ST: Is a family of three sufficient?
Brad: At the moment we are doing our best to take care of Ruby, who knows later on.
ST: Your career spanned 20 years and you grabbed 6 Australian Championships and a Commonwealth Title along the way. Is there a result or an event you look most fondly back upon?
Brad: There are a number of events that I can look back on as highlights and events that were stepping stones through my career, the first one being 2002 Cancun U23 World Championships, my first World Cup win in Doha, Commonwealth Games and my first win in long course (Busselton 70.3). They’re all special moments for me that ill never forget and set me up for the years to come. There were also some races that I really wanted to win and tried for many years, as I just loved the race and the environment. I’d say Mooloolaba ITU World Cup and Hamburg World Series were my favorite races and events that I targeted each year.
ST: What about that Hy-Vee race back in 2009 with that wild sprint at the end?
Brad: Yes, that was a nice race. All
6 guys sprinting for $200,000 first place. Simon was just too fast in that sprint!
ST: What do you think you will miss the most?
Brad: I’ll miss many things. The travel I really enjoyed and visiting new places. I was fortunate to travel to many places in the past 20 or so years and I’d like to keep traveling in the years to come but family and business commitments takes priority. So we will plan trips as a family and for the time being Ruby and I will try to be there for when Radka is racing. I’ll certainly miss the feeling you get when you’re in peak shape and seems to feel as though you can go all day. But I won’t miss being very tired everyday.
ST: Good sponsors are hard to come by, but you had great relationships with your sponsors.
Brad: Yes certainly without the support of my sponsors it would be almost impossible to be a professional triathlete. I was fortunate to be partnered with some very loyal sponsors. I was with Mavic since 2003 and Giant, Asics and Oakley since 2005. They were always there for support and backed me along the way. It certainly wasn’t all roses and champagne and plenty of injuries and illness along the way but it was always a long term commitment we made together. I was always proud to represent them the best I could. I feel It’s important to be loyal as athletes and sponsors, for one reason or another us athletes/sponsors quickly change athletes/companies based on nothing more than a few extra dollars. But to build that relationship over many years is imperative for future growth for both.