Chris Lieto - A man on the move
I am sitting on a rooftop of the world here in LA with arguably triathlon's biggest superstar at the moment, Chris Lieto. Now he is laughing as I say that but seriously he has been on the cover of more magazines last year that we care to remember. Chris, welcome to firstoffthebike.com.
Thank you very much.
Now you really found your feet last year in Kona. It was a real coming out for you. Not only did you just smash the bike and make everyone look really, really slow but also you backed up with a good marathon. How has life changed since that?
Yes, it's been a good road. Last year was a really good year. I have had some good performances in Hawaii before that as well. In 07 I finished sixth and had a similar year coming off the bike but actually had a better run that year I think than I did this year but my running is improving. This year was just a lot harder.
Things are going upwards every year and improving and next year I hope it just keeps going up. I've got one more slot to go. But, yes, since Hawaii it's been a little bit busier. The support has been phenomenal. I really appreciate all the fans out there and all the support that I get. It is really cool because I feel like when I am racing it's not only just racing for myself because I get so much encouragement and support that makes me want to race harder and makes me want to perform and hopefully pull out a win here in Hawaii and do it for myself but do it for my family and the support and the fans that are out there and my sponsors.
On the website, I've got to be honest here, we've questioned your racing tactics - I mean you are the best cyclist in the world of triathlon, there is no doubt. Are you going to hold back or do we not know what we are talking about? If you hold back then maybe you don't get the results? For you when you go into a race what's the plan?
I mean it's a great question. It's the question I've been asking myself for the last four years. You know I have been really focusing on Hawaii for that long. I was really focusing on going, I know that I have a chance to win but it's putting the right game plan together and as far as performing in every aspect the way I know I can.
Tactical wise, I'm a strong cyclist and there is a lot of times that I leave more out there than I want to on the bike and it affects my run. My running is much better than what my performances have shown and I am waiting for that day to show it and really have that perfect day. Like I said last year it was not a good year for me on my run at all. I am running a lot better but I had a worse run that I have in previous years so I am excited about that because I know there is a lot of room for a faster time or improvement.
But I looking at it I'm going for a win. I want to go to Hawaii and I want to win it. I want to become world champ. I don't want to get there and get top three. I am stoked that I finished second, absolutely, but my goal going into that race every year for the last four years has been I want to try to win. When you're racing Chris McCormick or Crowie that are very fast runners I know if I hold back and ride with the group as I say and I get off the bike the likelihood of outrunning one of those two guys is very unlikely as well as a lot of other guys that are phenomenal runners.
So for me I have to play my cards and it's finding that perfect balance. Finding the balance of how hard do I ride, how much lead do I need, how much will it affect my run, so and so forth. You know this last year in Hawaii I was surprised I had that much time. I didn't think I needed that much time. I found out after I needed a couple more minutes but again it was not killing myself on the bike and prepared for the run and that's why I am excited about this next year because I know that there's a lot of room for moving up.
The Australian readers of firstoffthebike.com know all about Crowie and how fast he can run. You know all about him. He gave you a couple of really, really tough races in the 70.3 series last season. You had a bunch of second places. Does that eat away at you the fact that you are perennially at the moment in second place?
No. It's actually Cameron Brown has been second in Hawaii for I don't know how many years and I remember saying to him that he was Mr Second for a long time (laughs). It wasn't until this year I've had a few more seconds and at first I joked about it and I laughed about it, here's a second place again, but I try to put myself in a position that I race against the best and this time of year and where I am at now finishing second has been really good against some fast world champs so in my timing and my build for Hawaii I am okay with those seconds.
It doesn't mess with me. I do have to say that a first place is well overdue. My family and my son, he is a huge fan and he is always asking me who is racing there and if I say Crowie is racing there, he is like "oh man, you'll get second again or something."(laughs) So the day I'm going to beat Crowie is going to be good. The day I go on and win a first place again, you know it has been a while. It is going to be great. You know second in the world is awesome but you always want to get that win.
You're in LA for the launch of Speed Concept and the Trek bike range that has come out for triathlons specifically and you've said up there on stage at the launch that you were riding back into Kona last year and you knew you were on the best bike. Is that just spin or were you obviously just sitting there just thinking, I am on a beautiful machine and it's just getting me places other people aren't? How much value I guess do you put in the technology?
A ton. I knew for the last year. I've seen results. I know how it tests in the wind tunnel. The new Speed Concept hands down is the fastest bike in the world and the more of the cross winds you get and the higher that you get the faster the bike is compared to every bike that's out there. So for me, yes, in Kona you really don't want the wind because you have to suffer to go through it. Everyone is like, I hope for a windy year for you because it will make it that much harder for everybody else. I would prefer to have no wind because you've got to work that much harder.
