Cyclist: Ryan Aitcheson

Racing Age/DOB: 25; April 1, 1991
Hometown: Kitchener, Ontario, Canada
Current Residence: Kitchener, Canada
Racing Strengths: Criteriums, short hills

Previous Teams:
JetFuel
Panther p/b Competitive Cyclist
Astellas Oncology

2015 Results:
1st Intelligentisa Overall Winner
1st New Haven GP
2nd Rochester Twilight
3rd Air Force Overall
3rd Dana Point Criterium
3rd Novant Health Invitational Criterium
2nd Iron Hill
2nd Chris Thater
3rd Gateway Cup stage two and three

Top Three Career Results
3rd NCC Overall 2015
2nd Rochester Twilight
2nd Air Force Clarendon Cup

Goals for 2016: Top step in an NRC Criterium and USA Criterium

Personal Hobbies/Interests: Running my own part time cycling/ car rack business, guitar in what time is left.

First Bike: Specialized Stumpjumber. MTB raced at age 14. Parents didn’t like the idea of going into the woods alone, so got a road bike.

What would you be doing if you weren’t cycling? Maybe take post secondary school seriously. Can’t learn about life in a classroom I think

Favorite Training Ride: Whatever involves a café stop. Start riding thinking of coffee, ride home thinking about making more coffee

Favorite Race: Rochester Twilgiht- First time doing it in 2015. And what a race it was. Downtown, well lit twilight course over two bridges. A fun circuit race

Favorite Music: Dance and electronic. Gotta get pumped up!

If you could race any cyclist (dead or alive) who would it be and what discipline: Adam Myerson; the student against the teacher! Retired famous criterium rider; 2015 was a fun season.

If you could write the first line for your personal Wikipedia page what would it say: Apart of the 2015 Lightest Combined Weight Leadout Train on Astellas Cycling Criterium Team

Toughest race you’ve done and why: U23 Tour of Flanders; A full euro field of jacked up U23’s with everything to prove. Not to mention it is on narrow roads and cobbles. Killer day.

What cycling accomplishment are you most proud of? 2015 3rd place overall in the NCC. Took a whole season of teamwork and a lot of stars aligned. Guys had a lot of trust in me and we pulled off many podiums that year.

Any unique pre-race routines or lucky charms? Cup of coffee a few hours before start calms the nerves, yet get you going!

Being Canadian what’s one tip you could give to someone trying to ride on a cold winter day? 
As much as I love riding outside it’s just too cold during the winter months to properly train out there. The trainer has been my friend and enemy all winter and to help me build up the base I need, I jump from the trainer to rollers. It changes the momentum and keeps your mind focused. If I do head outside I can’t ride too hard or it will cause me to sweat. The sweat then gets cold and you will be even worse! It is good base training and I use hot pads to keep my feet and hands warm.

A professional cyclists training is tough and remains unseen by the public. What’s the toughest training you’ve done to date? 
Last year Astellas had a training camp and was the first time we all met each other. For pretty much all the guys it was a new team with all new team mates. I remember day after day going out and we would always try to smash each other; test everyone’s limits. There were days I came back totally wrecked! That was the hardest two weeks on the bike but the most beneficial after a good rest.

20, 40, 50, 60, or 90mm deep carbon wheels. Pick one depth for the rest of your career. Now tell us why? 
At my height and weight tall wheels are out of the question. It’s hard enough staying in position during a race so why would I want to fight my bike in a crosswind! To get some aero advantage and keep it lightweight I prefer the 40mm range. Best of both worlds.

You recently started your own small business. How did the challenges of that compare to those of being a professional cyclist?
Being on the road and racing has its positives and negatives when trying to run a small business. When I had time at a hotel I would do some research to find out how to get started and what I would need. It officially took off when I was able to sit down for a whole day in October and work on the website and get the equipment needed. I’m having fun doing both because I get to use my traveling experience that I have gleaned from being a professional cyclist into my business, helping others travel. I’m excited to see how my first year goes and the funny thing now is that it has turned into a family business. When I’m away I get the phone calls and emails, but my family does all the hard work! Check it out at www.ridealongrentals.ca or on Twitter @ridealongrental