Name: Ian Boswell Age: 27
Lives in: Peacham
Family: Fiancée, Gretchen Kaija; parents, grant and Dina; brother, Austin; step-siblings Gabe and Marissa Nehl.
Primary Sport: Cycling
You may not realize it but the fastest bike racer Camiseta Selección de fútbol de Suiza in Vermont now lives in Peacham. Ian Boswell, a native of Bend, Ore., moved Camiseta SL Benfica to the tiny town of Peacham, Vt. (his fiancée is from Reddin) last spring. considering that then, his occupation as a bike racer has only skyrocketed. He has raced the Giro d’Italia and the Vuelta a Espana, but this year, Boswell completed the trilogy of professional cycling’s Grand excursions when he became one of the few Vermont residents to have ever ridden in the prestigious excursion de France. competing for the Swiss-based team Katusha Alpecin, Boswell finished the 21-day race in 79th place. His highest placing was stage 11 in the Alps when he crossed the line in 39th place.
How extraordinary was it to ride in the excursion de France this year?
It was really a dream come true. The excursion is what captures your imagination as a kid. growing up in the Armstrong era with American dominance in the sport was instrumental in my getting interested in and pursuing cycling. It may be considered a foreign sport, but it’s one that Americans can do. I’ve done the Giro and the Vuelta but the excursion de France is the pinnacle of the sport.
What was your best moment in the Tour?
My best moment was on stage 19 in the Pyrenees. We were down to four motorcyclists out of our original eight and we were a bit on our back foot and hadn’t met our goals. It was the final day in the mountains and we still had the fitness and motivation to do and we were trying to set up our leader, Ilnur Zakarin. He ended up finishing tenth that day and ninth overall.
It’s interesting that you didn’t mention one of the days in the Alps when you had a higher finish.
Cycling is special in that it’s a team sport raced by individuals. only one rider gets the glory. My role was to support Ilnur. His ninth-place finish is his result but it took our entire team. That also includes 15 to 16 staff members who serve as bus drivers, race directors, chefs, doctors, and massage therapists. It takes a whole team.
What led you to join team Katusha Alpecin?
Sky was my first pro team and I spent five years there and learned a lot. ideal now, they are the most successful Grand excursion team. I have a two-year contract with Katusha and one of the reasons I joined was so that I could make the excursion de France squad. It was becoming hard to make the excursion squad with sky and after five years it was time for me to start somewhere new and redefine my goals and aspirations.
Is it as crazy as it looks Camiseta US Sassuolo with the fans converging on the course on the mountain stages?
It is. There are so lots of people and some of the fans know they can get on television by running and wearing crazy suits. It’s nearly become a show within a show. For all the close encounters that nearly happen, it’s pretty phenomenal that there aren’t lots of injuries.
How do you stay fueled on the Tour?
Off the bike we eat a healthy, wholesome, balanced diet with an emphasis on carbs. On the bike it’s mostly an electrolyte mix and energy gels. At the feed stops we get musettes filled with sticky rice balls, paninis and bananas, as well as two water bottles and a small can of Coke. Coca-Cola is heavily consumed in the excursion de France. The feed zone is a hazardous part of the race. You’d think they could come up with a better system, but it’s tradition. Ninety-nine percent of the time there are no problems but this year, my fellow American Lawson Craddock crashed in the feed zone on stage One and rode the rest of the excursion with a fractured clavicle and facial lacerations. It’s a testament to the excursion and what it indicates to be a rider that he carried on. [Craddock finished last – earning “la lanterne rouge” – but used his ride to raise over $150,000 to rebuild a velodrome in Houston that had been destroyed by Hurricane Harvey].
Do you think there is still doping in cycling?
I believe that cycling is a sport that has taken doping very seriously in the last decade. There will always be people in any walk of life who try to cheat the system. I raced clean and I know what went into my preparation. I believe all the performances that I saw were done on a natural and sincere level.
Is there a language barrier with so lots of nationalities on the team?
We’re a very international team. We hold a Swiss license which is emblematic considering that we have people from twelve different countries. English is the spoken language of the team and it is becoming the language of the peloton. a lot of teams want motorcyclists to speak English but there are absolutely some barriers and things get lost in translation. I speak French which helps but cycling is also a language unto itself.
When did you start racing?
I started racingnull