Rider Chat with Sam Schultz

At the tender age of 23, Subaru/Gary Fisher rider Sam Schultz is already making a big impact in the mountain bike racing world. After many career best finishes last year, Schultz has come charging out of the blocks in '09. He has logged top-5 finishes in both Pro XC Tour races this season and posted a 16th at last weekend's World Cup in Offenburg, Germany. While in Germany, the impressive youngster took some time out of his busy schedule to talk with MTBracenews, giving us some insight into his phenomenal start to the season.

MTBracenews.com- How did it feel to be racing up front at a World Cup race?

Sam Schultz- It was awesome. I felt really good and I think it was the fastest that I’ve ever ridden. The guys I was racing with were riding the steepest climbs faster than I normally ride on the flats and somehow I was able to match their pace (at least for a little while). I was riding my Superfly 29er and it felt awesome out there. I was able to hold my momentum through the corners and up the climbs, saving some precious heartbeats. I was still a ways off from riding with the guys in the front, but at least now I can comprehend the speed I need to ride to be in the mix. I was less than 2 minutes off the podium at the finish. With some added confidence, experience, a better callup, and a whole lot of luck maybe I can be up there in the near future…

MTBracenews.com- Did you expect to have results this good so early in your career?

Sam Schultz- I wouldn’t say I have expected any certain results, but I know how much work I’ve put into training and race prep and I know what type of results I’m hoping for. I am always psyched to see improvement from year to year. Every season has its peaks and valleys but as long as I keep improving in the big picture things are good. It’s always an added bonus when you have one of those ‘break out’ rides. I’m certainly doing everything I can to work towards more of those.

MTBracenews.com- To what do you attribute your increased success this season?

Sam Schultz- I’m not exactly sure. I had a really good winter of training down in Tucson. I had a good crew to hang out with and things went pretty smooth all winter. My coach, Kristen Dieffenbach, has been great. She has been working with me for a while now, so we have been able to dial in the types of training that I respond really well to. This season I have been doing a little bit more short interval work. I’m not a big fan of doing them, but they seem pretty important, especially for power heavy world cup races. Every year I also learn a little bit more about training, racing, traveling-- and how to balance them all with being a 23 year old guy who likes to have fun. Needless to say, I still have a lot to learn. Luckily my teammates are great mentors. They have been career racers for quite a while and they have things pretty well figured out.

MTBracenews.com- You rode on the US National Team for several years. How much did they help in getting you to where you are today?

Sam Schultz- The U23 National Team program was a huge help. There is absolutely no way that I would be as experienced of a racer as I am now without USA Cycling’s support. During the transition between being a junior and a pro racer it would have been hard to find a team at all—let alone one that was fully supported and willing to give me the opportunity to race internationally. USA Cycling put a lot of resources into getting me to a bunch of international races that I got crushed in, but I learned a lot. They also took me to the domestic ones where it is easier for a developing rider to get noticed. Eventually I landed a spot on the Subaru Gary Fisher squad, which has been great about giving me the opportunity to keep chipping my way (slowly) up the international ranks. Now I am on one of the best supported teams out there with great equipment, staff, and teammates. I’m not sure how I got so lucky.

MTBracenews.com- What are your strengths as a racer?
Sam Schultz- tend to like long, extended climbs.

MTBracenews.com- What would you like to improve on as a rider?

Sam Schultz- I need to get better at the short punchy stuff. That is what I have been working on a lot this season and it seems to be helping a lot. Also, I need to work on how to race more tactically. I’m pretty used to just going as hard as I can for the whole race, but now it seems like at the domestic races I can be close enough to the front that I am not going all out the whole time. I need to start thinking about how to play my cards right and figure out when to attack.

MTBracenews.com- Did you and your brother Andy grow up riding together?

Sam Schultz- Yeah, we grew up riding together. I was the first one that really got into the racing thing but once I started talking my parents into driving me to local races every weekend in the summer Andy decided that he should get in on the action.

MTBracenews.com- How does Andy feel about his little brother beating him?

Sam Schultz- I think Andy and I have a pretty positive mentality when it comes to racing against each other and we are super supportive. If I am going to get beat by anyone out there I would prefer it to be Andy, and it seems like he feels the same way.

MTBracenews.com- Name one mountain bike race you have never done but would like to someday.

Sam Schultz- I really want to do a race in Japan. My teammate Ken Onodera, from Japan, seems to think I would enjoy myself over there and I think it would be cool to check out the Japanese riding scene. Doing a race like TransAlp or something epic like that would also be pretty sweet.

MTBracenews.com- What is your favorite mountain bike racecourse? Why?

Sam Schultz- I really like the course in Brian Head, UT. I haven’t ever actually had a great race there, but it is definitely one of the coolest trails that we ride. It is just one big lap, all above 10,000 ft with lots of pristine alpine singletrack. It feels like ‘real’ mountain biking.

MTBracenews.com- Tell us something about yourself that most people probably don’t know.

Sam Schultz- My favorite t-shirt has a picture of my face on it and it says “I want that”. Only two of these shirts exist, but they are awesome.