Christian Foster Interview: Part One
Christian Foster smokin' through a corner in Bermuda. Don't
get wet!!
NashvilleCyclist.com recently met with regular contributing diarist Christian Foster to learn more about past and recent developments. Plus, we were wanting to find out what the future holds for Nashville's home grown prominent professional cyclist. Below is part one of our interview, and expect part two to be posted soon.
22 Nov 2004
NC.com - How did a Jittery
Joe's-Kalahari relationship develop and lead to an offer to sign?
CF - Hmm, where it all began?!
Nashville, Tennessee, USA of course, where it all goes down!!!
Domestic cycling’s newest hub/Mecca.
I first met teammate and roommate to be, Jesse Lawler, on the
Saturday Airplane Field Ride and after using my local knowledge of
well-hidden city and county line signs to my advantage, successfully
convinced him of my sprinting prowess ;) Jesse and I seemed to hit
it off from the word “go” and shortly thereafter I was admitted into
the inner circle of the J.J.’s HQ, Nashville Chapter.
Jeff Hopkins arrived in town a few weeks later and from there, the
three of us started hooking up for rides, coffee shop sessions, and
a trip to a few local watering holes.
NC.com - What did you do specifically that stood
out and got their attention?
CF - Funny you phrase it that way, “stood out and got their
attention”. I think the deal was probably sealed when I pulled the
“Erik Zabel Bobble” out of turn eight at the Downers Grove Pro-Am
the night before USPRO Crit Champs. As I finished making the corner,
I went back to punching the pedals and in the process, lost my
chain. It was a catastrophic crowd pleaser where private parts met
top tube, the double toe drag was implemented, and a game of
involuntary pinball was inadvertently imposed amongst the peloton.
Since I was running a top spot out of the corner, over 170 riders
still needed to make it past me. With feet unclipped and unable to
pedal, I came to a standstill smack dab in the middle of the
start/finish stretch. And “smack” was the word as I was struck from
behind, spinning me 180 degrees such that now I’m facing oncoming
traffic. With nowhere to run I had no option but to point my hands
skyward and offer a gesture of surrender. It must have looked
ridiculous but when you’re staring down the barrel of a gun with no
where to hide/ride, what else ya gonna do but surrender…?! Hence the
handle: Crash McFastersen (as per Jonny Sundt).
But on a more serious note, I think the guys were drawn to my style.
They know that I’m selfless when it comes to race day. Jonny in
particular, I think best identifies with me. He knows I’m aggressive
and not afraid to get my hands dirty, so he’s kind of taken me on as
his protégé stating that he cannot retire until he educates this
young Jedi with the skills/knowledge to replace him. You can count
on seeing me out front shaking things up a bit as I study under his
tutelage.
NC.com - Will this change affect your training
approach this winter? Will the demands be greater?
CF - As far as change in preparation is concerned, I would say
that my training volume will increase and this year I’ll look to
focus my training less on intensity during the week and more so on
adequate recovery. I think I skimmed a bit on that last year, as I
didn’t allow for a scheduled break period. My coach, Todd “Big
Timber” Nordmeyer definitely cautioned me to err on the side of
under but when you’ve got the opportunity to string Philly Week to
Nature Valley to Cascade to BC Superweek to NYC to USPRO Crit to
100K to San Fran, etc, etc. you just want to do ‘em all. So I
definitely need to temper my enthusiasm with a healthy dose of
reality this time around.
“Will the demands be greater?” Well I think that’s really a matter
of perspective. With Subway, I was racing under Rene Wenzel one of
the most respected names in the sport. The demands I placed upon
myself were lofty simply because I understood the opportunity I had
been given with Rene by way of Bob Yost (of Subway). I knew that if
I gave it 110% every time out that it would pay dividends down the
road. Either he’d be re-hiring me from one year to the next or he’d
be pitching me to teams that are bigger and better.
And now at Jittery Joe’s-Kalahari I find myself in a similar
situation. Micah has built a sound foundation for us to operate from
and through his hard work we’ve got a solid operating budget and a
roster that will be competitive both in criteriums as well as GC.
