We sit down with Wade Young to chat about the kick-off of the 2021 Extreme XL Lagares!
KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa (08 May 2021) – With the 2021 Extreme XL Lagares finally kicking off from the 7th – 9th of May, Red Bull Athlete & Hard Enduro Phenom Wade Young will be flying off to Portugal again to take part in the XL Lagares which saw him cement a strong runner up finish in 2019.
The KwaZulu born enduro racer who first burst onto the scene in November 2012 when he became the youngest ever winner for the Roof of Africa in Lesotho shares preparations and his outlook ahead of his race in Portugal.
How did the cancellation of the 2020 competition affect you?
“2020 was a strange year, strange for everyone; it was nice in the beginning to have a bit of a break, but then if affected the whole season, it’s just getting a bit long now, it would be nice to get back racing.”
Did you have any injuries?
“I did have one or two injuries; my shoulder kept popping out, I had some time to heal that up.”
What is a typical day of training?
“Sometimes I do a 80km cycle; when I go riding in the bush, I’ll go for 3 hours and just play around. I’ll find one step or one splat, and I’ll do it like 10 times and think about how I can do it better. I mix it up; I also do a bit of running; I just try to keep it fresh and not just the same repetitive things.”
Do you do any mental training?
“There are so many things that can wrong go wrong, just planning on how to adapt to all these things. Being at a race also helps because you learn the ropes; some of the races have the same hard sections.”
What are your goals for the year?
“Every race I go in, I go in with the vision to win. Some of them suit me a bit better than others, but the goals are always the same.”
Does nutrition play a role?
“I try to eat healthily; my biggest downfall is sweets! I have a very big sweet tooth!. Before a race and during a race, I eat beetroot, potatoes and a little bit of tuna; I’ll have a Red Bull 10 minutes before a high-intensity prolog race”
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