Photography @Garmin-Slipstream

Missing Saddle recent caught up with Christian during the Canadian National Championships.

MS: On the Slipstream website, you mentioned a unique goal for the season.  Can you update us on how that is going?  Have you set the bottle hauling record yet?  Any advice you could give bottle fetchers everywhere, like a secret to your success?
CM: Haha, yeah its going well, we do have a lot of good bottle guys on the team so setting the record is proving to be a bit more of a challenge than I first thought, but I will keep working at it. My best advice would have to be that never forget the front of the jersey, many fill the pockets and down the back of the jersey but you can always fit an extra 2, 3 or 4 down the front as well.

MS: Anything you and he do when you’re with your Garmin teammates to add a little ‘Canadian flare’ to the team?
CM: Well, we have been trying to infuse a touch of Canada into the team by circulating and quoting a lot from the movie Fubar. It seems like the american guys don’t really get the movie but i highly recommend it to anyone looking to see the inside world and phsyci of the canadian culture.

MS: How far do you go back with Svein Tuft?  You both rode for Symmetrics. The guy has become a Canadian time trialing legend.  Finishing second behind him in this year’s time trial championships has to be pretty satisfying.
CM: I go back probably about 5 plus years now with Svein, ever since we both started on Symmetrics. We spent some time as room mates before buying matching travel trailers and parking them on the team owners property, the all canadian dream. It was a very satisfying ride at nationals for me, I have had some issues with my TT position that left me struggling but hopefully now have them all sorted, so yeah just good to feel normal again on my TT bike.

MS: A very late congratulations on taking last year’s Canadian road race title – especially impressive since you were new to the elite racing scene.  What did a win like that do for your confidence?
CM: It was a great race on a hard circuit and we just went out and raced aggressively. Being on Symmetrics we had the pressure to win and we delivered and with the team folding we all still stick together and kept our heads down, racing hard. As with every race the team won over the years it was a real team effort and it just happened to be my day.

MS: How has the training for this year’s road race differed from ’08?  How did you feel about your chances against him prior to the race?
CM: Actually was to different as in previous years we always had the Tour de Beauce about ten days before nationals and then it was just resting and staying sharp. This year i had the Dauphinee just before and the biggest difference was dealing with the jet lag from flying from Europe which took a bit more rest to get ready. They also changed the course this year from a hard hilly circuit to a flat loop so when I saw that I put a bit more emphasis on the TT, especially since it wasn’t looking like Svein was going to be making the trip at first, so I though I may have a chance.

MS: There’s been a lot of bad luck surrounding Garmin-Slipstream so far this season.  With some of the major injuries you guys have suffered, what has morale been like within the team?  Could you feel a specific low point of the season, and what was that like?  Ever worry about the injury bug biting you?

CM: I actually never felt like the moral was a very low point, injuries are a part of cycling and we have a lot of guys doing a lot of races so maybe a few guys get swapped around. It does suck for the guys like Lucas and Blake who sustained pretty substantial injuries but for most the moral remains pretty good as they are a very focused group and work hard to get back on their feet. I think its best to just go about your job and not dwell on the fact that you could maybe have an injury, the more you think about it the more likely it will happen I think.

MS: It was cool to see you and Timmy Duggan active in that mountainous stage 7 of the Dauphine.  What did that dose of serious French climbing feel like? (Galibier, Croix de Fer)  How does that compare to the difficulty of a race like Liege-Bastone-Liege?
CM:  It was some really cool racing at the Dauphinee and Timmy is a great bike rider. Going up those climbs was an amazing experience, it was the first time for me to be racing in the that region or on mountains with that much history. Being in the break your could take it all in a bit more so that was very cool, riding up 28.5 km climbs with snow still at the top, climbs that some of the great Tour de France battles were waged, very cool. Totally different experience than a race like Liege where you are doing much more short explosive efforts over threshold, most climbs there are 2-5km long so you can just go that deep, where as in the real mountains you are doing sustained efforts up to and hour and a half long.
MS: I’ve read that you haven’t really ever gotten in to hockey.  Growing up, what was your sporting life like?  When did cycling enter the picture?
CM: Played a bit of soccer as a younger kid but cycling kind of came out of nowhere. Bought a mtb magazine one day when i was about 15 years old and just thought the bikes looked so cool and from there starting racing mtb bikes. From there the rest is history.

MS: What are your expectations for the rest of your season?  Individual goals and a specific race you are looking forward to?
CM: Still just trying to gain as much experience as I can and hopefully find my way into a good breakaway along the way. I am really looking forward the Vuelta, has always been my dream to race a grand tour.

MS: And how about 3 rapid fire:  Race radio or no race radio?
CM: Race Radio.

MS: Who is funnier, you or Zabriskie?
CM: Zab, hands down.

MS: Favorite beer, wine, and/or liquid in a racing bottle:
CM: Coffee, espresso, cafe con leche, cappuccino.

By Kyle Moore