Graeme Brown, captain of the Drapac squad is known for his dynamic personality and powerful sprint. A man of extensive cycling knowledge, his longevity in the sport comes from smart training and knowing when to back off the kilometers and when to build them back up.

A double Olympic gold medalist on the track, Brown uses his keen sense of reading his body to know when to ease back to the training after his mind and body have recharged after the season.

“After Hainan I have had a small break. It was based on daily playing with the kids and cleaning up the house. I am in the process of building a retaining wall for my backyard. Solid work but very rewarding,” Brown said.

Brown closed out a strong 2015 campaign at Tour of Hainan in October where he guided Brenton Jones to the top spot on the podium in the closing stage.

Entering his 14th season as a professional, Brown has learned to embrace the time off the bike, as it makes him truly appreciate the time on the bike.

“I approach the off-season in Australia with plenty of sunscreen. In Perth we have had a 39-degree day already and I am loving it. It makes it easy to get out and do the workout that is scheduled, rather than have to move workouts around due to weather. I spend a few days off the bike and I want to get back to it. It’s refreshing to have that feeling.”

As off-season gets underway, Brown uses the saying “Train for a reason, every session has a reason”to keep the workouts in perspective. He will use the base rides to catch up with local rides and participate in the bunch rides and community cycling events.

“Mid November, slow and steady wins the race. I suggest starting off with a week of easy riding and then start to build structure. Of course until you get carried away and go for a Strava segment,” says the ever-humorous Brown.

Brown spent many years training and basing in Europe, where Northern hemisphere winters are windy and cold. Winter would start just as he got back on the bike and began training. Now having moved back to Australia with his family, Brown is much more content getting into the training in the Australian spring.

“Being back home in Australia it is just easier to have your off season and rebuild for the new season. There is no need to wonder what clothes to wear. It is just “do I have enough suncream for 5hrs?”. There is no energy needed to get the motivation to go out in the cold and rain. It’s just sunshine and more sunshine,” Brown said of training this November.

“Ideally my favorite off-season day would be sleep in, bacon and egg breakfast with a few cappuccino’s then a round of golf, followed by some rehydration on the 19th hole. But I have three boys and that never happens. So it some laps around the streets with them and some good kid fun.”

“The off-season is like depositing money in the bank, you want to be ‘rich’ when the season starts. Let the depositing begin.”

His Drapac kicks off the 2016 season with team training camp early December in preparation for Australian Nationals and the Bay Cycling Classic.