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An Evening With Tyler Farrar

By Jana Moseley

Tyler Farrar, a 25-year old Washington native, has made quite a name for himself in the cycling world. Raised in Wenatchee, Farrar began racing competitively at age 12. Working steadily toward his goal of becoming a pro, he finally had his breakthrough, becoming the first Washington native to compete in the Tour de France. Beyond that, Farrar had a spectacular year, racking up multiple wins and becoming one of the only cyclists to defeat Britain’s Mark Cavendish in a sprint finish. He definitely made heads turn in ‘09.

Photo by Canadian Cyclist

Tyler Farrar.

Though it’s the off-season, Farrar has not slowed down. Home from Belgium for Thanksgiving, he packed his week full of appearances, including a meet and greet at Cycle U in Seattle. Fans lined up for pictures, autographs and a quick chat with the local hero. Farrar even took the time to speak with young aspiring cyclists, fanning the flame for the next generation. Long-time girlfriend, Stephanie Wade, could be seen watching people queue up for a moment with the new “it” guy. So, what’s it like dating a superstar?

“It’s a little crazy, but we’ve been doing this so long and it’s progressed so steadily that by now, it just feels right,” she explained. Wade rarely misses a race if she can help it, traveling with him all over the world.

Talking to Farrar, you would never guess he is on the verge of cycling superstardom. Carrying his success with modesty and grace, he talks as though you’re old friends and there’s not a line of people still to meet. I had to work my way into the crowd to get my five minutes, but when we did sit down to chat he told me all about his most successful season to date.

“I’m psyched with it. I would say it [2009] has been a breakthrough for me. I’d been closing in and chipping away in some of the smaller races leading up to this, but this is the first year I really showed what I could do in the biggest races in the world.”

Photo by Bicycle Paper

What he could do was win, finishing first in stage 11 at the Vuelta a Espana (Tour de Spain, September), winning the overall in the Vatenfall Classics (August) and the Delta Tour of Zeeland (June), as well as claiming multiple stages in the Eneco Tour of Belgium (August). All of this followed his victory over Mark Cavendish, who some call the fastest man in the world, in stage three of the Tirreno-Adriatico (March). Not too shabby of a season.

“Bike racing’s an interesting sport because it’s not a sport where you either win or lose. It’s not a team sport where there’s a winner and there’s a loser. You lose most of the races you do, so any victory is special.”

While no one can argue that his year was a success, a crash early on put his season on a new course. “I crashed in the spring and separated my shoulder … I was out for about six weeks … we had to re-evaluate and change my race program to adapt to it.” I commented that those six weeks didn’t seem to set him back much.

He laughed, “It all worked out in the end.”

Photo by Bicycle Paper

Asking him about his victories, he can’t help but smile. What is he most proud of? “The Vattenfall Classic in Hamburg, Germany. It was that first classic I’ve won. Either that or the Vuelta de Espana, the first Grand Tour stage I’ve ever won.”

With all the attention he’s receiving so far, it is surely the start of things to come and Farrar isn’t wasting any time. He’s already looking to next season and how he can step up his success.

“The first big goal will be the spring classics … in March and April. Then it will be trying to win stages at the Grand Tours again … They’re saying that next year the World Championships is a course that will suit a sprinter, so hopefully I’ll be able to have a good ride there.”

Personal victories are definitely at the top of his list, and then there’s Mark Cavendish. Buzz of a rivalry between Cavendish and the Washingtonian is already underway, after Farrar spent multiple races closely behind the Brit’s wheel and even took one victory from him. Can he dethrone Cavendish in 2010?

“Yeah, (laughs) I think I can. He was the best rider in the world this year, you can’t argue with that, so it’s not going to be easy. But, I’ve beat him before, I’ve shown I can do it. “ So, what’s it going to take to beat him?

Photo by Bicycle Paper

“He is a really good all around sprinter, and I think his biggest strength this year was his team. He had the best team in the world leading out the sprints … my team has put in a lot of effort this season into building a future for the sprints so hopefully we’re going to be stronger and hopefully that will make the difference.”

While his threat to Cavendish is definitely getting some exposure, Farrar is not taking it too seriously.

“I’m one of the only guys that has beat him since he arrived at the top. So, I guess there’s a bit of hype about it … it’s nice but I don’t really focus too much on, ‘I have to beat Cavendish’ … I have to take him into consideration, because he’s the number one rider in the world, but there’s a lot of other fast guys out there too. For me, I always want to focus on my race, and try to do my best.”

To reach his goal, his team will have to set him up, and lead him out toward stage victories. Who were the men behind Farrar’s success this year?

“Julian Dean … from New Zealand. He’s been my guy for the last season, and he has a lot of experience. He’s been a pro for quite a while and I’ve been trying to learn as much as I can from him.”

The duo took on the best of the best and walked away with many victories to show for it. “Basically a lot of times it was just me and Julian against everyone. Next year we’ve brought in two new guys … Robbie Hunter and Johann Van Sommeran. They have a lot of experience in the lead-outs for the sprints so hopefully that will beef up our team for the races.”

It was a very rewarding year for Farrar, who has been working towards this since he was a child. His story is one of hard work and determination culminating in success. In a sport where only a handful of athletes make it big, he has found his place amongst the best, and he is taking it all in. “There’s things you kind of dream about as a kid when you’re coming up through the ranks and then winning at races you’ve seen on TV … those mean a lot.”

As he looks toward the 2010 season and prepares for his continued ride to the top, Farrar talks about his love for cycling.

“I love the competition of the sport. I think it’s a really beautiful sport when you watch the races. But, I love that you set a goal, and you have this objective that you’re working towards … and you have something you can focus on and say, ‘This is what I want to do and I’m going to do this, this and this to prepare and get me there.’”

With a room full of people still waiting to meet him, Farrar has definitely arrived. Showing no signs of stopping, Farrar keeps setting goals and Washington, along with the rest of America, will be watching to see how far this cyclist can go.

2009 Results:

- Vuelta a España – 1st, Stage 11

- Vattenfall Cyclassics – 1st, Overall

- Eneco Tour of Belgium – 1st, Stage 1

- Eneco Tour of Belgium – 1st, Stage 2

- Eneco Tour of Belgium – 1st, Stage 4

- Delta Tour of Zeeland – 1st, Prologue

- Delta Tour of Zeeland – 1st, Overall

- Delta Tour of Zeeland – 1st, Best Young Rider Competition

- Tirreno-Adriatico – 1st, Stage 3

- Vuelta a España – 2nd, Stage 6

- Tirreno-Adriatico – 2nd, Stage 7