In the country village of Nimmitabel, 40km South of Cooma and boarding the alpine region of New South Wales, bikes were more than just a recreational sport that we all enjoy at our leisure, they were a way of life.
Angus Taylor MP grew up there and since has studied at the University of Sydney and the prestigious New College, Oxford, followed by his ongoing successful career in politics as a Liberal representative of the Division of Hume and most recently, being sworn in on 18 February 2016 as Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister for Cities and Digital Transformation.
Mr Taylor still finds time to ride and even compete in triathlons during his busy life and he puts it down to being organised
We asked Angus Taylor to reminisce on his past, shine light on the present and predict his imminent future.
What was the culture of cycling like in Cooma when you were growing up?
It was pretty basic – bikes around the farm and down to the school bus each morning and back each evening, We rode everywhere, including through the paddocks. You can be nostalgic about these things, but it was a fantastic way to grow up!
·We’ve read you own six different bikes, does one of those bikes have an epic story? Maybe the one you’ve had for the longest? I have a Cannondale which has many transplanted limbs (e.g. the forks). I was racing in a criterium and within 300 metres of the finish was in an unusually good position, sitting on the wheel of the leaders on the outside of the pack. The leaders touched and fell, and with them about a dozen riders went down, myself included. The bike was a mess (as was I), but I managed to get it back to life with repairs costing almost as much as the bike itself.
How do you choose which one to ride though?
Horses for courses. Time trial bike for time trials and undulating triathlons, my best road bike for the road, and my mountain bike for off-road. I travel a lot, so sometimes I leave one of my older bikes in Canberra (or elsewhere) so I don’t need to cart bikes around all the time.
Would you say you’re better at hill climbing or sprinting on a bicycle?
Slow twitch, not fast twitch, which means I’m not a sprinter. I only ever win a bike race by dropping the sprinters off early!
What does a standard week of training look like for you?
I ride and run (with some swimming in summer), so I try to ride for three or more days, with a couple of shorter rides and one longer one. I try to get some real work done on each ride. Similar with running, where I mix it up between intervals, long slow runs and tempo runs.
Do you have any long-term goals for your training?
Would love to find more time to do some big trips in great places around the world. I have always felt that you learn much more about a place when you run or ride through it.
What are some of your best results on the bike?
My best results have always been in triathlon. Came 30th in the age group World Champs a few years back. I can generally pull off a pretty good time trial when I need to.
Being the busy politician that you are, travel is inevitable. How do you find time to get some kilometers in on the bike?
Put the bike in the back of the car, or have one at your destination!
How do you think you go in the pro-pollie-peloton? Who are some of the top riders in Parliament and how do you stack up next to them?
A group of us ride every Wednesday morning when parliament sits, and there are a number who put in a regular appearance, including Bernie Ripoll, Mark Dreyfus, Julie Owens, Matt Williams, Tony Abbott and Kevin Andrews. I am pretty confident that I have the title in the Federal Parliament, although I have the advantage of being younger than many of the other riders.
Bowral isn’t part of your electorate but have you had a chance to ride around there before?
Yes, many times. My electorate comes close to Bowral, and I ride with the Goulburn Cycling Club which ventures into the Highlands regularly.
In the article by AFR we read you are working on getting the family involved in cycling, why is that important to you?
I would love to have a family peloton, but this may be some time off. The kids all have pretty good ticker, but they might have seen me come home with some bark missing too many times!
You should convince them to take part in the Bowral Classic event in October! Will we see you there? Be sure to bring some of the pro-pollieton along with you!
I am planning to be there, and really looking forward to it!
