Le Tour de Bretagne Cycliste

The three Canadian members of Kelly Benefit Strategies are racing in Le Tour de Bretagne Cycliste. Zach Bell, Ryan Anderson, and David Veilleux are racing in this seven stage race that starts on April 25 and runs until May 1. This race that was formerly known as Ruban Granitier Breton starts with a 142 kilometer stage in Gorey, France. Including the Kelly Benefit Strategies, other teams on the start list include Bbox Bouygues Telecom, Rapha Condor – Sharp, and Itera – Katusha.

Bell answered a few questions leading into this stage race.

Now that you’re through the travel hoops of recent days, how do you recover from this travel to get ready for the race?
You have to be discipline with your sleep patterns and fuel properly. Also not pushing to much on the rides after the flight is very important.
What are your expectations for this stage race?
I expect very fast hard racing. The range of abilities and technical course features will certainly lead to strong teams coming to the front. That being said the goal is ultimately to come away with more hard racing in the bank that will pay back once we reach the Tour of California.
What is your team role for this race?
As always I will have a role in the fast finishes as well as more threatening moves. My exact role will not be defined until we better understand how the race dynamic will play out and how I will fit into that.
How are you feeling now that you are through the early part of the season and back from Track Worlds?
I am looking forward to finding some road legs and having a solid first half. I know it may take some time but things are in place and have been going well since track worlds. The road is a more dynamic discipline to prep for so I am going to have to be patient and wait for opportunities to be affective.
How do you transition from training for the track to training for longer multi-day stages and races?
It is a tricky thing. This year I think it will be easier as I feel I had road form at Track Worlds (from Tour de Langkawi) I never made it all the way to true track form…so I believe I have just been able to build on some of the tools I developed in Malaysia.