Here’s the concluding part of our recent chat with Cameron Wurf. In part one we learned about his love of sports while in part two he said team mate Moreno Moser was effortlessly chic. Today he tells us who’s the funny guy at #thegreenmachine and gives us a few dietary tips.
G4: Every team has its different personalities who’s Cannondale’s joker?
CJW: Funny guy? Fabio Sabatini likes to have a fair bit of fun with everyone, as much as he can. Then there’s Peter Sagan. It’s rare you don’t find a smile on his face, either at his own expense or in relation to something he’s set up for someone else on the team. So yeah, Peter’s probably the team’s funny man.
G4: While you circumnavigate the globe in search of the sun, are there any places that you’ve particularly enjoyed visiting?
CJW: I really like Tenerife where we go for our training camps, it’s really nice. Then there’s San Sebastian. I really like Spain. I don’t know why but I sleep, train and race well there. It’s a very relaxed environment.
At the start of this year’s Giro [d’Italia], Napoli and the isle of Ischia took my breath away. I’d never been to southern Italy before and it was all pretty special. I said to myself I want to come back here without a pushbike and have a look around.
G4: Do you enjoy being one of the more senior members of team and advising the younger ones, like Matej [Mohoric]?
CJW: Yeah, I came to the realisation the other day that I’m one of the older members of the team and, with so many youngsters, it’s a very young team. I really enjoy that aspect of teamwork and I’ve enjoyed it from the other side too. I’ve been really fortunate, throughout my entire sporting career, to be mentored by the best in the sport. When I was rowing, I was surrounded by guys that had won Olympic medals.
Not long after I took up cycling, I was lucky to meet Cadel Evans who introduced me to his coach Aldo Sassi. I started working with him, then he introduced me to Ivan [Basso] who I’ve now known for a long time. We all live in and around the same area.
So I’ve been very fortunate to always have the best people to guide me. While I know I’m far from achieving anything like they have, I appreciate the importance of having relationships with people like them and being able to ask them questions confidently and honestly. I know and realise how difficult it can be to get the right answer and how easily you can be misled in sport.
I’ve always wanted to try and pass on that knowledge to younger athletes in whatever sport I’ve been involved with. [Matej] Mohoric is one guy I’ve instantly spent some time with. He’ll be coming to California with me over Xmas and New Year, ahead of the team presentation, so we’ll be spending more time together. Then we’ll be all together in Australia for the Tour Down Under and Herald Sun Tour.
G4: I’m sure he appreciates you taking him under you wing.
CJW: Well, I’ll tell you what, I’ve learnt a few interesting things from him too. It’s all good and it’s hopefully good for everyone.
G4: You’re a tall guy. Do you have any problems staying at racing weight?
CJW: You have to make sacrifices. The issue’s not so much I guess getting fat but rather putting on muscle. You can eat too much, or eat the wrong things, and gain kilos simply through muscle. I have a really simple philosophy with respect to food and training. If it’s not worth burning off, don’t eat it. If I eat something I enjoy, I’ll happily train for longer the next day.
G4: That’s sage advice. Thank you for your time, keep up the good work with your blog and we’ll catch up during the season – maybe in Spain!
I can’t help feeling that, once Cameron’s climbed off the bike, a third sporting career as a pro golfer beckons. You certainly wouldn’t bet against it.
Links: G4 on-line boutique, Cameron Wurf’s blog, Part one, Part two
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