This week MTBracenews sits down with Kenda/Tomac rider Amanda Carey. The Victor, Idaho resident is one of those rare racers who can excel in the high-octane world of cross country racing and has the diesel to podium at ultra-endurance events. Carey can finish in the top-10 on the US Cup circuit and battle for the win at races like Leadville and the Breckenridge 100- she has finished second at both.
We talked a little about what makes her so dangerous on the dirt and why you shouldn't assume she likes Dick Cheney because she lives right over the border from Wyoming.
MTBracenews- You have been an ultra-endurance racer for many years but have recently made a switch to the shorter Olympic distance XC (OXC) events. Why the change in focus?
Amanda Carey- For the challenge. XC is clearly my weakness. Although it’s fun for me to do the events that come easy to me, it is a lot harder, more challenging and therefore more rewarding to do the things that I am not as good at. Also, I got a late start in the sport and I’m not getting any younger. If I ever wanted to start racing XC, now was the time.
MTBracenews- How does your prerace warm-up differ for OXC vs. Ultra-Endurance events?
Amanda Carey- My ultra-endurance warm-up is a lot like my warm-up for XC. It is still intense, but slightly shorter. Typically, I do a significant taper for ultra-endurance events, so I warm-up hard the morning of and do some openers the day before to make sure my legs are open and ready to go.
MTBracenews- How does your pacing differ for OXC vs. Ultra-Endurance?
Amanda Carey- Believe it or not, my approach to XC and ultra-endurance events is quite similar. I have never used a pacing strategy for Ultras. I just go as hard as I can for as long as I can in the context of what my body is allowing me to do at that moment. It’s just how my body/mind works. I never look at my HR or my computer in Ultras to gauge my effort. If I have the time to look at a computer to tell me if I am working hard enough I figure I am probably slacking.
My mantra in my head during long events is the same as it is in a XC: “Are you going as hard as you can right now?” So, it’s not so much that I pace in Ultras, it’s more that my “as hard as I can” pace fluctuates over a 2-12 hour period. I don’t think very much about the future or the past in long races. If it’s hour 2 and I start thinking about how I may feel at hour 10, it negatively affects my concentration. It’s funny, people always ask me “What do you think about during these long events?” and my answer is “what do you mean what do I think about? I think about racing my bike. There isn’t time to think about anything else!” That’s why UE is so appealing to me. Is so much more of a mental battle to stay mentally disciplined and focused on staying on the gas for 10 hours as opposed to 2.
MTBracenews- Not many racers can excel at both OXC and UE. How do you adjust your training to be successful at both disciplines?
Amanda Carey- With a lot of help from my coach, Eric Orton. His job is the hard one and he’s really good at preparing me for any type of event I want to do. Because I live in a cold climate, focusing on XC early in the season and UE later actually works out perfectly. I have to train indoors in the winter anyway, so training for XC keeps my indoor workouts short and sweet. As the weather gets warmer in the spring and I can begin to ride outdoors, I slowly up my mileage and back off the XC oriented speed training and gear my training more towards long distance events.
MTBracenews- You have had success racing at high-altitude races like Leadville and Breckenridge 100. How do you prepare your body for a high-altitude event like that?
Amanda Carey- I really don’t do anything special. My house in Victor, ID is a 6,500 feet and I try to get up mountain passes as much as I can the closer I get to a high altitude event, but that’s about it.
MTBracenews- What are your goals for this season?
Amanda Carey- My main goal is to win the Leadville 100 and to take a bunch of time off of my 2007 time. I also want to continue to improve my XC racing. Racing XC has made me a much better endurance racer.
MTBracenews- The Kenda team is riding Tomacs this season. What is your favorite thing about your bike?
Amanda Carey- How long is the interview? Seriously, my Tomac Type-X has the nicest ride-feel of any hardtail I have even ridden. It smooths out anything you throw at it but at the same time doesn’t waste any of the power you put to the pedals. You just can’t seem to ride it fast enough, downhill or uphill. Plus, Joel Smith (the owner of Tomac) is one of the kindest, most passionate people you’ll ever meet. His attention to detail and high standards are unbelievable. You can feel that when you ride his bikes. All of my teammates are stoked on their Tomacs.
Carey strikes a pose she is quickly becoming accustomed to
MTBracenews- Coming from such a cold climate near Jackson Hole, Wyoming, how do you stay fit and ready to race early in the season?
Amanda Carey- As much as I don’t like to admit it, I ride the trainer a lot. Maybe it’s because it’s a necessary evil, but I actually kind of enjoy it. Eric is great about keeping my workouts very short and effective in the winter so I don’t have to be on the hamster wheel for very long. I also Nordic ski a lot and telemark ski. My husband and I moved here for the skiing. Long days touring and skiing backcountry powder is great for my base fitness and it’s just so good for the soul. We live on Teton Pass, so it’s right out my backdoor.
MTBracenews- Tell us something funny/interesting about yourself that most people might not know.
Amanda Carey- I am a political junkie, a dyed-in-the-wool liberal Massachusetts democrat and love to get into heated political debates. It’s really hard to tear me down from my soap-box when I get going. I sobbed when Obama was elected. I have actually had terrifying nightmares about Rush Limbaugh, Dick Cheney and Sarah Palin joining forces and taking over the world.
MTBracenews- Name one race you have never done but would really like to.
Amanda Carey- Downieville.
MTBracenews- What is your favorite racecourse and why?
Amanda Carey- Iceman Cometh. Not so much for the racecourse itself, but for the atmosphere. Coming into the finishing chute of that race is like pedaling through a sold-out Rolling Stones concert-absolute mayhem. The Cascade Creampuff is a very close second.
MTBracenews- You have had a very successful start to the 2009 season. To what do you attribute your early success? Have you made any changes over the offseason that have contributed to your strong early season form?
Amanda Carey- I give a ton of credit to my coach, Eric. He is very flexible, listens well and is always ready and willing to come up with new ways to attack my weaknesses. Also, I raced cyclocross for the first time last fall, so I came into the winter with more intensity in my legs than in years past when I simply took the fall off from training and just rode for fun.
The biggest change was that I quit my job as the development director of a cycling/pedestrian advocacy nonprofit and started an online graduate program in Sports Psychology. Even though I seem to be just as busy time-wise, my schedule is a lot more flexible, enabling me to train mid-day and structure my studying around my training. Last winter was insane-I’d get home at 7pm, ride the trainer, eat dinner at 10pm, get up at 5am to ski the pass or go to the gym before work, commute to Jackson, work, and repeat. This winter, I got a lot more sleep and got to spend a lot more time with my husband. The bags under my eyes are a lot smaller now that I average more than 6hrs. of sleep a night
