New to bike racing and the first woman racer to be interviewed by me for this site, Kendall Dwyer kindly gave me her time to do this interview over some beers and vodkas last week. Dwyer races with Avenue A-Razorfish, a CRCA sub-team.

@##=#<1,L>@##=# Bear Climb, May 13th 2007

O’M: Where are you from in the US and how or who got you into bike racing?

KD: I’m Originally from Cleveland, Ohio. After undergrad, I worked abroad, then came to NYC for business school in 2000. [Sometime in] Feb’06 I was riding on Riverside Drive on my way back from Piermont (a big ride at that time) and I met Etsu and Niko who asked whether or not I’d be interested in joining their team and learning how to race.

O’M: Did you do any other sport competitively before taking up bike racing?

KD: Nothing too competitive (tennis in high school, nothing in college, running races in NYC). My biggest endurance event was in Hong Kong in 2003 ­ 100K trail running race in the mountains of the New Territories. The race took us 23 simultaneous hours to complete, [with a] team of 4 people, we ran/hiked, and they say the climbing involved in the course is the equivalent of climbing Mt Everest. We trained for 5 months previously, this really helped build my endurance engine.

O’M: How have the out of town races made you a stronger rider?

KD: Out of town races have made me so much stronger, and I believe they’re the key to developing as a rider. Plus they’re more fun than Central Park.

O’M: What are your goals for the 2007 season?

KD: Race mean. Learn to sprint.

@##=#<2,L>@##=# CRCA Race, 2007

O’M: How do you make time for racing, training and socializing?

KD: I jam in social time during my rest weeks and on the weekends when I’m not racing. Sometimes the training hours get hard because I need to be at work early and the park gets too hectic in the evenings to train effectively. I really enjoy the out of town races, so I make time for those during the Spring/Summer.

O’M: Is there the same competitive urgency in the women’s races as there is the men’s field’s?

KD: Yeah, definitely, especially in races like Bear. In the 4s there are a handful of women who are super competitive. In Battenkill for example, there were so many regional women who surprised me with their energy and strength. The problem in the park races is that when the dominant teams go on a break, it becomes a training ride for the rest of the field and that’s a bit frustrating.

O’M: Why do certain teams dominate?

KD: Years of experience I suppose. And they have a reputation that is daunting. Teams like Comedy Central and Radical Media.

O’M: How do men react to you when you over take them on training rides, especially on 9W?

KD: They [men] speed up and it gets really fun when you’re doing a threshold interval workout because they don’t understand why you keep sprinting by them. THEY get confused.

O’M:How has being on a team with men and women contributed to your interest in racing and training?

KD: The strength of our team is that it is co-ed and we’re motivated by the men. The men are incredibly supportive.

@##=#<3,L>@##=# 2007Battenkill, April 2007

O’M: What advice would you give to other ladies who are considering taking up bike racing, or making that transition to club racing from leisure cycling?

KD: It seems scary at first. I spent the first year terrified when lining up at the start of races. I would say ­ do it! Face the fear of racing and get into it! The more experienced women who race are very supportive. We need more and more women racing.

O’M: How do you think you can get more women racing?

KD: Friends of friends, word of mouth. It’s easier to be a tri-athlete, but the more and more races you do, the more you hate triathlons. It’s a numbers game. By getting more women to race, the quality will go up and it will become more competitive. This year NYVELOCITY did a great job of getting more women into racing.

O’M: What annoys or irritates you about other racers or cyclists?

KD: People who yell at others to work and don’t work themselves. I won’t name names!

O’M: Have you been to any country that you would deem the most bike friendly in terms of infrastructure, laws passed to benefit cyclists?

KD: Italy. The Italians are cycling enthusiasts. There a tons of more cyclists on the roads there. I was there for the Pinarello Granfondo, organized by Giovanni Pinarello and his family in Treviso, Italy. It’s a 130km race and I plan to do it again this year.

O’M: Do you see NYC becoming a more pro-bike city in the next few years?

KD: I hope so but it doesn’t look that way, with tickets being handed out in the park, bikers being prevented from riding on parts of 9w and all that.

@##=#<4,L>@##=# In Pack, Bear 2007

O’M: With the environment and city congestion becoming a hot issue, would you vote for a party candidate that holds the environment as a core principle in their campaign?

KD:For me, foreign policy would trump the environment. Middle Eastern policy for example.

O’M: You’ve lived abroad right?

KD:Yes, I lived in The West Bank and Gaza, was there for the first Palestinian elections. I was in Bosnia, Kosovo and Liberia doing the same.

O’M: Doing what exactly?

KD: I used to do other kinds of work. I was involved in setting up elections in post-conflict countries. I couldn’t ride my bike in these places! I worked in ten countries, including Nigeria, Russia, Ukraine, Albania, Macedonia, Yemen. It was basically democracy building work in these places.

O’M: Do you drink alcohol? Are you disciplined about your intake?

KD:Yes. I’m disciplined before big races. Now that Bear is over I’m not [laughing].

O’M:: Do you use a Power Tap?

KD:No, I don’t have one, but am compulsive about using the heart rate monitor, especially on 9W.

O’M: Do you think bike racing is an addiction?

KD: Yes, why else would we work and suffer as much as we do. It becomes a lifestyle. There’s a lot of camaraderie. My team is like my family.

@##=#<5,L>@##=# 2007Jiminy Peak, #21 for Dwyer

O’M: Did you do much winter training and how did it affect your racing performance so far?

KD: Yes, I did long rides in winter, outside to Nyack and Rockland Lake. In 2006 I didn’t start training until March, but this year I started in December 2006 and it has had an impact.

O’M: Did you use rollers or a trainer?

KD: Trainer, about 8-10 hours a week during the week in the winter.

O’M: Do you have a coach? And if so how has it affected your racing?

KD: Yes, Mike Sherry. [Having a coach] provides focus. I like to go into my work out log every week and know what I have to do. He knows how to help me peak for certain races, how much rest I need, intervals I should be doing. I don’t feel qualified to know how to train for specific races. Especially at the beginning.

O’M: Good luck in your next races. I expect a podium finish.

KD: Thanks.

@##=#<6,L>@##=# Dakota, After CRCA race, April ‘07