11 Questions with Hincapie’s Robin Carpenter

Robin Carpenter started riding with his dad when he was 11 years old and turned pro at 19. The 24 year old, who is currently riding for the Holowesko-Citadel Team, donned the yellow jersey in The Larry H Miller Tour of Utah last week after an epic win of Stage 2. He is a foodie and home brewer in the off-season and he is also Cycliq’s newest ambassador.

We caught up with Robin a while ago and did a quick #CycliqAthlete Q&A with him on what life would look like without two wheels, career highlights so far and of course, what his ultimate meal would be right now.

11 Questions with Robin Carpenter

What would you be doing if you weren’t a pro rider?
I would probably either still be in school trying to complete graduate work or perhaps I would be working with some sort of office job. (Nooooo!)

What motivates you through the hard training days? 
Getting through hard training days is easier when I think about the improvements I’ve made in the past by working hard, and remembering how good it feels to be light and fast on the bike.

Team Holowesko-Citadel

What is the best advice you have ever been given? Cycling or non-cycling? 
One of the best pieces of racing advice I’ve ever received is to not do what everyone else in the peloton is doing; take chances on unconventional wisdom and it just might pay off.

What does your typical off-season day look like?
In the off-season I like to pursue projects that are either impossible to do in-season (due to travel or especially in my case, diet restrictions.) But that being said, I love finding new and exciting things to make in the kitchen, I really enjoy brewing my own beer and quite often, I bake my own bread.

What is your favourite bike to ride? 
My favorite bike to ride is my Felt road racing bike, of course!

Putting in the hard yards

What advice would you give someone on the day of their first Pro Race?
Don’t do anything that uses energy without having a reason or purpose behind that action – always use your head.

What is the worst injury you have had to ride with?
I’ve been fortunate to avoid most nasty injuries (knock on wood) but I think the worst of the injuries I’ve had have been concussions. Of course you can’t continue to riding with a concussion, but they are definitely the most challenging injuries to get over.

What’s the highlight of your career to date?
The highlight of my career to date was winning a stormy, mud-soaked stage of the 2014 USA Pro Challenge from a solo breakaway.

Up at the front

If you could eat anything you wanted right now, what would it be and why?
This is a tough question! Either a heaping plate of smoked barbecue or some delicious pad thai?

Tell me about your funniest moment on a bike?
In a serious sport, its often funny to watch people who are taking it too seriously, like when riders start yelling at each other or when they try and push one another around. The riders fighting amongst themselves always feel that the problem is very important, while everyone else around them is either rolling their eyes or laughing to themselves.

Lastly, espresso or cappuccino? 
Again, tough! If I’m grabbing a coffee mid-training ride and needing to push-on, then I’ll definitely get an espresso. But if I am sitting down at a coffee shop for the next hour to joke with my teammates or riding friends, then it’s a capp.

Life on the road: coffee on busses

Congratulations to Robin on his performance in the Tour of Utah – what a way to pick up the yellow jersey!

Follow Robin on STRAVA to see what it’s like training as a pro or catch a glimpse of the behind-the-scenes life of pro racing on his Instagram (with the odd foodie review and cat pic scattered amongst it all of course).