Thomas Brown

Age 27
Height 5’8″
Hometown Athens, Georgia
Favourite style of race Wet, technical, and hilly criteriums.
Major goal for 2014 To win a NCC or USACRIT race.

Athens, GA is a bit of a cycling hotspot. Take us on a brief tour…
Athens Georgia is definitely a hidden gem for cycling. It’s a college town where there are great restaurants (Top Chef Quality to down home BBQ), bars (more than anyone would reasonably need), and a music scene (REM, B52′s and many more started here). I’m also a graduate student at UGA studying Public Health. I think the best part of Athens is the amazing quiet country roads and the cycling community here. All the racers here really take care of each other and have a good friendly rivalry on the group rides. All in all, Athens is the perfect home base for me because it is a low stress environment, the rent is cheap, the food is good, and the people are friendly.

Congratulations on your recent wedding. Did you take your bike on the honeymoon?
We definitely did not bring bikes on the honeymoon! My wife is also a pro racer for Team Novo Nordisk. It’s a really good combo because we know what it’s like to travel, train, and race. We are actually planning another honeymoon for this fall to Italy. Our good friends and world famous photographers, Jered and Ashley Gruber invited us over to ride bikes. We’re definitely aiming to take them up on that offer.

Tell us about your Litespeed…
My Litespeed is simply a really nice bike. I had always wanted to have a Litespeed and it definitely does not disappoint. I really like the flat black paint job and low head tube. The head tube really lets me get low on the bike.

Your racing philosophy. Have you found it change as you’ve progressed within professional cycling?
My racing philosophy has definitely changed as I’ve progressed through cycling. When I first started, I really did not think about what to do in races to be successful. I’ve now gotten to the point where I can predict what’s going to happen in the race beforehand and use that prediction for developing a strategy on how to approach the race. That being said, my real racing philosophy is to have fun while competing.

What’s the one training session you always look forward to and how does it make you feel when it’s complete?
The one training session that I really look forward to is my recovery day yoga session. I go every week with my wife. Yoga is really good for me because I’m naturally really tight and have to work on flexibility. It also allows me to really embrace the moment and to be in touch with my body and is another element I use to achieve my goal of living a socially conscious, healthy, sustainable, and enjoyable life.

Note from the team: “With a top-class American sprinter in our roster we’ll look to Thomas for big results in the criterium scene. With his calm demeanour and steely focus he’ll be a great asset in 2014”.