Redbeard Racing: Greg

Where did you grow up?
Ridgewood, New Jersey. Suburbia at its finest.

When & where did you first learn to ride a bike?
It certainly happened in New Jersey and I grew up near a “duck pond.” I think I learned to ride on the paths of the duck pond. But I come from a large family and learned early on the importance of being self-sufficient. I lived on my bike. It was absolute freedom.

How did you get into track racing?
I was neck deep in triathlon racing for a long time. It wasn’t until I completed a full Ironman in July 2015  that I finally burned out with no desire to swim, bike, run ever again. I really just loved to bike anyway. So I refocused my efforts exclusively on cycling and spent the next 2 years racing my bike as much as possible. 2017 was marked with an exorbitant amount of road racing and training on 9W training. By July 2017 I was itching to do something different. Track racing was something I hadn’t yet tried so I bought a track bike, attended a intro to track racing clinic and started racing shortly thereafter. Loved it right away.

Do you have a pre-race ritual?
I typically eat a gel that has a decent amount of caffeine. Then I chill and try to get in the right headspace / mentally prepare for the coming onslaught of pain.

How do you take your coffee?
My prerace coffee is always black. Dairy before racing kind of freaks me out.
Tell us about your track bike(s) and why you love it/them.
I have the Giant Omnium with an all-city 51 chain ring and I ride it everywhere. I love the aluminum frame because it feels indestructible.

What has been your most meaningful victory on the track to date?
In my first race at T-Town I sprinted as soon as the gun went off and managed to get almost a full lap distance between myself and the next rider. I held that gap for almost 7 laps. Sadly it was early racing days and I bit off more than I could chew. I made a few strategic errors (riding too high on the track, bad gear ratio) and was eventually caught with a lap or two to go. I’d like to think with a little bit of luck I can replicate that sprint in 2018 and hold everyone off a bit longer.

Favorite post-race meal?
I really love drinking an ice-cold kombucha post-race. I also really like fresh fruit after a race and a nice crisp salad.

Favorite velodrome to race in, and why?
I have only raced at Kissena and Trexlertown. I love the Kissena vibe and grit, but I really enjoyed racing T-Town. The track is just amazing, and it’s smaller than Kissena, which helps mentally. It helps me break up hard efforts into shorter intervals.

Favorite pro bike racer?
Mario Cipollini.

What do you do to pay the bills?
I work for a renewable energy company.

And the most important question: lock-ring or no lock-ring?
It’s complicated.