Paul works on major events at British Cycling and has a penchant for continental sportives, having ridden the Flanders sportive and the Etape to name but two. In terms of emergency spares, he flies by the seat of his Rapha pants and his bottom gear is positively pro. Over to you Paul...
Name: Paul Rowlands
Gender: Male
Age: 33
Height: 6 foot ish
Weight: 70kg
Bottom Gear: 39/26
Current bike: Condor Italia
What do you take with you on a ride? Pump, inner tube, the best of intentions
Why do you ride sportives? Self indulgence, still can’t get over the idea that I’ll never be a pro cyclist,
What was your last sportive? Pffft, too long ago. Tilf-Bastogne-Tilf I think
What’s your favourite event and why? Tour of Flanders, great crowds, riding those climbs gives you a different perspective on what the pros do
What’s the longest sportive you’ve done? Etape du Tour 2004 (I think) it was 250km or near enough. Massive.
What’s your most memorable sportive moment? There’s loads, usually a trip will involve a good group of people and plenty of banter. Which is probably the real reason I’ve been to most of them.
What’s your worst sportive moment? Going out too hard on the Gran Fondo Campagnolo, totally blowing on the second climb (passo rolle I think) leaving just another 160km to the finish
When was the last time you walked up a hill? A few weeks back, fortunately I was hill walking at the time rather than cycling.
How much training do you do before an event? Enough
What’s your top sportive riding tip? Preparing for a sportive is like a jigsaw, training should reflect the components of the ride you’ll be doing on the day, but not all of them in every session.
Favourite feed station fodder? Gels. I don’t actually like them, they work though.
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