Name: John Cain
Lives: Brighton East
Club: Caulfield Carnegie Cycling Club
Years Riding: Have been riding competitively in one shape or another for 20 years.
Your Toy: Giant Trinity Advanced SL1 (UCI Compliant version)
Component group: Dura-Ace, because I can’t afford Di2. My Quaq cranks were a great investment though.
What training / racing wheels do you use:
Training wheels: 36 spoke Mavic Open Pro’s on Shimano Hubs, heavy but strong – just how a training wheel should be.
Racing: Right now I am using my Giant P-SLR 1 Aero wheels that came standard with my road bike. I have tested these wheels against some deep dish tubs & they perform brilliantly. I love their versatility, even for TT’s
How did you end up with this bike: I am a big Giant fan and just loved the look of the Trinity when they first released it 3 years ago. When the UCI announced that the Trinity was illegal for Road TT’s Giant came to the party & effectively replaced the frame with a compliant model.
How’s the ride: This thing is built for speed. The set up is very aggressive so for anything longer than 50k’s it gets pretty uncomfortable around the private parts. The pain goes away though when passing guys on road bikes like they are standing still.
Is there an upgrade or piece of kit that you’d really like: It is a difficult call – Di2 or Disc Wheel…probably a Disc, just.
Have you ever had a bike fitting: Yes, Bicycles Inc, Toorak Rd South Yarra. They look after a lot of roadies & Triathletes. I could believe the massive range of option they were able to provide to really “customize” my bike fit.
What are your:
a) short-term cycling aspirations: My team just took out the Masters State Team Time Trial Champs for the 3rd year in a row. In two weeks’ time I have the state Individual TT champs for my age group. I have won this for the last 4 years. This is my last year in this age group and I would love to keep my run going.
b) long-term cycling aspirations: At 49 sometimes the biggest challenge is GETTING to the start line as opposed to peaking for a race. I am in awe of the guys who are still able to ride with the bunches into their late 60’s
What do you love about riding: The social aspect, the post ride coffee where you can just sit and spend an hour or so just talking rubbish about the ride or anything cycling related
Describe an average cycling week: At this time of year its 4 mid week speed sessions on the TT, 40klms FAST. Weekend longer runs on the road bike & sometime a long TT session (70k). Not much distance but lots of intensity.
How does cycling fit in with your work/life balance: I deal with people all day & my people can tell if I haven’t been for a ride before coming to work. It really helps me “get up” for the day. With a young family it also allows me plenty of time to spend with them on the weekend because my rides are normally done by 9.30am. I used to play golf & I was gone all day on a Saturday.
Does cycling frequently offer you business networking opportunities: Yes and no. Most of my cycling mates are tradies. They are great to fix things around the home but no good for my line of work (Banking). I do find however that it is easy to spot a cyclist & I can recall many times when I have been able to build great relationships with potential clients purely because we had a common interest.
