Folks, our request has been answered and we’ve caught up with Phil Zajicek. I’m guessing after throttling some of the world’s best last Sunday, Phil is a sought after man in the media. Good thing we’re not media!

I first met Phil back in the mid-to-late 90′s. He was an up and coming junior racer and started riding with the White Mountain Road Club’s Elite Team. Like mid-to-late 90′s Elite Team/Trek VW Team: Scott Price… Drew Miller… they were way legit and making waves anytime the road went uphill. I remember watching Phil smash the La Vuelta del Norte stage race in Northern Arizona. I believe it was his first 1-2′s race?

Side thought: If you remember La Vuelta del Norte… you’ve been around awhile.

Without further rambling, we got a few minutes to toss some questions Phil’s way:

• VGCN: So last Sunday you won arguably the toughest stage of any North American stage race, what’s that feel like?

PZ: It feels amazing! I’ve been training very hard the last 6 weeks with this final day of Gila as the goal and everything came together so it is a great feeling to have your plans come to fruition.

• VGCN: The overall podium was Levi, Lance, and you. Have you printed it out and taped it to your fridge?

PZ: Not yet, I’ve got the photo of me coming across the finish up there now! You can definitely see how incredibly happy I am to be winning that final stage.

• VGCN: Do you think all those crazy motorpace sessions up Mt. Lemmon paid off?

PZ: Ha! Yes, having my father motorpace me up lemmon is the closest thing to actually climbing with Levi and Lance.

• VGCN: Will we see you in Tucson anytime soon?

PZ: I probably won’t be down until this winter, Tucson is still the best place to train in America November-March.

• VGCN: What’s your favorite Tucson ride?

PZ: It has to be the Shootout! That is the ride that taught me so much from a young age. Nothing like getting smashed every week by Gord and Jimmy to teach you how to suffer.

• VGCN: What’s the wildest, toughest, manliest Tucson ride you’ve ever done?

PZ: Last fall in prep for the Tour of California I decided that it would be a good idea to do the Shootout then up Madera and then to meet my father at the store at Sahuarita and Nogales Hwy. We motorpaced up Sahuarita, around Colossal Cave then up Lemmon to Prison Camp and back down. A very manly 5,000 Kj day!

• VGCN: Didn’t you one time race the Superior road race and then ride home to Tucson?

PZ: Ya…..again a good idea in theory but maybe not so smart in practice. The race in Superior went well then the ride back to Tucson was going reasonably well until I hit Sunrise Ave and in my trip to the Eastside I bonked harder than I ever had. 160 miles of hard pedaling definitely did me in.

Thanks Phil and best of luck with the rest of 2009.