Raf Baugh: Triathlete Tribe Interview

RB: Great thanks guys, I am back in Perth now preparing for the World Duathlon Championships. My wife, son and I got back from our spring base in Gernika about a month ago and we had a blast there this year as always.

TT: What is it like in the Basque Country? Former World Champion Jonathon Hall based himself there as well didn’t he?

RB: Yes, Jonathon did used to live in the region and to be honest I think a lot of the support we get now is due to his hard work and results. He won the World Championship in 1997 in Gernika where we are based. It is relatively cheap and the people are fantastic folk who are proud, traditional and with a great sense of community. In spring, there are Duathlon races every week and because the terrain is so hilly I find it is the perfect place to build fitness and get good quality racing at the same time. It also obviously provides a stable environment for my family as we have learnt in the past that travelling from race to race around Europe with a child is not for the faint hearted!

TT: How did your racing go in the region this year?

RB: I got to Europe a little underdone this year. I set up a new specialty running shop with a business partner in December 2009 and also had to do a lot of work to repair a grade 2 hamstring tear that wasn’t given a rest and bothered me a fair bit at different times last season. I managed one speed session running before the season started so I really suffered the first few races. Thereafter, I got in a good flow and got stronger every week. I finished with 3 wins and 5 podiums from 6 races. The highlight was winning the Basque Championship at Amorebieta and our team winning the teams classification. Living and racing in the Basque country and competing for a Basque team that was very satisfying and important for the people who support me and my family.

TT: So you came home with some Txapela’s?

RB: Yes for sure. In the Basque country the traditions do run deep and in most races the winner receives the traditional prize of a Txapela or Basque hat. They are the best trophies because they have significance and character and they are also much easier to bring back to Australia than any other form of trophy.

TT: What is the local racing like in the region? How does the style differ from ITU racing?

RB: I think it is very different to typical ITU races or the French Grand Prix when there are heaps of fast runners and a pancake flat bike course with a group of 20-30 on the bike. In the Basque Country, the lead group is always smaller and the main danger is always from cyclists behind. If the bike is 20k, you will have 10k up at 4-10% and 10k down. It isn’t flat and you can’t skimp or the local guys will work you over. 3-4 of the top athletes have raced as UCI ProTour or Continental Pro cyclists so they can climb very well. The best is Patxi Villa who was 2^nd in 2006 Paris-Nice and 8^th in the Giro the same year but many others are very strong.

TT:  So what is planned for the rest of the season?

RB: Basically for me everything revolves around World Championships. Ultimately my dream is to be World Duathlon Champion. I have progressed from 14^th (2007) to 12^th (2008) to 6^th last year so I have been getting stronger every year. This year is a brutish course in Edinburgh which will really test who is the most balanced duathlete in the world. I am working really hard to try and get stronger on the bike and build enough muscular endurance to still be strong at the finish. We also have a new national Duathlon series here inAustralia and I am looking forward to racing the August rounds in Queensland and South Australia through August.

TT: Can you give us an example of your bike and run training leading up to World’s

RB: Basically I try to run daily (60-100km) and bike 5 times a week (300-350km). Steve Moneghetti once told me that unless you’re training twice a day then you are not training hard enough to be elite. I think he is spot on. Because I am juggling training with work and family I do a lot of my training at very low intensity and focus more on volume and specifically targeted quality sessions a few times a week.

A normal week would look like this:

Monday-           Run 50-60 minutes Easy

Tuesday-           Hard Group Ride 80km w fast 3km off bike

PM Rest or Easy 50 minute Jog

Wednesday-     Easy recovery Ride 60-90 minutes

Thursday-            AM 2 hour ride including 1 hour SE over hills in KingsPark

                               PM Run Intervals

Friday                   Recovery Run 40-60 minutes

Saturday              Hills Ride w hills at AT 3-4 hours

                               PM Steady 8-10km Run

Sunday                23km over Hills including 3km climb at anaerobic threshold.

                               Easy Ride 90 minutes

TT:  Favourite Movie?

RB: Bob the Builder or Thomas the Tank Engine…it is not so much the movie or show but the fact it normally signifies my whole family together. I am also really looking forward to the new Karate Kid movie

TT: Favourite Music

RB: I like Hip Hop. I know I am too old but I think it is my frequency for tearing up the dance floor and with a summer just past with 6 weddings I did my best work in that genre

TT: All the best for the rest of the season

RB: Thanks very much