And not only will Jittery Joe’s-Kalahari be competitive from an
external sense but with names like Kabush, Hopkins, Johnson, Lawler,
Sundt, and Elken you better believe that making the “travel squad”
for a given race will be an accomplishment in itself, so yes indeed,
the demands I impose upon myself will be great. I think that will
remain a constant year in – year out.
(NC.com Editor note - Micah Rice is the Director
Sportif of Jittery Joe's-Kalahari)
NC.com - What will be your primary role with Jittery
Joe’s-Kalahari, and what do you offer the team in abilities?
CF - Primary role: A #1 bottle fetcher
…well that and a laundry list of other responsibilities I’m sure.
As far as ability is concerned, I’m probably best described as an
all-arounder with a nose for the front and a knack for the early
move. I’m not going to win any big TT’s nor am I going to come
around the Frasers and Candelarios of the bunch but I hope to help
put Jeff in a position to take care of that. I’ve found that my
strengths tend to emerge as the road pitches upward and I hope that
as a result, I’ll be one of the last men standing with guys like Tim
at San Fran and Kabush at Georgia…but first I’ve got to make those
line-ups ;)
NC.com - What is the general makeup of Jittery
Joe’s-Kalahari, and who/where are they from?
CF - The 2005 edition of the Jittery Joe’s-Kalahari Pro
Cycling Team is an eclectic mix both on and off the bike. The team
has strong regional representation from the Southeast, the Pacific
Northwest, and our neighbor to the north, Oh, Canada ;) We’ve also
picked up a youngster from CO and Jeff “Hoppy” Hopkins will make his
annual stateside migration to our very own Nashville, TN, USA from
the land of Oz come Spring.
The general make-up from the standpoint of specialty and discipline
varies widely. This year’s team runs the gamut with Tim Johnson (Saunier
Duval-Prodir) as chief GC contender, Hoppy for the bunch gallop,
Geoff Kabush (Giant/Maxxis) for the mountain-tops, and a supporting
cast of expendables that include: flatlanders/Brasstown Bald
casualties, gutterballers, and water boys rounding out the mix of
11.
NC.com - Talk about the excitement knowing you're racing
all the big stage races domestically, and racing for Tim Johnson.
CF - Win, lose or get dropped, making the move with Vogels,
coming off with Tafi, and cresting Filmore with the likes of Horner
during last year’s go-around was enough to ensure a return trip in
’05. With Subway, I capitalized on an opportunity. Not only was I
able to get a start at the big races but I took that opportunity and
made the most of it. I always said that if I was going to do this
“pro-thing” it was going to be out there competing, really hanging
it out doing my job to it’s fullest. The last thing I wanted to do
was sign a contract, kit up and then end up holding on for dear life
week in and week out. So, in a sense, I made good on a promise to
myself that I wouldn’t just go “ride the races,” I’d get out there
and actively contest and affect them. 2005 is just another
opportunity to do just that. I’m stoked to get out there and do my
job rubbing shoulders with the best domestic guys and a handful of
the euro-pro’s that’ll make it over for the select UCI races on the
calendar.
I feel like I’m beating a dead horse with the continued mention of
“opportunity” but if this Q & A is to have a theme, well that’s
it…it’s about the opportunity and capitalizing on it each and every
time something like this is earned or handed to you. To be able to
ride for someone like Tim Johnson, a guy that I’ve looked up too for
the duration of my (so far) short career, a guy that has the respect
of so many in the domestic peloton, and now the guy who’s going to
bat for me to include me in on this process. Man, now that’s an
opportunity that I had to jump at. When I heard that Tim was to be
added to the roster that just made it complete, not only were we
going to have a proven finisher in Jeff but now a true GC threat
that I really believed in, someone who’s so fired up to make good on
this chance to come back to the domestic scene (after spending a
year on the Div. 1, Saunier Duval-Prodir) and lead a young team!
(NC.com Editor - Stay tuned for Part Two.....)