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O'Grady: "Quietly confident" but feeling the pressure

By Karen Forman in Adelaide, January 14

Stuart O'Grady
Photo: © Tom Balks/CN

There's a certain amount of pressure involved in defending a title, particularly in front of a home crowd.

Adelaide rider Stuart O'Grady might be a happy go lucky chap and he might have appeared fairly relaxed at this afternoon's Tour Down Under preliminary press conference, but it's obvious he's feeling the heat - and not just the heat of Adelaide, which has finally moved into summer after weeks of windy, cold weather.

The Credit Agricole rider, who has won the Tour Down Under twice - in 1999 and last year - told gathered journalists that he was feeling a tad more pressured, for a number of reasons.

There's the defending champion thing. The born-locally thing. The fact that he's not as well prepared as he would like to be; and not feeling as good, due to "distractions and commitments of home" . And of course, the talent of the other riders, many of whom who are using the Tour Down Under as the launching pad of their 2002 European campaigns.

"Of course I want to come out and win," he said.

"I just came out of a good training session - the Bay Crits (Skilled Geelong Bay Classic) in Melbourne - and then there was the (180km) Australian Road Championship at Ballarat yesterday. (where he placed eighth behind winner Robbie McEwen).

"I wasn't feeling too great before, but by the end of the race I wasn't feeling too bad. It was a lot tougher yesterday than any stages in the Tour Down Under, so . . .I mean I seem to say it every year, then I go out and feel alright."

O'Grady, who was named Australian Cyclist of the Year this year on the basis of his stage win in last year's Tour de France and holding both green and yellow jerseys at one stage, said he was finding it more difficult each year, coming home to Australia, with more distractions and commitments.

"Even last year, I was in a similar frame of mind . . . I wasn't sure how it would pan out.

"I am quietly kinda confident ."

He is aware, too, of the importance of a decent Tour Down Under result for his international ranking.

"Tour Down Under has been a high category race for the last couple of years, offering a lot of points for the world ranking," he said.

"Myself, if I don't win, I lose 100 world points. "

Being so early in the season, the Tour Down Under, he suggested, placed extra pressure on riders.

"A few of the guys in Europe might have had a long season. If it wasn't for the Tour Down Under, I wouldn't have to take form. I would just keep rolling into February and build up to the Tour de France, but now they all bring a couploe of guys who are capable of winning. More pressure."

With top class international teams on the starters list, including Mapei, Telekom, Tiscali, Lotto Adeco and Saeco, O'Grady isn't under any illusions that a third win is going to come easily. Or that his greatest competition might not come from closer to home.

"There are 15-20 names of exceptionally good riders here," he said. "Yesterday, McEwen winning the national title . . . he is in good form and is a fast sprinter. This is a hard tour but it is not long enough to blow the sprinters out.

"Jaan (Kirsipuu) says he is not going well but he will be."

However, the weather, which today hovered around 30 degrees, could be in O'Grady's favour.

"I think last year the heatwave was the only reason I won," he said.

"Nicolaj Bo Larsen can climb just as well as I can but the 45 degree conditions cracked him. Not that I am hoping for any 45 degree days but it wouldn't bother me if one rolled in!"

O'Grady reckons he won't be in top form for the four classics until March or April . . . "but I won't know until I am over there."

In the meantime, he is going out to win in Adelaide this week, although he concedes it would probably be a disadvantage to win the first stage if a rider was looking at taking out the overall.