A lot of riders, especially Australian, make the transition from track to road. For some this transition happens over night and for others it can take a bit longer. Junior World Champion in 1993, World Champion just a few years later, Olympic medalist at both Atlanta and Sydney and, a pro contract in '98. But it wasn't until July 14th last year that Bradley McGee could confidently stand up and say to the rest of the European peloton: "I've arrived". With just 1000M of stage 7 of last years Tour de France remaining, McGee jumped away from the head of the speeding pack, overtaking Mapei's Pedro Horillo who had been dangling, like a carrot, to take the biggest road victory of his career. McGee had confidently declared the night before that the 176km run in to Alencon would be a day for him to "stretch my legs" and after avoiding all the early fallers, stomping down on his 54x11 across the finish line, McGee had arrived.
McGee will certainly be a rider to watch in this year's Tour de France. In the recent Tour de Suisse he beat none other than Jan Ullrich in the Time Trial and with six other Aussies in this year's event, you can bet that they'll all be trying to show who's the top dog from down under.
I spoke to Brad a few days ago about his start in the sport, his transition into a European pro and this year's Tour.
You were Junior World Champion in the Pursuit. Did you ever think back then that you'd attain the level that you're at today? Not on the road. Back then all I thought about was becoming Olympic track champion. I still want this title! But at the same time my career is as a pro roadie.
You left home before you were 18 and moved to the Australian Institute of Sport to train under the watchful eye of Charlie Walsh. Did your time their shape you into the road rider that we see today? How did you cope with the training - Charlie's coaching has a reputation for being a little tough. The day I turned 19 I was in Mexico, on a month long high altitude training camp and we did 295km's that included a 50km climb. This is how it was and no concessions where given to anyone. You survive or you go home. I think this has given my body an excellent base for the road peloton but also, and more importantly, I have learnt that our bodies can handle an incredible amount of punishment.
You signed for FdJeux.com in 1998. Results were a little hard for you to come by at the start. Was there ever a time you doubted you were going to make the grade? Sure, the first years where tough and I held on to the track racing scene for as long as possible. A few stage victories at the Tour de l'Avenir helped sway any negative thoughts.
McGee overtakes Mapei's Pedro Horillo and gets the stage victory in stage 7 of last year's Tour de France. Photo copyright Cor Vos.
You made your Tour debut in 2001 and surprised a lot of people with some aggressive riding which saw you finish 2nd on one stage. Last year you grabbed a stage. What should we be looking out for this year from Brad McGee? Just about anything is possible. I am proving myself to be strong in prologues and TT's plus sprints or lead outs for my team sprinters, can attack and go for a stage plus I feel I am improving rapidly in the mountains and soon hope to be a challenge for the overall. In saying that, it is difficult to do EVERYTHING on Tour so will not be chasing overall honors this year and concentrate on the other aspects of the race.
This year, you have two Australian team-mates riding the Tour with you for FDJeux.com - Baden Cooke and Matt Wilson. That must be a nice feeling? Fantastic. We are three Aussies and mates but have completely different racing styles so bring different talents into the team.
In addition to the three of you at FDJeux.com, there's also Stuey (O'Grady), Robbie (McEwen), Nick (Gates) and Dodger (Michael Rogers). If the Tour reverted back to the old system of national teams, you'd have one hell of a team. Does the recent success and rapid development of Aussies in Europe surprise you? Not at all and there is more talent to come. Young riders are coming up all the time and with my brother Rod at NSWIS, we are helping channel these new talents in the right direction. Mark Renshaw is one of these riders and has been racing and winning for the Dijon club all year. He will be stagiere for FDJ later this year.
Any predictions for how any of you might fare? ANYTHING can happen on Tour. Only thing assured is that we Aussies will give it a nudge anytime we can.
Over the next few years you're coming in to what should be the peak of career. Do you think you've found your place and level within the peloton or is there still more to come? Do you have any ambitions for a three-week tour? Yes I have ambitions and I feel my place is closer to the front of the peloton than where I am riding now. Improvement in the mountains and greater consistency are my major focus points.
Thanks for talking to roadcycling.com and good luck in this year’s Tour.
Got feedback for Ian or the rest of the Roadcycling.com team? Email us at info@roadcycling.com.
Are you interested in light, cool cycling headgear? If the answer to this question is yes, check out Headsweats. Headsweats has race caps, visors, and bandannas for active, avid cyclists like you. Visit Headsweats today to find out what Headsweats has to offer you!
Roadcycling.com® is committed to doing its part to protect the environment. Roadcycling.com® is hosted and produced on carbon neutral facilities.
Copyright 2012 Roadcycling.com® - a part of Seven Sparkles International. All rights reserved. Roadcycling.com is a trademark of Seven Sparkles International Contact us | Advertising info | Privacy policy
