GamJams.net: Where Mid-Atlantic bike racers roll: 10 Questions With... Matt Cooke

by David Kirkpatrick, Features Editor

10 Questions With... Matt Cooke

(GamJams) 1. You've been racing in the pro ranks for several years. How did you first make the leap to the pros?

(Matt Cooke) During the 2006 season all I could think about was trying to become a pro. I had a long and actually really good season. I started by doing a UCI stage race in Mexico. I was only a cat 2 but I rode so well. Then I came back to DC and raced with the Kelly Benefits elite team. I pretty much just had a good season, very consistent. Winning Nationals and Green Mountain and my ride at Univest were the highlights.

(GJ) 2. After a couple of years with two of the bigger teams in the country (Navigators and HealthNet), you've spent this year on a smaller team. What are the positives and negatives of big versus small team and vice versa?

(MC) Going back to a smaller team is different because the budget is smaller, the equipment might not be as cutting edge, and we missed out on some of the bigger races. That said Ride Clean presented by Patentit.com has been really fun. We have had great support at races, travel is taken care of by the team, and we have done just about all the big races I would like to have done. The one big advantage is that being on a smaller team is that I go into races with more of a potential winner’s attitude. For whatever reason being on such strong teams like Health Net and Navigators I sort of felt over-shadowed by the long time pros. I don't feel that way anymore, but at the time it was pretty intimidating.

(GJ) 3. You joined Navigators after winning the 2006 Elite Nationals. Is it a case of the big teams sort of standing at the finish line with contracts for the top few guys to sign, or was that result a link in a longer chain of events that led to that contract?

(MC) It's not like that although sometimes things do happen that quickly. Actually, Nationals was not what got me a contract with Navigators. It was Green Mountain, and having a few riders tell the director that I was someone he should look at. I also think a well known Mid-Atlantic coach put in a good word for me.

(GJ) 4. What's the toughest part about being a professional cyclist?

(MC) The racing for sure. You are expected and indeed it is your job to be firing on all cylinders at all the races. Even if it is not winning, you still have to be ready to slay yourself for a team result. The racing can be, and most of the time is, just brutal.

(GJ) 5. With such a heavy racing load throughout the year, how does your training change once the season hits? Is it just race, recover, rinse, repeat or do you maintain structured workouts?

(MC) There is a lot of rest that goes on because the racing is so hard, but there is a lot of time in the season when I do many structured workouts. Sometimes only one or two between races because I need to rest but a few workouts can go a long way.

(GJ) 6. You've pulled some great results against guys we see on TV and read about in magazines (ed: Matt just finished 12th on GC at the Tour of Utah). How tough is it to develop the frame of mind that you can hang with those guys and even drop them?

(MC) It is something that racers get over very quickly. Maybe the guy next to me won the Tour or a stage in the tour but there is so much going on in a race that you can't think about it very much. When the shit hits the fan in the races it doesn't matter who or what the guy next to you has done, you have to worry about keeping yourself safe and race your own race. These guys you’re talking about, they have two legs just like me, they have to train just like everyone else and they can have bad days too, so I am not afraid of them. After all maybe they did the Tour and rode on big ProTour teams but right now we are both doing Redlands, so they are no better off than I am.

(GJ) 7. One of the big themes that we've seen this year is that a rider will have a big result and then stay on a hot streak for an extended period of time. As someone who's been on a roll, is it just a matter of physically being on great form or is there more going on there?

(MC) I don't really feel like I am on a roll but thanks! I think a big part of it is confidence. Actually a huge part of it is confidence. It is that attitude of "I belong here and this is my wheel. You are not going to push me off of it." You have to have the fitness to do that but for many guys that is not the limiting factor.

(GJ) 8. The UCI continental rules seem to make life difficult for pros who are still on the rise but are older than 25. How tough does that make it for a rider like you to develop a good home on a team?

(MC) It makes it very tough. That rule essentially put a hold on many guys’ careers. Still I do have a responsibility to earn a contract each year or two years, whatever it may be.

(GJ) 9. It's past September 1st. Any big news to announce?

(MC) Not yet. I hope to have to have some good news to tell you guys soon, and when I do, you will be the first to know. So if there are any directors reading this, please contact me!

(GJ) 10. Finish the following statement: "In 12 months I'd like to be..."

(MC) Celebrating a successful season where I did something special on the bike.

David Kirkpatrick is a Features Editor with GamJams who races for NCVC. He is enjoying growing fame through his blog Flamenco Chuckwagon, and as promoter of the lauded Lost River Classic.