Rider blog: Ian Boswell

We catch up with our American star ahead of his first European race of the season at Paris-Nice.

Hi everyone, I'm starting my European season at Paris-Nice on Sunday and I've been asked to share with you how my year's gone to date, and what I've been up to.

I've been having a really good time. You might have seen I was down in Australia at the start of the year and it was nice to help us get two wins straight off the bat at the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race and Herald Sun Tour.

We had great weather and a good group of guys down there, and then I had six days at home in Nice before I flew to South Africa for a big block of training with Chris Froome. I only got back today [Wednesday].

That was the first time I'd ever been to the African continent and it was totally different from anywhere I'd visited before. It's a beautiful country and where we stayed was absolutely stunning.

It was relatively rural but still had amazing roads for training. The weather was fantastic we were able to get tonnes of miles in.

It's probably the biggest training block I've ever done with Chris and it was eye-opening to see how hard he works, how much he trains, and how much he suffers as well. He was cool to hang out with and he really pushed me in training. There were a few days where I was right on the limit and pretty darn tired.

It was great being with [Mechanic] Gary Blem and [Carer] David Rozman as well. Living like that you really get to know each other, and I was actually a little sad coming back to Europe.

Back in France

That said, I've got Paris-Nice coming up this week and I'm really excited to get back to racing. It's been nearly a month since I was last in action and it almost feels like I'm starting my season again. I've got those Australian and South African trips in my legs though, so hopefully I can get back to speed quickly.

Paris-Nice is a huge race and I haven't ridden it since my first season with the team back in 2013.

We have a really strong team going there and Geraint [Thomas] will be aiming for the win. Both he and I live in Nice now, and there are a couple of good stages down there towards the end of the week which we'll hopefully have the home-field advantage on.

I'll be using next week as a building block towards the Giro d'Italia - which is my biggest race of the season. Paris-Nice will be a good testing ground to see where I'm at, and what sorts of improvements I need to make for that comes around in May.

I've been training really hard, but that's totally different from racing. Sometimes you can come back and be surprised at how hard it is, and other times you can be surprised at how fit you are. It's going to be interesting to see where I'm at compared to the guys who've been racing in Europe for the last few months.

On the road

I've only been at home for around 20 days this year, and I don't think I'll stay there for more than a week until after the Giro finishes. It's a busy spring on the road for me, but I'm looking forward to it. I've got into the rhythm of living out of a suitcase and I've mapped out my life to ensure I'll be in top condition when the Giro starts on May 6th.

It's easier to deal with if you take it one race, or one training camp at a time. The Giro is my climax for the first half of the season and once that's over I can take a little break, pick back up on friendships, and reassess where I go for the latter part of the season.

It's certainly hard keeping in touch with people as a professional cyclist, but thankfully I have a good support network around me with my parents, girlfriend, and other friends back home.

It's difficult with time zones between Europe and the US, and that normally means I'm on the phone with them early in the mornings or last thing before bed. You have to look at it positively though - it's a nice way to start and end my days.

My parents and girlfriend are looking to come over for the Giro, so that's a nice motivation to have, and I'm already looking forward to seeing them properly in Turin once the race is over. 

Keep up to date with everything Ian is doing by checking out his personal website at www.ian-boswell.com