firstoffthebike.com - Interviews

Clayton Fettell - flying start

Last season was big for you. I don’t know if was a breakout season because I think we saw at Geelong 70.3 a couple of years ago, what your intent was when you raced but last year you put in some huge efforts. How did you assess 2011?
Later in the season I did. Early in the season I was very inconsistent, had a bit of bad luck, had a few injuries and yeah, I was just inconsistent and I think I was worrying about performing too much. I came home from the US after a couple of successful races, got second at Wildflower and I sat down with my coach Grant and we mapped out where I wanted to go and how I was going to do it. From there it’s been quite simple. I haven’t been worrying about outcomes in races and I’ve just been doing what I’ve been doing. Racing seems to be not as much pressure now. I’m definitely in a better place than what I was early last season.



There’s a real method to your madness, isn’t there? It’s a hard swim, generally there are a few people that can swim with you and then it’s a hard bike and then a ‘hang on’ run. Everybody’s starting to say “You’re the next Craig Walton”. There’s more upside for you I think as you can run a bit quicker and you’re not trying to run a 29 minute 10 k like Craig was, you’re actually trying to spread it out over the Ironman distance now. Are you conscious that people know your game plan?
Yeah, I am but at the end of the day, there’s nothing they can do about it. That’s how I’m going to race and if they want to come with me then, good luck. I know that my thresholds are very, very high and if someone wants to come up the road with me I know that later in the race they’re going to falter. So yeah, I can only stick to my guns and for me that is pushing the swim and the bike very hard. I’ve trained myself now to swim and bike as fast as I can and get off and still hold it together on the run and like you said, I don’t have to run that fast, it’s four minute kilometres.

The race you had in Busso (IM Western Australia) was a really good test, you had some world class people behind you, one of them unfortunately passed you, but then for you now, what’s the goal? Are you trying to get the run in more focus or do you continue racing the way you do and the run will eventually evolve?
Yeah, the run is just a long term work in process. The swim has always been there, I come from a swimming background and the bike, the bike’s something that I’m getting better at with age. I think it’s also a bit of a mind set. I’m now strong enough mentally and physically to time trial for 180 kilometres, whereas in the past I’d wander off and lose a lot of time. So, like I said, I’m just going to stick to my guns, keep swimming training as I normally would and ramp the bike and the run kilometres as my body starts to tolerate the work load.



When you are looking at your schedule, what are some of the things that attract you to a race? What inspires you to go out and pick a race to go and do?
Probably the history of the sport. I love Hawaii and I can’t wait to get over there this year and obviously the course. I need the course to suit my strengths, so your Wildflowers, your Hawaii’s, your Abu Dhabi’s, the sort of races that are really hard on the bike are going to play into my hands.

Speaking of the history of the sport, you started out with some ITU racing and there’s talk about you maybe being the pilot fish for the Olympic team, which I think you fairly knocked on the head but, is that something that you look at now and think, with your swim/bike setup and how fast you are, is it something you look back with a little bit of the ‘What could haves’?
Not at all. I think the short course stuff has set me up with a bit of speed for the longer stuff. I’ve seen a lot of guys that come just straight from specific long course backgrounds and they just don’t have the leg speed that your Crowies and your Raelerts have. I would have loved to have chased the Olympic dream but triathlon in Australia is in a shambles at the moment and the sports hard enough as it is without getting involved in the other mess.

Do you feel a bit let down by Triathlon Australia, or is it more the point that what you see is just a bit of dysfunction and you’re not wanting to stick your toe in that water?
Yeah, at the end of the day mate, we’ve got to eat and to chase the Triathlon Australia dream, you’ve got to jump through rings. That might mean going to training camps for three to six months on end and going half way around the world and I mean I love that, I love the idea of travel and training camps, but to jump through rings and make no money out of it, it is a business and you do have to enjoy it and I wasn’t enjoying it.



Speaking about a business, you’re signing a few more deals now. I saw the deal with Giant Bikes which is a good one for you. Your performances are starting to pay off?
Yeah. I’m over the moon to sign with Giant, it’s been a bike I’ve always wanted to ride, I’ve always loved the look of Giant and I’ve had my first few rides on them this week and so far they’re testing faster than what I’ve ever ridden. They feel great and I’m excited to race on it.

Where are you headed this year racewise?
Yeah, so I go Geelong, Abu Dhabi, I head to Ironman Melbourne after Abu Dhabi. I’m a little sceptical about the three week turnaround between the two but yeah, I’ll just take it easy. I’ve got a big bike block now which will be my meat and veg for the next couple of races and then I’ll go back to Wildflower. It is a race that suits me and I want to try and race Des Moines this year 5150 and Vegas, 70.3 World Champs but the main focus this year is Hawaii so the other races will be small stepping stones towards that.

Give us a rough idea what you get up to in a week. Say on an average week, what sort of k’s are you doing, swim, bike and run?
This week is a heavy bike week and this week I’m going to swim 25 k’s and I’m going to ride over 1000 and run about 80. Obviously with the work load being pretty bike heavy I’m going to try and keep the run k’s down a little bit but yeah, I’m working towards a 50 hour week which I’m now at. That means that I’ve only got a couple of those in me per year and I’m in the middle of it right now.



So what would be a pass mark for you at the end of 2012?
I just want to get through the year injury free and stay consistent and if I can just get the training weeks in and get to Hawaii and get my first Hawaii under my belt and I’m just super excited to be here finally. It’s taken me five pretty rough years, I’ve travelled overseas and I’ve done my apprenticeship now and I know what it takes. I’m just excited to be in the position I’m in and be grateful with that.

Thanks for giving us a few minutes of your time. We know you’re packing up and heading to training camp. Look forward to watching you in Geelong, we’ll watch you in Abu Dhabi and we’ll be joining you in Kona in October hopefully to see how you go at the big dance.
Thanks mate.