U.S. Olympic mountain biker Todd Wells of Durango is on pace for his third national cyclocross title. The 30-year-old from Durango has been racing bikes since he was 5 and started racing cyclocross in 2001.
What’s harder: a road race, a mountain bike race or a cyclocross race?
Depends. A road race is really hard at times but really easy at other times. You have to go really deep for short periods but you also go easy enough to eat sandwiches during the race. A mountain bike race is hard the entire time but you only go really hard at the start. The rest is a two-hour time trail, which is very hard but not as hard as the start. A cyclocross race is probably the hardest of all because you have super hard bursts like you do in road racing but you also have to keep it pinned in between those hard efforts like a mountain bike race. The nice thing is it’s over in one hour.
What’s your best training technique?
Long, medium intensity rides during the winter to get ready for the season. The group rides in Durango are great for some short high intensity efforts during the summer. We also have great cross rides in the winter.
Your worst injury?
I broke my wrist several times as a kid riding BMX.
Most frightening moment?
Descending in the group at the Tour of Georgia this year in the rain. I was freezing, no one’s brakes were really working and we were bombing down a mountain.
How do you push through mental fatigue?
I try to pick certain races that I really want to target and I prepare myself to suffer for those events. You can always suffer, but for the events you want to perform really well at you have to be prepared to go really deep.
What is the sickest thing you have ever seen?
Me stopping to relieve myself in the middle of the Angel Fire World Cup because I had the stomach flu.
Who do you admire most?
My wife, Meg.
What music revs you up for a big contest?
I listen to a lot of hip hop, Jay-Z, Biggie Smalls.
Best advice you’ve ever received?
“You have to stay in Europe.” My wife made me stay in Europe and race the final Euro World Cup in 2004 when I was trying to make the Olympic team. I was riding horribly and just wanted to go home. If I didn’t stay and do the race, I would not have made the team.
What do you know now that you didn’t know then?
I quit racing in 1997 and went back to school and got a real job working at IBM. I quickly realized that racing bikes is a lot more fun then working a “real” job.
