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A chat with Dean Windsor · 22/02/10
Paul Rowlands catches up with new signing, Dean Windsor, for a chat.
pic by Rob Rowlands
So Dean, what have you been up to since the team launch back in January?
“We’ve had training camp 1, then I went back to Bristol, it’s a bit of change after the launch, I had to set up the house and sort of set up a bit of a life over in England because it’s going to be home for the next nine months. So that was priority and we spent a couple of days doing that before the first camp and then as soon as we hit the first camp it was lots of K’s. I think we almost got 900 in a week which was quite a lot considering I had been doing many k’s back before I came over here. Then it was back to Bristol for a bit of recovery. Unfortunately camp 2 hasn’t gone as planned, I think I picked up something off the wet road and ended up with a bit of stomach bug and it’s taken two days off the bike to get recovered, so we’ll see how I go out on the bike today. It’s been pretty full on, there’s not much time to sit around when you’re in England and then down here you’re training so much so it’s been really good.”
With only a few days in the country so far it’s probably a little early to ask if you’ve settled in yet, but what are your first impressions? What do you make of England?
“The biggest English experience I’ve had before was Heathrow airport and you know how stressful that is so I never really liked England! So the first time I’ve properly been here pretty much is this year, so it’s been quite an experience. I had a lot of stereotypes I guess you’d say, everyone said the food was very average but I’ve been out with the boys and the food’s unbelievable! The lifestyle is not really too different to Australia really but obviously the weather changes things around, everyone said it was cold but I looked outside on the first day, saw the sun was out and thought I’d be able to get away with three quarter pants and some light gloves. I went out there, turned around and put another six layers on! It’s definitely different but it hasn’t been hard to adapt at all.”
It’s been mainly training for you since you arrived with the training camps coming hot on the heels of your arrival in the country. Tell us a little about your programme for the start of the year, looking forward from now what will you be up to for the next few weeks and what will be your main objectives for the year?
“The season starts with the tour of Taiwan which I’ve ridden before, so it’s something I know, I know what form you need to perform well but my racing I’m aiming for is later on in the season with the Tour Series and a few of the races in England so at the moment I’m still in the base fitness phase. I’ll be going well all year, I don’t want to peak for Taiwan but I still want to be going good to maintain form afterwards. I’m really looking forward to the Tour Series, I’ve watched a few of the DVD’s and watched Lappers soak up the victory and Tom as well so I’d love to try and repeat one of their efforts and enjoy the English racing.”
To round off I raised the subject of the ‘other Deano’ on the team and having commented on the victories of Tom and Lappers in the Tour Series, wondered if he’d heard about Deano’s somewhat distinctive victory salute on the Tour Series in 2009…
“I haven’t seen the one where Dean wins, everyone keeps saying he tweaked his nipples or something like that which I’m pretty keen to see now so when all the boys were saying I thought they were just joking around but obviously he must have done something.”
And finally, asked what we could expect to see in the event of a Dean Windsor win in 2010?
TweetI copped a lot of bagging from my team last year because I put a big pout on my face for some unknown reason when I won, I think in the ecstasy of the victory, you kind of stop thinking for a moment and just do whatever you can. I don’t think Dean really thought about his much and I don’t think people really do, I’m still questioning Tom as to what he was actually saying when he was going down the main straight when he won his…apparently that’s top secret.
