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Prep Confidential

Jackson's 5 Part XII

Posted by: Marcus Jackson

Wednesday, August 6, 2008 2:57 PM

Each week staff writer Marcus Jackson will pose five questions to an area prep standout. This week's guest is Central senior Hogan Sills, who won state and national titles in cycling this summer. Sills also plays tennis for the Maroons.

MJ: How did you get involved with cycling?
HS: My dad raced when he was a kid so I just started riding with him and racing.

MJ: How old were you when you started racing competitively?
HS: 16

MJ: Are there any pro riders you look up to?
HS: I watch a lot of pro racing and I watched a lot of Lance Armstrong when he was riding.

MJ: Are you subjected to as much random drug testing as the professional riders are?
HS: No, not at all. That's definitely for the guys in the big leagues, but not in amateur racing.

MJ: What's something people might not know?
HS: There's a lot more tactics than it might look like. It's not just an endurance sports, there are a lot more tactics involved.

MJ: Are you a part of a team when you race?
HS: I race with my dad sometimes, but usually I'm by myself.

MJ: Do you two help one another out?
HS: We sometimes have team tactics, but usually it's just me and my dad and there are other guys that have like 10 guys in a race. If we get into certain situations, we use team tactics but otherwise we don't have a strategy. Maybe I'll try to break away from the pack and my dad can sit in and let other people chase and if we need to do that, we can take turns.

MJ: How long until we see you wearing the yellow jersey at the Tour de France?
HS: Maybe in about five years. I want to see how far I can get. Maybe by my late 20s I can get to the Tour de France level.

MJ: What's the next step for you after you graduate high school?
HS: I'm not really focused on finding a college team but there are some good programs out there but I think I'm going to race outside of college.

MJ: Are your classmates aware of what you do?
HS: Sort of, they are all somewhat ignorant of the sport. They don't realize how much you have to train for it. I train six days a week. Usually, they think you can just go out there and ride.

MJ: What's your training regiment like?
HS: For a long ride, I might do anywhere from 60-80 miles. For a criterion, which is a short, fast race, my training will be shorter rides, probably like an hour. I'll do some fast sprints and some fast-pace riding.

MJ: Have you taken any nasty spills in you career?
HS: Luckily I have not yet. I've taken some on my training runs but nothing too major. Just a few minor scrapes. No broken bones or anything.