June 25, 2010 (Banff, AB) – Tyler Trace (Trek Red Truck Racing p/b Mosaic Homes) has evolved into a cyclist who is not a stranger on podiums at races in BC and elsewhere in the Pacific Northwest. Most recently, Trace impressed us during the final stage of the Banff National Park Bicycle Festival by proving that he’s a team player and a gutsy rider. The final stage in Banff saw him in an early breakaway for nearly all of the first half of the 143km race, and later scoring the stage win in a field sprint. What was impressive was that only minutes before he sprinted for the stage win, Trace was waiting to help his GC leader – who broke his chain on the last lap – to get back into the peloton. We caught up with Trace between the Banff Bike Fest and the 2010 Road Nationals to ask him about his season to date, how he’s feeling about Nationals, and what keeps him going when the going gets tough.

What made you choose road racing?
Tyler Trace: I started with mountain biking and eventually moved to road for cross training. I loved the speed and the tactics of road racing, and I’ve been addicted ever since.

What do you like best about cycling – what keeps you going when things are tough?
TT: Besides the excitement of racing, I really enjoy the team atmosphere. I’ve been lucky to be on some great teams, especially Trek Red Truck – my team mates are all close friends even outside of bike racing, which helps create a great team dynamic. Being on a team where riders are more than willing to help each other out keeps you going during the hard times.

What was your favourite race so far this season, and why?
TT: My favorite race was the tour of Walla Walla. One of our riders, Nic Hamilton, was ranked second on GC going into the final road race – we had a discussion, and everyone on the team collectively decided to risk it all to go for the win. Winning seemed like a long shot since we were over a minute behind Ian McKissick (Lenovo) who is a very strong rider, but it ended up being a great team experience as everyone was willing to sacrifice themselves for Nic. After many attacks we managed to isolate McKissick from his team, and Nic put in an amazing ride, gaining two minutes and taking the overall win. This was the third year in a row that Red Truck has won Walla Walla, which was pretty cool.

What was the hardest race for you this season so far – and what made it hard?
TT: The BC Provincials road race in Sooke was probably the coldest race I’ve done – it’s a bad feeling when you’ve been riding hard for a while, but you’re still shivering. I ended up getting quite sick after that race and had to go on antibiotics for a few weeks.

What has been the biggest result of your career so far?
TT: I was pretty happy with third place in the Mount Tabor circuit race at Mt. Hood this year. It’s a hard course and we had decent competition. I raced Mt. Hood two years ago, and just got destroyed in the Tabor race, so it was a nice change to stand on the podium.

Have your results this season met your goals?
TT: I am happy with how things have gone so far. I’d really like to have a good result during BC Superweek and at the Cyclocross Nationals.

We’ve seen you win bunch sprints, ride early breakaways, and do well in the GC. What do you find most rewarding?
TT: I like riding in breakaways when they make it to the end – it’s so much less stressful than a sprint finish. I think the only time I do well in the overall is when I can sneak into a breakaway as my time trialing is quite terrible.

How are you feeling coming up to Road Nationals? Do you think the course will suit you?
TT: I keep hearing that the course is sprinter-friendly, but I just saw one of the hills and it looks pretty tough. I’m feeling strong coming into Nationals, but I haven’t raced that distance this year – I don’t really know what to expect, but I hope I can be in the front group at the end.

Thanks Tyler – and good luck on Sunday!
TT: Thanks!