Brendan Johnston, an Australian-based professional off-road bike racer, has had a unique rise to his position in the sport. He balanced training part-time as an electrician, fought cancer, and built a career and family while on a patient path to full-time racing. On the eve of Unbound, we sat down to dive into his experience and expectations.
To touch on the bigger picture first, there's a story with Brendan. He didn't just plop onto the scene with imminent success. Brendan balanced riding part-time as an electrician, fought cancer, and built a career and family while on a patient path to full-time racing. Brendan was, and still is, an electrician. However, he’s been able to tilt that see-saw a bit more in the “pro bike racer” direction as of late.
Q: How have you been balancing that as it's evolved into more and more racing the past few seasons, and additionally also balancing the travel schedule that it requires?
Brendan: It's an adjustment for sure, but the lifestyle is better. When I'm at home, I only have to train and I can spend more time with my daughter – in that way, it's easier. Then I'm away for blocks of time, which is hard. But at least during the summer and when I'm actually there, the lifestyle is good.
I've just got more energy to focus on the training and preparation and there's quite a lot of planning that has to take place and managing your partners and equipment and this sort of thing.
I'm lucky with Giant [in that] we have good help and support. There are still bits and pieces that are challenging, especially with half my season here (in the US) essentially, and the other half back home.
It's a lifestyle adjustment, but I guess what I've always wanted to do and now I'm able to do it and I feel lucky for that.
Q: Are there some specific differences in the racing environment, either Europe or just Australia with us that you've noticed in the past couple of seasons? Any stark differences in competition level or just a general racing experience?
I haven't raced the gravel in Europe really at all. [However] between here and Australia it's just bigger. The races are bigger, the races are longer, the field is bigger, and it’s more competitive.
There's a certain style to the racing in the US I would say. I don't really know what it is, but I think even when you have Europeans coming here, they feel the racing is different. I don’t know if it's more maybe a bit more wild? They have the Dutch mafi that has to come and take on these races, right? I feel like it's the “US against the World” kind of thing, which is the way some of these sports go. Like mountain biking in its early days.
I feel like this is where the gravel scene is at its strongest for now and has been for the last 6 or 10 years. I say the US is the homeland of gravel racing, and I think the European stuff is certainly coming up. Unbound is a good example – there's some very high-profile athletes coming here and it's just got this element of a bit of the wild west of racing, and I'm really happy that I've got my place here in the US.
Some might say Brendan is not a dark horse, but it seems that’s mostly how he’s treated in the media. But, he has been there, proven himself over and over.
Q: After a couple of races in the US, then you went back to Australia and won XCM Nats again, UCI Gravel World Series Perth. On a string of success in the spring block, where does that leave you mentally?
The end of last year finished really well for me over here (in the US). I know everyone here hangs their bike up for a month or so in November and is kind of done with it [the break] in December or January. However, for me, I went home and took a week off and then I did a 250km gravel race and then pretty much started training for the (Australian) summer.
It’s always a bit iffy how I can prepare for the start of the LTGP. It worked out really well though and I managed to just have enough rest after our summer block to get straight into work for Sea Otter.
Sea Otter went really well for me. If you had said I was going to be in fifth [before the race], I probably would've taken it, to be honest. That field is really strong, especially with that race. It was just good for the confidence to carry it into the the year.
[I’m excited] to be fifth in the standings already, and taking that into Unbound, where I think it's a good event for me. I'm just feeling more comfortable having done some of these before now and turning up with less stress around the preparation, the fueling, and how to approach all that.
Q: Looking ahead to Unbound, what's the significance in the race for you? Is it a huge bullseye on your calendar for the year or do you just want to get through it?
For me it's not the pure goal of the year, but it's probably sitting somewhere between that and “just get through it”. I feel like I can be towards the front in this race. I know some pretty good guys are turning up, so that's going to change the race, especially with some teammates and whatnot that they're bringing. I think that'll impact the race in a big way. But, I think the race suits me, The terrain and the length suit me, but it’s difficult and no one can say that they're going to be good for 10 hours. I mean, anything can happen, right?
I came for just this one race and I'll have to go back home again. So I'm here obviously for one reason. I know some people skip it, people don't love it and maybe the investment is too much in training. But also this year, I haven't spent weeks and weeks preparing just for it, due to the fact that I raced four or five weeks in a row.
So while I couldn't put those major blocks in, I think that was a good period for the top end of my form. I did one really big week to load up, one easy week, and here we are. You don't have to do a bunch of these epic weeks to necessarily be good at it. I think if you know you have it in you then doing too many of them will just make you tired. I think there's a sweet spot of how much you can do.
Q: Is there anything specific to Unbound that you're going to leverage as far as fueling and hydration that you wouldn't in a typical race or maybe some more focus is going on certain areas of nutrition?
Nothing super different to a normal race. I mean most of the races are, well, five to six hours I guess. So I'm just going to try and keep that going for another five.
I actually [did] get some Pickle Juice and some more solid food as well for the later stages. Last year I had this drama with a mechanical and it put me out of the race and I was in the second aid with our team. I got to see all the other athletes coming through and it was interesting to see their faces and what they were reaching for, like some weird bits of food.
I think I will try and change it up a bit when that deep into the race [fueling] with some more solid food like bars. Generally, my stomach is okay with the gels and if you can get them down seven to eight hours into the race, that's optimal I think.
Q: What are a few of your favorite products, that you lean on the most?
I use the Flow Formulas drink mix typically. I did get some Skratch Labs Super High Carb to maybe change it up because [after] however many liters of Flow Formulas, maybe it's a bit too much. Then the SIS Beta Fuel Gels and 6D Ultra Gel (just because they taste good and they're 45 grams of carbs). I’ve also got some Skratch Labs Chews, which I think I'll collect along the way.
I might try and steer clear of the caffeine until later in the day I think. Other than that, I'm just going to rely on the mix and as many gels as I can fit.
