Residing in the Northern Beaches of Sydney lives Tony Holland, a keen cyclist and Bowral Classic Ambassador. With relatively green skin it didn’t take much for Tony to become enthralled in the world of cycling after his colleagues encouraged him to take it up.
Tony loves chasing the hills and chopping off in the morning bunches but we’ve also heard he’s a gun rider at the Manly Warringah Cycling Club races too!
We caught up with him to pick his brains and learn a bit more…
Tell us a little bit about Tony Holland!
I love the ocean and since moving out of the family home in Forestville where I grew up I’ve lived on Sydney’s Northern Beaches never too far from the coastline.
I’ve always been interested in sport & fitness. After high school I did a Bachelor of Physical Education degree and worked in the Health & Fitness industry for 10 years. I worked as a Strength & Conditioning coach as well as in Fitness Centre management. Whilst my career transitioned to the IT industry I’ve always kept active in the early mornings, with passions such as surfing, running, going to the gym & more recently cycling.
Tony’s twin boys stoked on their recent mountain bike achievement.
I’ve got 4 kids and I do my best to encourage them to be active as well. My youngest kids – twin 10 year old boys – recently caught the mountain bike bug following a trip to Jindabyne and riding the trail from Thredbo to Crackenback.
How long have you been cycling for and what sparked your interest in road cycling?
I’m a newcomer to cycling having got my first proper road cycle less than 2 years ago with some encouragement & advice from a few work friends. It’s a great social activity and I love getting out with friends on a ride. I’m definitely hooked now and am riding most days and totaling about 300km a week at the moment.
You are an IT-guru at EMC, have your troubleshooting skills ever come in handy on the bike?
Ha! My bike mechanic skills are woeful and at the moment aside from clean, lube & changing tyres I leave everything to an expert bike mechanic. If it don’t sound right I take it to Aaron at BS16 he quickly diagnoses the problem and lets me know that I’ve bent my derailleur or that I’ve got my tyres on backwards!
On the attack at the West Head Roubaix MWCC event in April.
You sound like you are relatively competitive, what motivates you to race and take part in Gran Fondo and Cyclo-Sportif events?
I’m definitely competitive and in addition to needing a daily endorphin hit from a good workout I like pushing myself and seeing my fitness improve. It’s a great sense of achievement when you ridden further or faster than you have before.
Where might we find you riding on a standard morning session?
One of my favourite rides is Manly Warringah Cycle Club’s (MWCC) ‘Coast and Toast’. It’s about an 80km fast ride from Manly to Palm Beach and back via Whale Beach, Clareville & McCarrs Creek Road with a bit of everything – great group, scenic coastlines, fast race-like sections & a mix of hills.
I regularly ride in the MWCC paceline from Manly to Church Point & return. It’s a flat course but very fast and always a good hitout.
Otherwise I’m looking for hills. ‘It Burns’ is a very tough ride with the Cani Pazzi cycling group riding up & down the steep hills of Mosman. Then there’s Akuna, Cottage Point & West Head. For longer rides there’s Ettalong or the Gorges (Bobbin Head, Berowa, Galston & Sommerville).
Really spoilt – so many great places to ride!
Do you have a favorite segment on that route?
My Starred Segments on Strava are nearly all hills! I’m too heavy to be the fastest guy up a long hill but enjoy the challenge of striving for a new PR. If I had to pick a favourite it would be a love/hate relationship with Alexander St in Collaroy – with an average grade of 18% she sure is steep!
What is an unusual or unique habit you have when you are on your bike?
When I’m pushing it hard and in ‘the zone’ I’ll focus in on something like my breathing, my cadence or the wheel in front of me & I’ll be near oblivious to everything around me. As an example when discussing a recent ride with my partner she referenced the golf course at the top of Bobbin Head to which I questioned “there’s a golf course at the top of Bobbin Head?”
The Fitz’s Challenge in Canberra last year, obviously setting a cracking pace. Look out Bowral Classic!
Are you going to attempt the 160km Bowral Classic course? How will you be preparing for that kind of distance?
My partner is an avid cyclist and we will both be riding the 160km Maxi Bowral Classic. In preparation we are looking forward to visiting France in July and doing some altitude training ascending Mount Ventoux and catching some Tour de France action!
I’m going to encourage my kids to ride in the 25km Mini Bowral Classic. They’ll handle that distance OK as we often to a weekend off-road ride together that’s around 20km.
