Q&A with Sam Murphy Matthew Malone

• q What influenced you to take up BMX?
  A S: My dad raced BMX so that influenced me at the beginning, all my friends were going to the skate park when I was younger, so I went with them.
  M: A BMX track was set up in Ratoath and everyone started to ride then
  
• q What would you tell someone who's never heard of the sport before, how would you explain it?
  A S: It’s hard to explain to someone who isn't involved in cycling... It’s a 30 to 40 second sprint with 8 people in a race with contact and who ever crosses the line first wins.
  
  M: 8 riders race along track with a series of jumps and corners, it's a full contact sprint for around 30 seconds, first one to the line wins.
  
• q Who are your main idols, who did you look up to when you started the sport vs now?
  A S: When I started I liked whoever had the best style, but since I started training in 2015 I started looking towards Athletes who I could learn from by how disciplined and consistence they have been with there training.
  
  M: I've never really looked up to anyone much in BMX, but I do look at how certain riders ride and how I can improve my own riding.
  
• q Who do you see as your main competition?
  A S: Its early to say, I race a lot of different people at different times.
  M: In Ireland Aaron Edwards and Sam Murphy are both fast riders, we also race in the UK in their national series as we have more competition over there
  
• q What is your training routine like?
  A S: My training routine has been very busy for the last 3 years, it changes with the seasons. In winter I am training 5 days a week twice a day with a recovery ride on the other two days. I have been up at 5:30am to train in the gym before school four days a week for the last 2 years.
  M: During winter we train twice a day for five days (gym sessions, sprints sessions, track sessions along with mountain bike rides) with two rest days, it is tough but it's necessary to get to where I want to go.
  
• q How often to you train? Is it tedious?
  A S: It is hard at times when you’re by yourself, but you just have to do it.
  M: It is tough but it's necessary to get to where I want to go.
  
• q Do you have any other hobbies or interests?
  A S: Not as big as cycling but I watch a lot of other sports on Tv.
  M: I watch a lot of basketball and f1.
  
• q If you weren't involved in BMX riding what sport would you take up?
  A S: Right now, if I wasn't racing BMX I would take up track cycling.
  M: Probably football as I was playing that since I was younger and only stopped when I started to ride BMX.
  
• q Can you pick your favourite moment from this season so far?
  A S: It was a short season with my leaving cert in the middle of summer, But the European championship in Bordeaux had a great atmosphere and the racing was fast.
  M: Racing at the European championships was a great experience as it was my first-time racing at a big event like that and I got a lot of positives from racing there.
  
• q What are your main ambitions moving forward?
  A S: To keep the training and focus I’ve had for the last 3 years, If I can maintain this with the help of my coach Jeremy Hayes we can reach our goals.
  M: I'd like to become a top elite rider a full-time athlete to be able to focus on BMX as a career in the future.
  
• q What was your most memorable race?
  A S: My first BMX race in November 2011, I was very nervous but enjoyed it.
  M: The national championship final in Lucan in 2014, I won every race leading up to the final, had the first gate pick but had a bad start in the final and finished second, that was a hard loss.
  
• q Any pre-race rituals/ superstitions?
  A S: No just warm up correctly.
  M: None.
  
• q Best and worst advice you were given?
  A S: Best advice would always be from my coach, haven't got any bad advice that I know of.
  
• q How do you stay focused during the lead up to a race?
  A S: I think it’s harder to stay focused when the race is far away, the lead up to a race is motivating! But I read books from other athletes and that helps to keep my mind focused.
  M: I just try not to think too much and do what I've been doing in training.
  
• q Do you see BMX as a career or a hobby?
  A S: As of now a hobby that I’m working on to turn into a career.
  M: I hope to make it a career and think it's possible with the people around me.
  
• q You've just joined the training camp in Switzerland, can you describe what a day at the camp is like?
  A S: We were up at 6:45am to cycle to breakfast at 7:30am, we have a meeting at 8:15am then start the first training. The morning training lasted around 3 hours, then straight to lunch which was at 12:00. After lunch we relaxed for two hours in the athletes’ room, 2:00pm was our second training usually on the BMX track that would last 3 hours, our dinner was at 6:00pm ever day so we relaxed for an hour before eating. We would then cycle back to the accommodation and play some competitive ping pong.
  M: Wake up at 6:30, ride to the centre for breakfast at 7:30, go to the track for 9:00 train for two hours before lunch, then go back to the track at 2 for another 2 hours if training up until dinner at 6.
  
• q What do you hope to get out of this experience?
  A S: There is a lot of testing and results on which you can improve on! there is 30 other world class riders there so to learn off each other on the track was also good.
  M: Mainly to see where I can improve and look at my strengths as well as training with world class athletes in a world class facility.
  
• q You were one of two riders from Ireland selected for this camp, how did it feel when you got the news?
  A S: I knew it was a great opportunity as only a selected amount around the world get the chance.
  M: I was extremely excited and appreciative of the opportunity and couldn't wait to go.
  
• q If offered you could potentially be in Switzerland for the next three years full time, what are your thoughts on this?
  A S: It won’t be easy to get offered a place because there was so many talented riders, but It is my ambition to become a professional BMX racer and I have to decide what’s the best way of getting there. I will have to wait and see.
  M: It would be a great opportunity with a well-structured programmed which would help me excel as an athlete.
  
• q What's it like to constantly be competing and travelling the world with BMX? Is there pressure, fatigue, homesickness or is it the time of your life?
  A S: I travelled around Europe a lot but not the world yet, we have a good team around us traveling to the races and that makes it easier! I really appreciate the help we get. I haven't been away long enough to get homesick.
  M: You get used it after doing it for so long but there it’s tiring travelling.