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By Fred Dreier
Photo: Bodenmueller/cbgphoto.com
Todd Wells is heading to China.
With his impressive World Cup results this year, Wells grabbed the first of the United States’ two men’s spots for the Beijing Olympics. For the second-straight Games, the Durango, Colorado, resident is donning the stars and stripes to represent his country on cross-country mountain bike racing’s biggest stage.
But just six months ago, Wells thought his chances at Beijing ranked on par with a snowball’s survival in Death Valley. In six years of racing the World Cup, Wells had yet to put together an eye-popping result; now 32, Wells knew America’s younger riders had. Wells was ready to trade in his mountain bike for a sleeker, lighter one with skinny road tires.
So what changed? VeloNews sat down with Wells at a press camp in Livigno, Italy, to find out.
VeloNews: What were your expectations coming into this season?
Todd Wells: Well for the past six years I haven’t had that many good international results. I’ve had some good domestic stuff, but internationally I just haven’t been there. I knew it was possible. Every year I thought it would be the year I would make it happen and it didn’t. So there was no reason for me this year was going to be any different. So I came in with the attitude that I’d give it one last year and I’d switch to the road. I know I have the ability to make it happen somewhere, and I’d been trying mountain biking and it wasn’t happening. So maybe another type of racing would suit my ability better. And then this year it just clicked.
VN: So what do you think is different about this year?
TW: Well, I did more weight stuff in the early season. But I think having [teammate] Burry [Stander] riding well has helped me a lot. We’re great friends and he’s young and you know he’s just going to get better. His enthusiasm and confidence on where he thinks he can be in the races really rubbed off on me. The guy started the season off dropping Christoph Sauser in the prologue of the Cape Epic, and now he goes to every World Cup thinking he can be on the podium. We train together and ride together. So when he thinks he could be on the podium, I tell myself that I should at least be in the top 10. I feed off of his youth and enthusiasm and all of that stuff.
VN: I take it your morale has been much higher than in years past.
TW: Yeah. You look at road versus mountain. A lot of [road] guys live [in Europe], have their family here or they live with their roommates or buddies so they have a support group. Not with mountain biking. If stuff starts going bad, then who do you talk to? Nobody — you sit in a hotel room by yourself in a place where you don’t understand the language and everything is different. Yeah, it’s not Africa, but it’s different. If thing’s aren’t going good, it’s hard to get out of that mindset.
Things are more fun with Burry, and I think us getting along together has been instrumental. For a lot of the years I would come [to Europe] by myself and maybe have a mechanic. Mechanics are on their own schedule, so I would hang out by myself all week. You do that and then you race and if it doesn’t go good the first week then you’re there for two more weeks. You see people and have your friends on the circuit, but you go back to the hotel room and sit by yourself. Doing that versus going back with a buddy who you enjoy and have a good time with is a huge difference. And now I have someone to talk to the races about and help pick me up. I never really had that in the past.
VN: Do you feel as though you push yourself harder?
TW: I’m definitely riding faster, but as far as I can tell, I suffer the same. I’m always out there trying as hard as I can. In the past I hardly would ever cramp, but this year I’ve cramped in four or five races so maybe I am pushing myself harder. I’m definitely riding faster, but as far as mentally suffering, it feels like the same.
VN: Now, domestically, you’ve always struck me as the fastest guy out there who doesn’t win a lot of races. What’s the deal with that? Does it keep you up at night?
TW: Oh man, I wish I knew. I’m always up there and I never seal the deal. I could be riding the best but it’s rare that I make it happen. It doesn’t keep me up at night, but I wish I won more races. I have a lot of respect for those domestic guys and really enjoy racing against them.
VN: How different would your life be if you won all the domestic races? Would you get a fatter paycheck or live in a bigger house?
TW: I don’t think so. If I were to win all of the World Cups, well that’s different…
VN: So how actively were you pursuing road racing before this year?
TW: I talked to some folks about racing on the road. No specific teams but some people in the industry. I’ve raced on the road before. I enjoy it, it’s fun and I’ve done well at it. I mean, you look at a guy like Floyd Landis — he was good at mountain bike racing but not great. He wasn’t even good enough to get a contract. He turns to the road and he wins the Tour de France. I mean, granted there’s a lot of controversy around his road career, but he went a long way. Now I’m not saying I’m the next Floyd Landis, but stuff like that gets me thinking. Who knows, maybe I’d be better on the road than at mountain biking.
VN: What type of road racer would you be?
TW: I don’t know. I’m good at stage races, harder races — the ones mountain bikers typically do well at. As a mountain biker your mentality is to go as hard as you can for two hours and whoever wins is the best guy. For whatever reason, you would think a mountain biker would be a good time trialist because it’s a time trial effort. But I suck at it.
VN: So what are your goals for Beijing?
TW: Well, in 2004 it was such a task to make the [Olympic] team that by the time we got to the Olympics we had all traveled around the world. We were done. This year coming in I’ve had the best results of my career when, coming in, I didn’t think I would. I even got a sixth place at a World Cup this year. I didn’t ever think I would ever do that. I thought maybe on my best day I could get 10th. That’s four places. So if I do four places better than my best, that’s a medal. I’m not expecting that, but it’s something I’m shooting for and it doesn’t seem impossible. I’m not a favorite, and with my results I’m not a contender of getting a medal. But if you looked at me at the beginning of the year you wouldn’t pick me as a guy to make the Olympic team.
VN: How long do you want to keep racing?
TW: Oh man, at least as long as Ned Overend.