Pro cyclist Boswell gives talk back home in Bend

Pro cyclist Ian Boswell is back home in Bend for a visit after racing in the Tour of California.

Boswell held a candid question and answer session at Crow’s Feet Commons.

The 24-year-old pro cyclist shared the details on everything from being a professional road cyclist, dating — even the reputation of drugs in the industry.

Boswell is fresh from his race at Tour of California, where Team Sky finished top overall and he finished seventh overall.

This is Boswell’s third season as pro on Team Sky from Britain. Home is currently Nice, France, where the team trains regularly, along with other extra-curricular activities.

“We’re traveling an awful lot,” he said. “I think we spend close to 200 days on the road. It’s an awesome job, but it’s definitely time consuming.”

Boswell says he started out by riding BMX around the age of 12. He says one of the most common misconceptions about cycling is that it’s an individual sport, but it’s very much a team sport.

“As a younger rider, I guess I’m still serving my apprenticeship and helping the older riders and more experienced riders,” he said.

But Boswell says he’s starting to get better results on his own, that will eventually lead to bigger things.

He says the job requires a lot of travel, so dating is a little difficult.

Boswell says one of the civil liberties they give up is drug testing. Because of the problems in the sport, they’ve implemented a strict anti-doping protocol.

“All the riders on my team, and all the World Tour teams, and even continental teams are part of the ‘whereabouts’ program,” where they must log where they will be at each day and keep an hour window open for a potential drug test.

Just the night before his talk, Boswell had an out-of-competition drug test, “I guess for me it was a bummer, because I was in the middle of dessert,” Boswell said, drawing a laugh.

But he says he’s used to it.

Boswell’s advice for kids into cycling is: safety first.

“Safety is the most important thing,” he said. “That’s one thing my mom is always worried about me riding all the time. Enjoy if for what it is. Whether you’re racing or riding, cycling is an awesome sport, and just enjoy the road.”

Boswell has a few more days left in Bend, then it’s back home to France to train for the Tour de Switzerland in mid-June.