Mike Garrigan, Canadian Elite Men's Champ.

CXO: Last we talked, you were finishing off last year by heading to Europe
to attend Worlds and some other World Cup races. Apparently the experience
has paid off. Congrats on the win - so tell us what you've been up to over
the summer to get you here? Did you get lots of that endurance training you
told us you were going to do, or what?
MG:Hey! Yeah the summer went really well, for sure I managed to fit in more riding this spring. As the MTB season was just getting rolling, I would clump long endurance rides around the early O-cups to build some base, minor injuries where keeping me off of the bike in March so I was playing catch up, it worked out in the end. I definitely did more cross specific prep this year starting early September with either jogging or cross specific skills 3-5 days a week in the early morning then long rides in the afternoon 3-4 times a week. Cross nats came quick so the main goal for us was to just make sure I was feeling sharp and ready for battle. I just pretty much focused on endurance training until the week before then little intensity and recovery leading into the race.

CXO: Tell us about the race?
MG: It was really good - I mean I had lots of fun pre-riding the course with my buddy Cam in the days leading up to the race. I didn't expect that type of set up in Kamloops, I think it was a new type of event for them and I think they did a really good job.

We had cold rain the days leading up to the race and a little frost on race morning keeping it a little slick and hard packed underneath, so still quite fast. The course had lots of twists and turns with short explosive sections. It helped to make the front group early as it was a race where you wanted to be near your competitors.

Good times for sure.

Lots of passer-by types too, we were sessioning the sand section with a few metal heads on mountain bikes for almost an hour. Those guys where awesome, the one dude with super long hair must have told me a hundred times, "Dude, its harder than it looks" and "dude, your tires are skinny!!". Those Kamloopians are very welcoming.

CXO: So did you make the front group early? lets hear about your ride?
MG: I pulled out of my pedal at the start so I had to make up a few spots, luckily I was fortunate to make it up there unscathed. I had a really good mental mindset going into the race and I felt as though I had the legs to back it up on the day. I knew I was the under-dog going into the race, possibly Greg was the only one who knew I had good form the weekend earlier in Gloucester (Mike Had bike issues both days). After Max was out of the picture due to breaking his seat I think Greg began to play a more defensive role.

CXO: We've heard about Greg Reain's usage of European tactics to get ahead in North America - how did this play out in the race?
MG:I was trying to use certain sections to my advantage in order to put some space between us, Greg would always fight his way back. I knew I had my work cut out for me when Greg began to shut me down in my bread and butter sections, I just had to switch it up. I began to run sections that I had been riding earlier and shoulder the bike where I had previously pushed it. We had an awesome dual heading out into our last lap with lots of elbows and a little bumping, Greg and I both are very aggressive riders and it was clear he was not going down with out a fight, it was an awesome race.

CXO: Did the experience of
racing in Europe help you to get past the tactics?
MG: The biggest factor was that I have been beaten By Greg too many times, I respect Greg a lot, I've had to learn a few lessons the hard way from him. That was something I thought about a lot the night befor the race, he beat me over and over in short track races when I was younger.
I remember thinking mid-way through (nationals) that it was my turn.

CXO: How did you get ahead for the win in the end?
MG:He chose to run a line through the sand pit that I was favoring earlier in the race maybe hoping I would not get by, I shouldered my bike for the first time in the race and ran his previous line, to bring myself along side him, we then came into the 3 stair run section head to head and I managed to slip by. We had a half-lap of full gas racing after that pass. I managed to distance myself just enough during those efforts to ensure we wouldn't have any more contact before the finish.

CXO: Where too from here? We see you've been racing lots in the US - with strong showings in Michigan and Gloucester - what does the rest of the
season hold ahead for you?
MG:I'd like to race more in the States, I think I can learn a lot in that environment. It's good when the competition is that high. If you let off for a second you lose so much ground. I just bought an old car so I'm sure I will be looking for some work to get that bad boy on the road.

Also Id say my biggest priority outside of racing right now is the future of the sport including mountain biking and Cyclo-cross. The Team I am going to be working hard to develop will be JETpower as its focus will be to set a standard for high performance development In Canada. I already have some younger riders on board and I'm sure it will grow from here, finding sponsors that are keen on my ideas will be a goal. I'm really confident about this team becoming a really great thing.

CXO: Any thoughts about how this might affect your career? Do you plan on putting any more focus on cross?
MG: Yeah, I'm hooked, I like cross a lot. I will be doing more endurance events during the mountain bike season (hopefully winning a few big ones in the process) in order to have a good foundation for the fall and winter months, when I will be able to take some time for myself and race Cross.

CXO: Planning on going to Europe again this year, we assume...?
MG: He does the dishes, he folds the laundry, you BETCHA!