December 30, 2010 (Burnaby, BC) – American sprint star Tyler Farrar is known for podium appearances in the Grand Tours. Riding for Garmin-Transitions in 2010, Farrar won two stages at both the Vuelta a Espana and the Giro d’Italia, and picked up a second and a third place finish in stages at the Tour de France.

Riding for the new Garmin-Cervelo team in 2011 and looking for “something fast” to do before the Tour Down Under, the Wenatchee, Washington native headed north of the border to race at the Saputo Burnaby-4 at the Burnaby Velodrome where he’s paired with 2010 Garmin-Transitions team mate, Canadian Christian Meier. Pedal caught up with Farrar on the third day of the Burnaby-4 to ask him about his upcoming season with Garmin-Cervelo.

It’s great to have you up here. How’s the racing going?
Tyler Farrar: Well, the last time I raced track was actually at a 6-day here four years ago. We’re doing OK, neither one of us are track specialists – we’re both here to get a good workout, have fun, and hopefully not embarrass ourselves! The first Madison was a bit scary, but it comes back fast. We’re getting our feet under us again.

How was the Garmin-Cervelo winter camp – is the new group integrating quickly?
TF: So far it seems pretty good – you can’t fully integrate a team in five days, but it was a good start, and everyone got along well. On paper we look like the best team in the world right now, so the pressure is on us to make that into a reality, and everyone seems really committed.

It’s great to see a road sprint star here on the track. Tell us about different types of sprinters in cycling, and the differences between you and say your new team mate Thor Hushovd?
TF: Obviously in a match sprint on the track the top road sprinters would be made fools of by Sir Chris Hoy (Gbr) or Gregory Bauge (Fra), but those guys wouldn’t make it to the sprint in a road race. Among road racers, there are uphill finishers – for instance Phillipe Gilbert (Bel) can beat me in an uphill sprint, but he usually doesn’t contest in a bunch sprint. Thor [Hushovd] has a bit more of the power for the harder finishes, and I have a bit more top end speed. The differences are small but significant. Thor essentially climbs better than any other sprinter, and he can be there when most of us are back in the groupetto.

Based on those differences, do you think you and Thor will pick and choose different stages to work for each other in?
TF: At this point it’s all hypothetical – it’s impossible to say in December what will happen during July. He and I have some races where our objectives overlap, but we have other races, like Paris Roubaix, where I’m committed to supporting him. We’re going to find a balance with that. Occasionally we’ll both want to win the same races, so we’ll see who’s riding best – the top priority is the team winning. We’re both pretty reasonable guys – if he’s going better than me, I’ll be the first one to say we shouldn’t ride for me, and I think he’ll do the same thing.

There’s a lot of pressure to deliver at the line when you’re the team sprinter. What’s that like for you?
TF: Mostly I like it – the pressure causes you to rise to the occasion. You feel a real responsibility to win when eight guys are selling out for you, and I personally really enjoy that pressure. It can be stressful, but I like that. I think most sports people are drawn to those sorts of high pressure situations, or we wouldn’t do what we do.

I’ve read comments that Garmin-Cervelo lacks depth as far as stage race riders and climbers are concerned. Can you speak to that?
TF: We’ve put someone high up on GC in the Tour de France every year, so we have the depth. [Christian] Vande Velde was out with broken bones at the Tour de France and Giro last year, so I think people kind of forgot about him and may have written him off a bit prematurely – when he’s healthy he’s one of the best stage racers in the world. And Ryder [Hesjedal] has come a long way. He has been really cool and has really progressed as a stage racer. Another one is Dan Martin, who is also making big steps. Pretty soon I think we’ll see a result from him at a major tour.

Was there a particular young rider program that helped you develop?
TF: I was lucky – I’m one of the first American riders to come through the USA development program right from the beginning. You start out as a junior – they have house in Belgium – and you stay there and do some short trips, some junior world cups to give guys a taste of the racing and some experience. As a U23 rider, I spent three or four months a year there and that’s what gave me the exposure and experience. You can win a lot of races in America but the Euro Pro teams still won’t know who you are. Also, the U23 and junior versions of the classics are parts of the same courses – that’s helpful because you get to know the courses, and experience wins those races just as much as fitness.

Thanks for your time and enjoy the rest of the Burnaby 4-day.
TF: Thank you.