This week’s athlete feature story is all about Aaron Eynaud.  We have been coaching Aaron for about a year now and have watched him progress from a C grade club rider to an A grade rider.  Aaron is an example of an athlete who has consistently trained and has seen steady improvements.

We quizzed Aaron on when he started riding, what his favourite rides are, etc.  Read on to find out all about Aaron.

Where do you live? How old are you?
I am 17 years old and I live in Box Hill, Melbourne, Victoria

How many brothers and sisters do you have?  And most importantly, are you faster than them on the bike?
I have 2 sisters, one sister is 2 years older than me and the other one is 4 years younger and I have 1 brother who is 2 years younger. To answer your second question I can ride faster than them although my brother may not think so.

What brand of road and track bike are you riding at the moment?
My road bike is a Giant TCR with SRAM rival and my track bike is an Avanti pista pro frame with everything else custom.

Have  you done many recreational rides?  Around the bay in a day?
I have only done 2 recreational rides and they are the half round the bay from Sorrento to Melbourne and the Murry to Moyne.

How did you get into cycling?  Did someone in family race/ride and get you involved?  Or friends that ride?
I got into cycling through my cousin who used to ride. I went and watched him one day and told dad I wanted to try and I have loved it ever since.

When did you start racing? 
I started racing first year U13’s but I did have about a year and half break around 2^nd year U15’s to go back and play footy

What club do you belong to?
Blackburn Cycling Club

What year are you doing at school and what subjects are you studying?   What do you want to be when you leave school?
At school I am currently completing year 12 and I am doing Maths Methods, English, Accounting, Legal Studies and also University Accounting at Monash. When I leave school I want to probably become an accountant and I also want see how far in cycling I can get.

What is your most enjoyable win so far and why?  Did you expect to win?  How did the race unfold? (it can be a road or track event, club, etc)
My most enjoyable win was winning the Billanook Junior Road Tour in 2004. It all came down to the last stage and the only way I could win was if the rider who was leading fell and I won the sprint. So we were joking the night before about getting my brother in the bushes with a sling shot to knock him off. On the first lap of the race however the leader did fall and it left me to try and win the sprint which I did end up doing.  

We all hate crashing and try to avoid this.  When was your last crash and how did this happen? 
My last crash was 18 months ago and I broke my collarbone. It happened at the St.kilda crit course. A guy went around the corner and decked himself and I went straight over the top of him and landed on my shoulder. Which snapped my collarbone. I was lucky however that I required no surgery.

What is the next race you’re training for? 
At the moment I am training for the alp d’buffalo but I am also focusing on the States which are in july.

What is your strength on the bike?  Are you a sprinter?  A climber?  A time trialist?
I would have to consider my strength on the bike as being both a sprinter and a climber because I can do both well. Hopefully I can sprint fast though once I get my glutes working.

What is your favourite training ride?  (describe an area of Melbourne or Victoria).
My favourite training ride would have to be up to the Dandenongs and riding up the 1n20 which is a 6.8km hill from the Basin to Sassafras and the wall which runs from Monbulk to Olinda. The scenery is amazing as well and the roads are not too busy either.

We know you absolutely love windtrainer sessions, Aaron.  Can you tell us you most ‘enjoyable’ training session?
I do love a good windtrainer session. My most “enjoyable” windtrainer session would have to be 15mins at AT (about 90%) then 5 mins rest and then repeat that 3 times. Don’t get any ideas though!

What are you favourite track events?
My favourite track events would be the scratch race, keiran and points score.


Aaron takes out the Brunswick Open, B grade Scratch race

Do you do gym work as part of your training? 
Not yet but I will be starting in the next month hopefully. Make sure you check out the Health Professionals section of the website.