Kelly Cycle Coaching has been coaching Ashley since October 2010.  A few weeks ago, Ash won a club race in Geelong.  We caught up with Ash and asked him about his training and his first victory.

How long have we been coaching you?

I joined the Kelly cycling program in October 2010

What is your favourite session you like to do on the trainer?

I like all of the different type of ergo sessions (AT, spinning efforts, race pace efforts and  strength endurance efforts) because they push me  to the of my best of abilities.

What is your favourite place to ride in Geelong?

My favourite place to ride in Geelong is down to Anglesea and back home via Bells Beach.The view is nice and the hills are challenging- short sharp climbs. Reaching the the tops of each climb feels great. With very little traffic around i can practise my descending skill as well and build my confidence.

What is the steepest hill you have had to do in training?

Chalambra Crescent (the world championship course) is the steepest hill that I train on.

What things have you learnt since joining Kelly Cycle Coaching?

I have learnt many cycling  skills  from Kelly coaching such as cornering , riding rollers , how to train properly, riding in a bunch ,training in heart rate zones, covering attacks, how to clean my bike properly and  a whole lot more. Some more skills which I am trying to learn are riding high cadence efforts on the rollers,  riding no hands on the rollers and track stands and also mechanical elements of the bike .  I could not learn these skills without Bob and Helen’s help and guidance.

We understand you did a club race last weekend and won.  Congratulations Ash.  Can you tell us what race you did and what happened in the race?

Last week I raced at Meredith.  It was a  40 km race for the  juniors (only three of us U17’s) which was combined with the 65km senior handicap race. I was riding off limit with one other U17 and about 6-8 senior riders. We rode out 8 km to the main circuit from Meredith.  Our bunch worked well together doing pretty good rolling turns (not always perfect) and we were able to stay away for 1 lap.  Just as we started our second and final lap (for the juniors) the second limit bunch caught us. Me and the other U17 rider were able to jump in with this 2nd limit bunch. With our restricted junior gearing we struggled to stay on the back with the seniors.  We managed to get most of the way around the course before getting dropped.  I was able to ride away from the other U17 rider for the win.

Who is your favourite pro cyclist in Europe?  Why do you admire him?

My favourite pro riders is Robbie McEwan because I have my photo taken with and signed by him on the mantel piece at home. Also i like Cadell Evens. Why I admire these pro riders is because they never give into pain and always put in 100% effort into their racers or training rides

What is your favourite subject at school?

My  favourite subjects at school are PE, History and Chinese. PE i like so much because I am doing physical exercise and not sitting at a desk the whole time. I like history because i learn about the past  civilizations and their customs, rules and beliefs. Chinese I like because i find it challenging and learning a new language is not easy.I want to go to China with the school trip in 2013.

Do you know what you want to be when you finish school?

My ambition after I leave school is to go as far as my cycling will take me or be involved with cycling some how, or use my Chinese to get a job over in China.

Thanks for answering these questions for us Ash and good luck with your cycling and studies.