By Mike Tarrolly
A couple days ago the Crushing Iron Podcast had the opportunity to interview professional triathlete, Andrew Starkywicz, and he did not disappoint. Andrew’s not only one of the best cyclists in triathlon, but an interesting and charismatic guy with a deep passion for the sport and life.
I’ve raced head-to-head with “Starky” four times, and somehow, each time he has beaten me. I like to blame it on his better starting position as a pro, but he says it comes down to being blessed with long femurs for cycling.
The first time I ever saw him, he was blowing by me in the other direction at Muncie 70.3. It was actually the first time I’d seen a pro triathlete on the course and it was a bit intimidating.
He just seemed so solid and fluid compared to me, my neck pain, and constant saddle shifting. The other thing I remember was . . . the sound.
I could hear him coming at me. Legs pumping like pistons while he snacked on something I imagined as a higher level of fuel than I was privy to on his way to a 28 mph bike split.
I told my buddies about it later and they said, “Oh, that’s Starky, he won today.” Then they added, he doesn’t hold back, including what he says.
Here’s an interview about his “brash” personality.
Since that day in Muncie I’ve been on the course with Andrew another time at Muncie, once at Rev3 Knoxville, and this year at Ironman Louisville, where he rode 27+ mph for a full and led the race wire to wire.
We’ve never officially “met” but the other day we had the privilege of interviewing him for the Crushing Iron Podcast. He talks about his riding philosophy, goes in-depth about the little things he does to win, and tells us how he thinks we can all improve the sport.
The interview is below. You can follow Andrew @starykowicz on Twitter, @tri_starky on Instagram, or AndrewStarykowicz.com
Over 100 more Crushing Iron Podcasts can be found here. Thanks for listening!