That Dude from VeloNews

VeloNews writer and Boulder resident Fred Dreier is used to asking questions. He interviews bike racers and writes race reports for a living, all the while traveling the world and trying to maintain his fitness as an athlete. I thought I'd change it up a bit and turn the tables, putting him in the not-so-hot seat. He's staying here at the Cycling Center, while on assignment covering the Spring Classics for VeloNews. From Flanders to Roubaix to Liege, Fred's there hunting down the story, asking questions, and furiously typing away.
Now you must understand that Fred and I go way back. That's right, way back to the late winter of 2008 when I was in Boulder. I rode with him on one occasion. So yeah, we're pretty much best friends. To interview him I needed to brush up on my Boulder dialect but I excluded the many "dude's" "bro's" and "shya's" of the conversation for the sake of clarity.
VR: So are you all warmed up and recovered after our 3 hour spin in the cold rain and hail of Belgium? Have you been here in Belgium before?
FD: Yeah. No, this is my first time in Belgium.
VR: You attended Paris-Roubaix last weekend. Tell us about your day. Who was your best interview? Worst?
FD: Well, I was surprised by the number of people I saw everywhere: fans, riders, staff. It was really hectic. We went to Compiegne 2 hours prior to the start. Luckily our media credentials gave us the opportunity to catch the riders getting off their team bus's to sign in. We took quotes from riders and stuck to one-liners like: How are the legs? What kind of tactics are your team using? The answers were going to be used for VeloNews live updates. After the start we went to a hotel with internet access and sent out the material we had just gathered to our web editor who would be typing the live updates. From there, we leapfrogged the race, first driving to sector 23 of pave. It was pretty tough this year because the peloton was moving fast in the first 2 hours. I think they covered over 100km which was at least 20 minutes ahead of the schedule we received. Next we drove to sector 18, the Arenberg Forest. We hung out in Arenberg for a while, about 2km into the forest. The 2.4 km stretch of cobbles was loaded with people drinking, dancing, barbecuing, and having a good time in the sunny and pleasant afternoon. After the riders passed we went straight to the Roubaix Velodrome and found our way into the media room. At 10km to go in the race we went to the infield of the velodrome and watched the finish live.
As far as good riders to interview, Slipstream's Mike Friedman was among the best. He 's very candid. A lot of riders are media trained so there interviews aren't as interesting. Younger riders tend to speak candidly and say what's on their mind. Interviewing Martijn Maaskant was like pulling teeth! He was overwhelmed and swarmed by reporters after his 4th place finish. I was able to talk to him at the team bus but he was a little out of it after 260km.
The things that surprised me about Paris- Roubaix were first of all the nice weather conditions... I was expecting much worse. I would also have to say that the speed the pros rode the pave was very impressive and surprising. Cancellara and Boonen were the favorites and they did not disappoint. Those two being in the final made my story easier to write.
VR: How many years have you been with VeloNews? In that time, what has been you're best assignment?
FD: This is my 4th year with VeloNews. Covering the Cape Epic in South Africa was my favorite. Or maybe La Ruta because I was able to ride it and cover it. That was hard! [both mountain bike races]
VR: Who is your favorite author?
FD: Kurt Vonnegut JR. or Hunter S. Thompson
VR: And now some rapid fire... PC or Mac?
FD: Mac
VR: Coffee or tea?
FD: Coffee
VR: Road or mountain?
FD: Mountain for coverage, rode for riding.
VR: Colorado or Belgium?
FD: That's an easy one, Colorado.
VR: VeloNews.com or VeloNews Magazine?
FD: VeloNews Magazine. Seeing your name on a by line is always special... even though 10 times more people will read it on the website.