firstoffthebike.com - Interviews

Robbo on the comeback!

This is your first race back after a little while and a local race (Gatorade Race 4). What was it like for you getting back in the saddle of racing?
A real shock to the system today. I was pleased with how it went (3rd). Luckily it wasn’t too hard a race especially the first half of the bike they were just mucking around really out there. I was just happy to get through it and stay near the leaders all day and have a bit of a go if I could. I wasn’t really able to do much out there but just for me it was to see where I’m at again. I’ve still got a lot of work to do but I'm definitely heading in the right direction.

What’s the plan for you? Obviously the Olympic campaign didn’t work out in Beijing. Then you did some 70.3's. What’s the ideal distance for you to be racing?
Look, I never really gave the longer stuff a real good crack or probably enough time either. I guess I was in a position where I was really struggling for motivation; I thought that (the 70.3 series) might help spark me up again. I actually really enjoyed it and I really enjoyed the training but again it wasn’t the answer. So I really had to go back to the drawing board really and start from scratch.

I had a fair bit of time off last year in 2009 and I was really at a crossroads of do I retire or do I give it a real good crack and I’ve come back just to really do it properly. I really think that I’ve under achieved for a long time and so watching the racing last year I was really excited. For the first time in a long time I’ve seen someone who’s racing with no fear. I’ve watched the sport progress. The ITU is getting a lot faster each year but the racing isn’t always incredibly exciting. But last year that excited me and motivated me a bit and now I’m really keen to get back into that style of racing because I think that’s what suits me and that’s where it’s at for me.

And so you watch someone like Alistair Brownlee who you were talking about as being so exciting in his racing with that just throw the gauntlet down style. Is that the way that you’re going to go out and race? Are you going to try and emulate that sort of thing and just be super aggressive and just see where it lands you?
Well, yeah I think that’s how I probably raced about ten years ago. And  when I was his age I raced with no fear and left the guys behind me. I don’t know what happens as you get older you try and I don’t know, you change your style of racing a little bit.

Do you become a bit cautious or a bit careful about your position?
Yeah, I think so, because I know when I first turned pro I was crashing nearly every second race but still finishing, still doing well but it wasn’t a worry for me at all. I was prepared to do anything to win the races and as you get older you should become more experienced and hopefully avoid that kind of stuff but you're a lot more cautious. I think it’s exciting and that’s what I want to bring back to the sport – excitement – I think people like that side of racing and it’s always been a big part of my career is bringing excitement to the sport and I hope to do that again.

Can someone like Alistair Brownlee sustain it all the way to London? He’s been on the top for now for a full year and he’s got to go round again. is going to burn out?
I hope so yeah. Every year we’ve seen over the last decade, aside from myself, there’s been a different world champion and at the end of each year when someone wins the world title they go; "Oh, that guy's it, he’s going to win the next Olympics, he’s going to win the next world title" and no-one’s gone on to do that.

There’s been some great athletes, especially guys like Gomez, who just looks unbeatable yet he’s only won one world title. I’m not taking anything away from him but they’re the results that people look at at the end of their career and he’s on track. He’s even with everyone really and Brownlee, yeah, he’s stepped it up and we’ve seen it before though.

So what happens is now, he went into last year with no pressure and that's totally changed now. All of a sudden now he’s a home town favourite to win in the next Olympics which is still three seasons away. Sometime’s that can motivate you and you put in the hard work but other times it can wear you out and put a lot of pressure on so I have no idea how he’ll deal with that.

How did you deal with it? Its tough isn’t it. You’ve got the world championship title on your shoulders and you’ve got to go out and race literally like the world champion with everyone watching you?
I never backed up so I guess probably any race I went into as favourite I probably faltered and I was never expected to win any of the world titles I did on the days that I did. It can weigh on any athlete’s mind so I don’t think he’ll be immune to it even though at this stage he seems like he’s a level above everyone but that can change pretty quickly in this sport.

So when can we see you in great nick? When do you think you’ll be back to ITU and that level where you’ll be very competitive in that top ten?
Well the top ten I hope by the beginning of the season but competitive for me is winning races that’s where it’s at. I’m not putting all this effort into finish top three or top five, I’m capable of winning and that’s my only goal and so by mid-year I want to be winning races again and I think that’s an achievable goal. Today was a good eye opener for me. I’m nowhere near that at this stage but I’m definitely heading in the right direction.