Team Bissell’s Ben Jacques-Maynes talks to Bike Pure

Ben Jacques-Maynes has been an everpresent figure on the US pro road scene for a number of years now. Riding for the accomplished Team BISSELL pro cycling team, we caught up with him as he prepares for a busy part of the US season.

You are set to race the Amgen Tour of California again next month. Is this a major goal on your calendar and are you excited to be racing against some of Europe’s best again?
I’m going to be at the Amgen Tour of California for the fifth time and i think it’s going to be very different. There’s going to be better weather, longer and harder courses, and everyone including myself is going to be in better shape. The last few editions have been difficult due to the weather but also having the most important race in the US come first thing has changed how you prepare for a racing season. Having a “normal” offy and race prep program has been great this year and I think i’m going to be able to capitalize on the mental and physical benefits.

What is the main difference when you race with the European guys, are the races faster and more intense?
I think one of the great things about a good international field coming to race in the US is it gives the domestic teams a chance to show how good we can be. The pro race scenes in the US and Europe are very different so its hard to translate the “Continental” status from one side of the pond to the other. I look at the racing as, yes, it’s harder, but not at a level where we are getting blown out of the water. I relish the increased competition, faster paces, and longer distances that international races bring because I feel I can shine through a bit better in those circumstances as opposed to short criteriums which we face a lot of in the US.

What races will you be doing in preparation for the Tour of California?
As prep for ToC, I’ll be doing the Tour of the Gila in New Mexico, six days of altitude and climbing with a difficult TT to really get the fitness up, then straight to the Joe Martin Stage Race in Arkansas, which is very punchy with steep repeatable climbs. This block is going to turn into one of the hardest two weeks of racing in the country.

Riders’ race radios were banned this season in the US, has it affected the style of racing and has it suited all the guys within your team?
I think race radios have their place and i’m still not 100% behind their elimination, there are many situations where they can be invaluable from a logistical standpoint. movement in the caravan, warnings of hazards/emergency equipment, checking in with your teammates after crashes, etc. are all areas where radios are beneficial without affecting the tactics of the race. I especially miss being in ready communication with my teammates on the road, now we have to stick together all the time. Having said all that, Team BISSELL is doing fine with no radios and i have faith in my guys to get their jobs done with no “little voices” needed to remind them. other teams are not so lucky, but i expect people will learn quickly and adapt.

Your twin brother, Andy, is also part of Team BISSELL, do you train together and is their a major competitive edge between the two of you?
Having my twin brother on the team has been great, we ride together often and I think we race together very well. An additional benefit is not everyone can tell us apart, we have tried to use that to our advantage and make other teams double guess who exactly is in the breakaway. I think Andy and I are very close and so a result for one is a result for both, when he wins i feel doubly proud, for my team and my family.

You’re into your third year at Bissell now, how is the team and your plans within it?
Team BISSELL has been great for the last three years, we have had great support from sponsors such as Pinarello, Easton, Bell, Giordana as well as Mark Bissell, who is the CEO of BISSELL and a great supporter of cycling in general. We have riders I trust and work well with. The managers, Glen Mitchell and Eric Wohlberg, are guys who really taught me how to race when i was young and they were the stars of the teams I was on. Overall we have a great package of good racers, good support, and an environment to let success bloom.

What is the greatest success or highlight of your cycling career?
I love winning as much as the next competitor, but I try to not grasp onto the wins, because how is it going to go when you don’t win? My most memorable experiences are when I know I did my best and had a good race, even if things don’t go my way. My greatest success, then, is the whole of 2007, riding for the underdog Priority Health p/b BISSELL Team, and all the rides I was able to put together week in and week out. Between podiums at ToC, winning stage races plus many stage wins, and almost winning the NRC, I had a lot of good results that come from hard work and good teammates.

Who has or continues to be your biggest influence in cyclesport?
I think the young guys coming up through the ranks hold the promise of the future, I am super impressed with some of the talents that are showing themselves for the first time and I am motivated to try and give back to the sport of cycling by helping them see the path to clean cycling and healthy living.

Are there any particular riders you look up to for inspiration?
Some of the young riders coming out of Australia are super talented and because they are competing with a Bike Pure band on, I feel even more impressed by their results. On Team BISSELL we have a young guy, Ian Boswell, who is impressive in his ability and maturity, you just know he’s going to have a great career and he’s only 19! I’m inspired by these guys because I know cycling will be carried on their shoulders into the future and they have the right mind set to steer cycling where it needs to go.

Unlike many road orientated pros, you sometimes mix in some mountain biking during your road season. How does this benefit you?
I grew up as a mountain biker and was a pro on the dirt before i ever had a road bike. I keep a few mtb’s and ‘cross bikes but mainly for fun as I feel a need to keep balance in my cycling. Sometimes it’s a great mental break to go for a fun ride in the forest, and not worry about anything but keeping the grin on my face (and not crashing too…).

Do you have a coach and a training programme that you adhere to?
I have been writing all my own training schedules for the last 5 years, I have a very organic process that is more route-based and not so dependent on watching the clock or numbers. I still have data to back up what i’m doing, but it frees you to think actively about what you do as a cyclist as well as appreciate the view every once in a while. That’s what a lot of cyclists hate about cycling, I think, spending so much mental energy on training and fancy schemes for improvement.

What advice do you have for a young rider trying to break into the Pro ranks?
I hope young and up-and-coming cyclists can see that being a pro isn’t this invisible threshold that once you cross it’s all cake and ice cream afterwards. When i got my first pro contract I was waking up at 5 am to get my rides in before work, exhausted all the time and barely making it financially. But life didn’t get any easier, now I was a young pro who made bad decisions in races that got me dropped and yelled at. I caution patience and perseverance, the whole thing is a process and getting a pro contract is just another step, one that is far from the end goal, which is being the best cyclist that you can be. You have to give it time, don’t short-cut yourself or short-change yourself, as you will know when the time is right and you are ready.

What are your career plans once you can’t compete anymore? How do you know when it will be time to retire or scale back the racing?
I know I have a few more good years left in me and i hope to go out on a high note, I don’t want to fade out of cycling. I’m not sure i want to be a team director as those guys are usually pretty stressed out, but i can’t see myself out of cycling so you never know.

You were one of the first US riders to form part of Bike Pure, what is your synopsis of the current state of pro cycling regarding doping?
I think I have taken a pretty post-modern view of doping in cycling: it’s out there, people are doing it and they probably won’t stop anytime soon. I’m not really sure whom i can trust anymore and what performances are to be believed, but I am not letting that get me down either. All I can say is that I perform clean, every time, and when I get up on the podium here’s what you can do clean. I have gotten a lot of support from fellow riders about the cause, and i’m glad that some of the best riders in the US are also joining up to show that they are clean too. That’s all we can really do, is show one by one that there are some good ones out there, until maybe one day blue wristbands won’t stand out anymore.

Thanks to Ben Jacques-Maynes for the interview, be sure to check out his blog here and the official Team BISSELL website here.