Hose, I looked forward to it just as much as you all did I'm sure... It gives great insight into a young upcoming cyclist that few know much about! After this though I suggest you write his name down!
Name: Blake Hose
D.o.b.: 06.07.1992
City of birth: Geelong
City of birth: Geelong
What makes you most excited about joining Genesys?
Well there's probably too many things to list in one answer! Really though I think it's just the fact that I have been given an amazing opportunity by the guys running the team. To be a part of an outfit that's run with such professionalism and that has enjoyed so much success in the last few years is really exciting. I can't wait to start going away to the races with such an experienced and knowledgable group of people to learn all I can about the sport i'm in and develop myself as much as possible.
Tell us a little about your 2011 season and maybe some insight to what it's like on the other side of the Genesys fence in races in 2011...
2011 was a pretty up and down year for me. I was happy to be starting a fresh year after I was injured in 2010 and kicked things off at Mersey Valley with a 14th overall which I was fairly pleased with. From there it was a bit of a rollercoaster as I had some bad luck with being caught up in crashes, punctures at the most inappropriate times and illness! All these combined left me with no results for the middle part of the year. As the season pressed on though I had gotten myself back on track and managed to put in a strong showing at the Tour of Tasmania with a 12th overall and backed it up at Grafton a few weeks later... Then before I knew it I found myself wearing the kit I had envied so much all year! This definitely being the highlight of my 2011.....
Being the competition of an obviously well drilled unit is a pretty arduous task. Week in week out you find yourself wondering how the 'Orange Army' do what they do so well and how they manage to dominate races. More so, how can I beat them? After a while though you realise the success comes through the selfless teamwork put in place at each event and that no individual ever does it by themself. In the lead up to all of the races it was a matter of who could take down the Orange train but for the 2011 season it was pretty much nobody!
Why did you get into cycling?
I have always had some level of interest in the sport, spanning back to when I was riding motocross in my early teenage years. Though I never took it too seriously and really just did it as a bit of fun and to keep myself fit. After I had been injured many times and broke many bones on the motorbike I made the decision to give up the motor and try something a little less extreme, so I took up triathlon. From there I did a season of tri's and had some good success (mainly due to the bike leg) but got tired of running and swimming fairly quickly. So the switch was made to focus solely on riding my bike and ever since i've just been flat out loving it!
Tell us a little about your moto-cross days?
I was always pretty out-there when I was little and loved riding around on my BMX doing jumps and crashing frequently. Soon enough this developed into the want of a motor to go with the two wheels, so I started saving for my first motorbike. After I had the one it escalated from there and I was always nagging dad to take me out riding and it's fair to say that the crew in the local motorbike shops probably got pretty sick of me...
Eventually I ended up getting into a bit of racing and had some great fun but it's definitely a sport that comes with a lot of risk. Before I knew it I had a compound fracture in my left leg (if you don't know what that is, google it) , a broken humerus and way too many stitches to my name. This was when I decided that the risk wasn't worth the reward and hung it up for good! Though i've found that this sport isn't too much safer, haha.
What are you goals for 2012?
For the coming year I really just want to develop as much as I can and learn from everybody around me. I could never ask for a better opportunity than what i've been given riding for Genesys and I plan on making everything count in the coming year. It will be nice to improve on my own results and hopefully get some podium finishes but ultimately i want to learn how to be an integral part of what the team created in 2011 and hope that will help the teams success.
What will be your first races?
I'm going to kick things off at Bay Crits using those as a bit of a tune up for the National titles which follow. At Nationals I intend on riding the Crit, Road Race and the Time trial but my focus is mainly set on the Road Race. After Nationals I'll keep the training going and then head off to New Zealand for the Tour of Wellington-this is one that i'm really looking forward to as it will be my first shot on the international scene!
I decided to get some insight from Andrew Christie-Johnson (Genesys Wealth Advisers Pro Cycling Team Director Sportif) about the 'Blake Hose' he saw in 2011 and why he decided Blake was a good choice for the team in 2012... Here is what Andrew said...
What made you decide to pick Blake for 2012?
I wanted to pick a up few u23 riders for 2012, so I started watching all the young guys at the nrs races to see what i could find. I first really noticed Blake at the tour of tassie, every time the road went uphill he made the front group. He is a young rider who shows plenty of ability and determination to succeed.
What do you think will be Blake's strength in 2012?
I think Blake's strength will be his climbing, I believe he will be at the front every time the road tilts upwards. Blake is only young and will need a few years to develop. He will also need sometime to develop his race skills, something I expect my senior riders to teach him. Aye Pat?
Where do you think his improvements will be in 2012?
I want to improve Blake's overall fitness and work on his Time Trialing and Sprinting. I think next year you will see Blake improve in most areas of his cycling, then in 2013 watch out.
An interesting insight and a justified one too I say... I'm looking forward to helping the younger guys develop in 2012! Now back to a bit more Blake before we sign out...!
You did the training camp, give us your thoughts on it!
Overall I had a great time at the camp! It was really good to meet most of my team mates for the coming year and learn a bit about them all. I think camps like that are a really good team-building tool and everyone seems to come out of them with better form than what they came into it with. ACJ had us working pretty hard but it was well worth it when I finally got my first taste of the Praties baked spuds I'd heard so much about... They are amazing!
What is the normal day in the life of 'Blake Hose'?
Life for me is pretty straight forward. I normally try to be up and at it by about 7am and get out of the house training by 8-8:30 everyday, differing a bit depending on the session at hand. Once training is over I try to get any jobs or erands that have to be done out of the way so that I can get back home with only recovery to worry about! I do have a job at a local bike shop called Beretta's Bike Hub and work whatever days I can, usually it's made pretty hard being away at races so often. Some sort of income is essential though! In my spare time which I have a fair bit of, I do enjoy a good session down at my favourite cafe 'Fuel', coffee there is unparrallelled and I recommend it to everyone visiting Geelong! You could say that a Normal day for me is a pretty damn good one!
If there was one race or a particular stage in the NRS you would love to win in 2012 what would it be?
Now that there is no hometown tour for me, I think a stage in either the Tour of the Grampians or Tour of Tasmania would be really special.
Thanks Blake, I'm sure that has given everyone the right to say they know a bit about Blake. Welcome to the 'Orange Army' and look forward to working with you in the 2012 season! Get behind Blake, Campbell Flakemore and Sam Davies at the U/23 National Championships in Ballarat in 2 weeks time!
http://www.cycleballarat.com.au/
http://www.genesysprocycling.com.au
Ciao a tutti
PS
twitter: @shawry_07
@blakehose
@cflakemore
@genesyscycling
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