Photo by intensepicts.com

Mark McCormack Interview 30 October 2003 - Verge New England Cyclocross Championship Series webmaster Paul Boudreau talks with Saturn rider Mark McCormack to discuss Road Worlds, next week's Tour de Okinawa and the 2003 cross season.

PB Mark, you've had a phenomenal season on the road this year, How did you prepare for this year? Was your preparation for this season different than how you've trained in the past?

Mark McCormack Our winter was much more difficult than in the recent past and I was utilizing my mountain bike for some 4-5 hour rides in 3-6 inches of snow. This along with a great race program that progressively got harder allowing my body to gradually gain strength and recovery between each race. My tactical sense and a great team had a big part in this past season as well.

PB I understand you had a rough Road World Championships a couple of weeks back, What were your expectations? How did you feel going into the event?

Mark I felt as though my preperations went according to plan and that my fitness was as good as it could have been considering the lack of racing for the month prior to the Worlds. I was hoping to have been involved in the "racing" that occurred late in the race so that I could have been a bigger help to the other riders like George and Freddie. It turned out that I was able to help Freddie for the first 8-10 laps as we were both sag climbing and I would then take him back to the front before each climb. I had a great experience and was honored to have been selected for the US team.

PB According to Cyclingnews, you're going to Japan for the Tour de Okinawa on November 9th. Can you tell us a little about how this came about?

Mark Immediately following the Worlds Road Race I was asked if I would like to go to Japan for this race. I figured it would be a great opportunity to for me to go there for a race. I knew that I would be motivated to continue my training and that this training would help me for the second half of the cyclo-cross season. I love to race and this is one that I wanted to do a few seasons ago but didn't get the chance to attend. When the offer came about I didn't hesitate to take it.

PB I read that you're looking forward to the cross season this year, what are your goals for the 2003 season? What races are you looking forward to the most?

Mark I have two main objectives: the Verge New England Series races and the National Championships. I feel I have a realistic chance of winning the overall Verge Series and would like to win at least one of the series races. As for Nationals, I always set a goal of winning and am aiming to reach that goal in December. I really look forward to the ECV/Gloucester event as this one seems to have the most history of all the Verge Series races. Each one of the Verge races has its own unique qualities, but for some reason the setting, the crowd, and the energy is one notch higher.

PB It's been several years since you've competed at the Cyclocross World Championships, can we expect to see you line up in Nommay, France this coming January?

Mark As of right now I haven't given that any thought. I am not chasing UCI points like the majority serious cross guys right now so the only chance I would have of earning a spot on the Team would most likely be by winning Nationals. If I win Nationals then I will consider this more intently. Until then I am focusing my energy on the current cross races here in New England and spending valuable time with my family.

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