Andrew L’Esperance: Representing Nova Scotia within Canada and abroad

Terry Tomlin

Andrew L’Esperance turns 24 years old this year, but his outlook reflects that of an older, more mature athlete. Longtime mentor and fellow elite racer Jamie Lamb describes “The Young Gun” as “the perfect mix of focus and balance for an athlete. He exudes a friendly calm and confidence that makes him a leader rather than simply a fast racer.” L’Esperance is graduating with a degree in mechanical engineering from Dalhousie University this spring, but is focusing on developing his cycling career with the long-term goal of representing Canada at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. We sat down in his native Halifax recently to get some insight into Nova Scotia’s most successful mountain bike rider.

The last time many readers may have seen you was when you pulled the hole shot with Mike Garrigan at cyclocross nationals in Winnipeg this past October. That looked fun in a painful kind of way. Was that planned?

Yes. Evan McNeely, my Norco Factory Team teammate, and I went into that race focused on getting a result for one or both of us. I’m a fast starter, so the goal was to hit it hard and put pressure on the other athletes while Evan was going to follow wheels in the chase group. We faded off the lead group as the race progressed, but it was worth a shot and it put on a great show for the crew here at home. They were cheering hard and people were stoked to see me on the livestream crushing it.

How specific is your cyclocross training? Does it differ dramatically from your XC prep or is it simply an extension of the same training?

It is simply an extension of my XC training. It’s nice to switch to riding a ‘cross bike from a mountain bike to keep things fresh. Training usually involves one long ride a week, one day with intervals on ‘cross specific terrain with some skill drills thrown in. Add in a couple of recovery rides, travelling to races, racing double weekends and a full-time university course load and the week is full.

How did you become involved in cycling? Is this something your siblings and parents were into?

My older brother Tim raced a bit so that’s how I knew that it existed. I did my first race when I was 12 in Halifax at the Cyclesmith Short Track Series. I still go out and race those when I am home in the summer. From that first race 12 years ago, I’ve been riding and racing my bike, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

At what age should more structured training be introduced to kids?

I think a kid needs to decide when they want to start structured training. I think you can get pretty fast by just riding your bike and having fun with it. I’d say that between the ages of 14 to 17 a young rider can start a structured training program.

The Canada Games process was a big step in your development. You medalled in MTB eliminator but it was perhaps your performance in the road race that surprised many people outside the province.

Canada Games is a big deal in Nova Scotia. We’re a small province, but we love lining up against the rest of Canada. When N.S. won a road race medal in 2009, the bar was set and we were focused to deliver another in 2013. We had a great team of development riders, they learned a ton, and we’re already seeing them on various trade teams. The road race was a tough course and a selection of five riders was made early in the race. It was two Ontario, two Quebec and me. In hindsight, I could have made a few better decisions over the course of that race that could have helped me get a medal but overall it was great. One of the highlights was hearing afterwards that the officials in the commissaries car were having a laugh about me using mountain bike shoes and pedals.

Have you had any thoughts about switching to road?

For sure I have. I would like to work some road events into my program this year and experience what racing is like at the elite national level. I raced a lot of road as a junior, but I haven’t had the opportunity to do any big races as an elite. It looks like road nationals could fit into my schedule this year, so perhaps that’s a possibility.

Back with Norco, tell us about that team. What’s the focus? Canada Cups? Marathon?

Yes, I’m really happy to be back with Norco Factory for another year. We have great sponsors on board—Norco, SRAM, Stan’s Notubes and Kenda—and a very talented group of athletes. Kevin Haviland, the team manager/mechanic, is the heart and brain of the team. He makes sure we have everything we need to perform our best on the bike. Off the bike, he keeps us laughing as basically every interaction involves an inside joke, bro. The focus for 2015 is Canada Cups, nationals and the North American stops of the World Cup.

Rumour has it that you’ll have a second bike available to you for select races. Have you spent time on this new platform?

Yeah, I’ll have a second bike option to go with my 29er hardtail this year. I spent some time on the platform in Victoria last summer and it was pretty amazing. It will be a dream machine on some rough race courses and a fun bike to ride all the time.

You’re regarded as a very strong technical rider, have you considered trying your hand at enduro?

Thanks, these East Coast trails help develop that. I haven’t had the opportunity to race enduro, however, with the right bike I’d be stoked to give it a go.

What are the biggest changes you’ve seen in training styles or protocols in the past three years?

I think the biggest change is just the data that we can get out of each ride using computers. You won’t see too many race bikes without a Garmin on the stem. It’s a good thing, but it needs to be used properly. I think you need to really understand the numbers, but also know when to ignore them and feel it out. I just recently got a power meter on my road bike. It’s nice for comparison but it will become more powerful as years of data are logged and you can see progression across a longer time frame.

You’ve recently been mentored by some professionals with the goal of creating a fund to continue your training and racing. What are your hopes and expectations with this initiative?

Yes, I’m working with a friend and advocate of the N.S. cycling community, Gavin Giles. Gavin is helping me make connections with businesses and individuals who are looking to step outside of traditional marketing channels and hopefully we can find a fit with a few leaders in the community. Until now, I’ve been able to keep racing thanks to help from provincial funding, support from the cycling community in Nova Scotia, key sponsors, working part-time and making/selling granola, but we’re hoping to formalize the support process so that sponsors can really see the benefits of partnering with me. Atlantic Canadians have so much to offer Canada and the world and I’m proud to be a representative of our region. We just need to get the word out there.

Rapid 10

Three favourite locations that cycling has taken you?

Victoria, Cabot Trail, California

1X11 or 2X11?

1-by all day.

Granola or bacon and eggs?

GranolaXAndrew

Most bad-ass artist on your playlist this week?

DJ Vice Mixes

Cross-fit or yoga?

Yoga. I do a sport already.

Fall or spring?

Fall

Tea, coffee or espresso?

Coffee, black.

In-flight: book or movie?

School work.

Muddy or dusty?

Muddy, nothin’ like a good mudd’r.

Garrison or Propeller?

North Brewing Farmhouse. Be careful it’ll bite you.

Top 5 results

• 2009 Bromont World Cup – Junior, third
• 2013 Canada Summer Games eliminator, second
• 2014 Baie-St-Paul Short Track, first
• 2014 Canada Cup series overall, fourth
• 2014 Mont Tremblant Canada Cup, eighth