But this year, coming back when we had a cross wind going home, yes, I thought about it. I'm like you know what I am on the best bike for this condition especially and I knew I was going to put time on the guys and so that builds a little bit of confidence in me and my performance and knowing that okay I can stick with it but also just, I mean I look at it as free time. You know I am riding the best bike in the world. I feel sorry for the guys that aren't on as good a bike just because they are giving away time and I am blessed to be a part of it and I wouldn't want to be on any other bike.
It is interesting to think that since then like we've seen you on covers of Outside Magazine and we've seen the different video shoots and things like that. How do you balance all that? You're obviously trying to make your way forward to the next step and be the world champion but there is so much pressure on you to do other things like interviews and sitting down with dorky Australian triathlon reporters. How do you balance all that up?
Yes, I always make sure that within those times that I have to do those things that I get my training in. You know in the early part of this year I was doing a lot of travelling and doing a lot of stuff but I was really able to put in the training that I needed. My training the last few years has been more quality and not as much volume. You know I'll get to more volume as my lead into Hawaii so I know my fitness is going to keep improving but doing the things I am doing it fits in, I get my training in.
Today was a perfect day. I had to do a presentation for the launch of the Speed Concept but at the same time I went out and I rode a hard all out effort for 35 minutes until I got the flat and got a great workout in so I am getting in what I need. As far as tomorrow I am going to go for a three hour ride on the course, you know three or four hours, and then I'm going for a long run on the next day. I am getting it in and then I am flying home so I am not missing anything and it's just all about scheduling and bouncing and making sure I get what I need.
Earlier this year Lance Armstrong, of course no stranger to anybody, threw out the challenge on the Queen K, a little bit of a time trial. What's it like though when you are taking on these sorts challenges with these sort of people? Is it something that you really like doing and getting yourself out there in the public eye and it was such a well publicised thing and then today too you run the time trial even though you had a flat. Do you like doing that sort of thing?
Yes. I love to mix it up. I love to compete. I love to be out and challenge myself and I respect and look up to all of the pro cyclists and I have friends that are out there racing and I enjoy it and to be able to be a part of it and challenge myself within that, I love it. It gets PR and with the whole Lance thing in Hawaii he threw it out there and I couldn't refuse.
You know he twitters out there to three million people. I had to say okay and I was a little nervous but I had fun and he is a great guy and it's just a good challenge. It got a lot of legs and it was good for the sport I think. It just crosses over and it's getting sponsors that are in the cycling community a little more aware of what's going on in the triathlon. The triathlon community is so large now and it's expanding and growing phenomenally that we're going to get a lot more cross over and I just want to be a part of the growth of the sport and I love racing and I want to win Hawaii and all that but I also have the goals of trying to be a part in increasing the visibility of the sport in the United States or in the world you know just to get more excitement around it, more TV coverage and more knowledge about it.
If Lance lines up in 2011 next to you at the swim start, he is someone that you are worried about?
It will be a lot of fun. I don't know if I will be worried about it. I don't know if I will have to approach a little bit different but I wouldn't have to worry about the swim and I don't think I'd have to worry about the run at all. The bike, you know I think he would catch me but again it is that challenge again. I would love to have somebody that is really going to push the pace and push me. You know I've had it in the past and I still do.
There are a lot of great guys that ride bikes that will be in Hawaii this year and it is going to challenge me and I like that because I want the whole bar for it to be raised and everyone's cycling has improved because they know now that you can't just relax and go on for the ride and hope off and run. You have to be good at all three and every year it gets harder and harder and harder and that's the challenge next year.
Last year I felt like I had everything in place and didn't have the perfect day but it was a good day and to think about building back up to be in that place again and be as far as prepared and have the cards lay out the right way and have everything fall into place is going to be a challenge so I hope I can perform when that day comes.
One last question, what's going to be the biggest challenge? What triathlon this year is going to be the *11.19 for the professionals or is it going to be like a drafting issue?
Good question. The drafting rule is always an issue and always an issue that is going to affect everybody. The 8% rule, it's a challenge. I see why they're doing it. I think there's a place for it but I think they're going about it a little bit wrong. I think that there is ways that they can tweak it to improve it and I think that there is ways that they can incentive specific races that are out there but drafting is always an issue and it is a hard one to avoid and it is a hard one to marshal and it's almost you have to rely on the loyalty of the athletes that are out there.
If you draft, you cut tangents, you cut corners, you know if you're one of those guys then the way I look at it, it is frustrating but I hope that it will come back and bite them in the long run. For me, I run a clean race and when I win when that day comes I am going to be that much happier and know that I did it clean and from the front.
Well we certainly love your work here at firstofthebike.com and love having you here with us for 10 minutes and thanks for giving us some of your time.
Thank you. It's been a blast.
