rules. If they find the commissaire's back is turned, you can be sure they'll try and get away with things which you wouldn't see here in the UK and the riders from outside Italy do quickly find themselves isolated.

Andy says it can get a bit annoying but he just shrugs his shoulders and says "for us, as long as we make the time limit and have done our job, it doesn't matter how long it takes. I don't let it trouble it me and hopefully I won't be in the gruppetto too often. I don't think we have their respect but hopefully that will change when we start to win some big races."

It's these experiences in Italy that have also helped this group of young riders grow as a team and the time in Italy has helped them become stronger as a unit: "We've all helped each other through the tough times which we have all had. We are also ready and willing to work for each other as well. Also we don't have the pressures on us to be selfish - unlike riders in other teams, who feel the need to get noticed."

Track Racing Again
So, after the Road Racing in Italy, comes Andy's next target of the year, the European Track Championships. The track training "block" for the European Championships is like having a break, Andy explains and he does feel refreshed after some time at home.

Asked does he find getting back into the swing of things on the track difficult, he replied, "previously when I have come back to the track, it's been like going back to square one but this time, the first two minutes I was a bit nervous and after that it was like I had never left. We had two sessions and when we looked at the ride on video, we were riding so smooth and able to analyse things better, which is helping our performances."

Andy says he is also much better prepared for the Europeans than he was last year. "We went into the Europeans in 2005 knowing we were fast but having no idea what we could do. With the team we have for this year, I can't see why we can't get a medal and a gold one at that. We have two riders who have ridden at the senior Worlds with us and we're all going well."

So does he feel he's a trackie or a roadie now? "Before I was never really thinking about the road but now I want to be a Pro tour rider as well -- we all do. Whilst the programme is track based, we are racing against the best road riders in the world and there is nothing better".

All the best to Andy and the team in Athens.