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Emma Mackie: Cycling Tribe Interview
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Emma Mackie
Coach: Ian Melvin
Manager:
Sponsor: Team TIBCO/To the top
Career Highlight: 2005 Australian Club Champion, Worlds rep 2009.
Favourite event: Road racing
Occupation: Cyclist
Time in the Sport: 5yrs
Bike: Look
Cycling Tribe: Emma, Thanks for your time. To begin with, how did you get into cycling?
No problem, thanks for asking. I always played a lot of sports in high school and did a little triathlon and a bit of track during that time. But didn’t really take up the sport ‘til after High school. My sister’s boyfriend Rhys Pollock is a pro cyclist from where I live so he helped me get into the sport in the early days and we have a really good cycling club in Albury. My Pop was also a very good cyclist and had a big influence on my cycling career; I looked up to him a lot.
Cycling Tribe: You started the year off with a Salmonella bug taking you out the National team for Qatar. How hard was it to come back from this? How do you view your current form?
Yes, It wasn’t the best start to the year! I had some really good form after Australian Nationals and it wasn’t long after I got home I became very sick with Salmonella! It defiantly knocked me around; I was in and out of Hospital on drips and had a good month off the bike! Even once the bug had gone I was struggling with the recovery, esp. my weight as I lost at least 5kgs in at least 7 days! So it’s been difficult but I’m just trying to stay positive and look forward. I’ve been feeling better and better since I joined my new team TIBCO in the states and my form is slowly coming back to where I would like it to be.
Cycling Tribe: What are your team and individual goals for 2010?
Well at the moment, I’m with my team in Europe for the spring classics and the Tour d’Laude. This has been one of my biggest focuses this year as I’m not in Europe for the whole year. So I am really wanting a good performance here Individually and team to help set me up for the Worlds in Australia. I want to be a strong team member and contribute as much of my strengths as possible, so hopefully that means winning a lot of races with the team in the USA. But my biggest individual goal would be the Commonwealth Games at the end of the year!
Cycling Tribe: Can you describe a typical week of training?
A typical week of training for me before I left for Europe was a mix between racing and training. So I was trying to get some solid long rides in with some intensity. A lot of strength efforts and intervals! Around 400-600km weeks.
Cycling Tribe: What would it mean to you to don the green and gold for Australia in the Commonwealth Games in Delhi?
I could not even describe what it would mean to me to be a part of the Commonwealth Games. It’s been a lot of years building up to these events and to represent your country is the best feeling in the world. It’s a way I can say thank you to everybody who has followed and supported me for so many years.
Cycling Tribe: How do you view the state of women’s cycling in Australia at this point?
This is a hard question for me as I haven’t really raced in Australia for some years now! But it seems to be getting bigger and bigger with more girls wanting to come over to Europe to race! So I think it is diff on the up!
Cycling Tribe: In what ways have you grown as a person and a cyclist since competing in Europe for the first time in 2006 to now?
Well the first time I came to Europe was in 2006 when I was 20 yrs old! I’ve now raced on three pro teams, am 25 yrs old , have raced all around the world and in nearly every country in Europe; competed in my first worlds last year and now gone to the USA for the first time! I am a much stronger cyclist and person today. I have made so many friends and seen so many places it’s unbelievable. I have achieved a lot in my cycling career but still have so much to come so it is exciting!
Cycling Tribe: Emma, Thank you for your time and all the best this year.
