BicycleNorthwest.com Interviews

An Interview with Tricia Bailey, Winner of the WSBA Women's Elite BARR Competition

Bailey discusses her successes, training, and the future.

By Sean Brandenburg
September 18th, 2007

SEATTLE, WA- Tricia Bailey has been riding her bike for a long time. And given her success this season, it would seem that she's also been racing for a long time. But surprisingly, this season was only her second in the local women's peloton. That's a hard-to-believe fact based on the way Bailey and her teammates dominated their competition this year. Wines of Washington woman racers swept several podium's this year and took the top three spots in the Best All 'Round Rider competition. Bailey took some time out of her off-season to chat with BicycleNorthwest about her successful 2007 racing campaign, the things that made it great, and her plans for the future.

BicycleNortwest: Hello Tricia. Thanks for taking the time to chat with us, and congratulations on winning the 2007 BARR competition.

Tricia Bailey: Thanks for asking. It has been an exciting year.

BNW: Can you tell us how you got into cycling and how long you've been at it?

TB: I have been riding for longer than I would like to say, but I started racing last year. Honestly, my friends that were able to ride with me got pregnant and my husband was training for a marathon in the fall. I had to go find new fast women training partners, so I checked out the WoW Meet the Team ride. After riding on the weekends in the winter, I decided I would try the races in the spring. After the first one, it went pretty smoothly.

BNW: Wait, so let us get this straight: You just started racing last year, and this year you won the Women's Elite BARR?

TB: Yes. My results were ok last year too, but I didn't really understand the concept of BARR and it was not established as a target for me. Also, Suz Weldon raced locally more this year, and Lise Grace joined our team, so we had a lot more influence over the pack this year.

BNW: You won the BARR by over 100 points this year. With such a successful season under your belt, do you have aspirations of becoming a professional? Such a large margin over your competitors might suggest you could move on to another level of racing.

TB: I had the opportunity to race on an elite team at a few NRC races and so I have a pretty good feel for how I sort out nationally. Currently, I am happy with racing regionally and having the occasional NRC opportunity rather than committing to the travel and minimal income full time.

BNW: Are there any NRC races that you have your sights on for the future?

TB: It will depend on my opportunities, but if I had my choice, Mt. Hood, Cascade Classic, and probably a couple of others. It will depend on the schedule and NRC sponsorship. Mt. Hood really hurt me this year and I was disappointed in my performance. It was really the first time I physically failed to do my assigned job. I plan to train differently for it next year. Cascade cancelled their women's race this year, which was extremely disappointing, so I hope they bring it back. We'll see. We are also talking about racing more in BC. Some of our toughest competition nationally is right next door. BC Super Week sounds like fun. Not on the NRC, but just as fun and challenging.

BNW: There are definitely some great races that take place up north. We've heard of WoW's strict off-season training regiment, and you and several of your teammates had very consistent results this year. In fact, WoW women took the top three spots in the BARR competition. Can you tell us a bit about your training program? Without giving away too many secrets of course...

TB: I generally mooch off of other people's training programs. Most of my riding partners have plans, so I will ride along with them and help them do whatever they need to do; sprints, endurance, climbing, whatever. Then I just fill in with any parts that I missed and throw in a few Seward Park Thursday Nights if I have anything left. I generally resist too much structure and input from others, so it seemed to be a good balance for me. It probably doesn't hurt that we are fortunate enough to have the opportunity to train with our men 1/2's in the winter. This allows me an endless supply of people who are happy to push me to, and past, my limits.

BNW: It's so great to have a strong group to train with and to share the misery of Northwest winter training rides. So, was there any aspect of your training that you can pinpoint as a major contributor to your success this year? Or was there maybe something outside of training that contributed to your success?

TB: Last summer, I quit my job that required 100% travel and that allowed me to train during the week. So, training during the week has been, um, helpful. Also, I had a great bike commute to work and have learned to appreciate rest. I put some effort into my weaknesses and have balanced out a bit as well. But honestly, the biggest contributor is my team. They were all behind my success, and I am glad I was able to pull it off.

BNW: So speaking of balancing out your strengths and weaknesses, what would you say your strengths are as a racer?

TB: Good, I was afraid you were going to ask about my weaknesses. I seem to have some considerable power and it appears that I can time trial okay Luckily, even with a big... um, power house... I can still manage to get up the long grinder hills faster than many folks.

BNW: Time trialing and climbing; we can see why you're looking forward to Mt. Hood and the return of the Women's Cascade Classic. Can you tell us a bit about your "real" life, and how you balance it with training and racing at such a high level?

TB: I am a business consultant. My company appreciates and supports my racing to the point of even contributing sponsorship to our team. I am also married to a man that is extremely understanding and supportive. Maintaining balance requires more attention than I sometimes give it, but my husband and my work are great about it.

BNW: It must be nice to have so much support. Besides winning the BARR, what results from this season are you most proud of?

TB: We approached this year targeting team goals and achieved them all. It was a fantastic year for us. We took four out of the five top spots for the Washington Cup and four out of five of the top BARR spots. All of my teammates gave their all for the team's goals even if it was at the expense of their individual results. I am most proud of being a part of the WoW women's team.

BNW: What are your plans for the off-season?

TB: The weather is already making me think about snowboarding. I am planning to do snowboarding as my "strength building", particularly when it is really cold, wet and cruddy in town. Oh, and I have to work a bit to make up for the summer too.

BNW: Well it sounds like it'll be a fun, yet productive winter for you. Thanks for taking the time to chat with us, Tricia. And again, congratulations on the great season.

TB: Thanks. Good luck with the website. It is great to have a venue with a local focus.