Getting To Know The Grenadiers: AJ August

Ahead of his debut as an INEOS Grenadier, we dispatched Matt Stephens to chat to young American talent AJ August. Check out their sea-side conversation in the first episode in the new series of Getting To Know The Grenadiers.

We need to align the cameras yeah from a Time perspective so it needs to clap as crisply and as cleanly as it can all right all right so after three 1 two three that’s okay it was all right can you give it no that’s fine absolutely fine sink clap yeah an absolute classic

Right I’ve got some some questions on my phone here yeah um they’ve started off with the old strammer over there again teammate Magna Sheffield I believe you you grew up in the same town yeah 5K oh so how long have you known him I think probably going

On I think maybe almost 10 years now oh wow so proper since you were little kids before you yeah maybe that’s pushing it but right yeah like it’s interesting though because like 3 years is like like when we were younger was quite a bit time but now it’s like we’re close um

But yeah we weren’t like always that close but I always you and what about conversations with Magnus and while the kind of deal was going through and you’ve ended up here you got a relatively longterm deal did you have a chat with Magnus about what the vibe was

Like in the team did he pick his brains a bit yeah I mean for sure I knew I was like fortunate to get the opportunity to come here in January last year and I knew the vibe was good but then yeah Magnus was just able to kind of reassure

That uh with me so yeah it was definitely good to have another American and someone who lives so close to me uh to you know talk about the team so what you like on Sand and in the cross cuz you’re obviously you’re an amazing cross Rider yeah but what what you like on

Sand we’re not going to ask you to do any tricks Jo sand was my enemy and cross okay uh so yeah it’s a noo for me what tips have you got cuz it is it’s like running on a Razor’s Edge isn’t it look forward is the biggest tip and the

Thing I did the least so okay it’s a good tip if I if I if I didn’t do it then you should do it in sand okay right that’s my ti five a ride in in any sand right got some rapid fire questions here for you have you had any opportunities

Yet to sample they were in newor any British wow you only good at orthology yeah I don’t that looked almost prehistoric that was like I thought it a pterodactyl could be could actually what’s your favorite dinosaur that’s not a pterodactyl by the way was not in Jurassic Park New Yorker t-rexx classic

Absolute classic bit of a niche question what’s your second favorite dinosaur cuz mine a St aurus um I got pterodactyl pterodactyl that was n pterodactyl I think I just saw it yeah yeah um we’re getting a little bit close to the Sea here so we don’t to get I mean it’s very

Gentle we are you a fan of the sea uh it’s okay like it’s it’s okay like one day on the beach but then I’m over it you’re good yeah okay I find it magical yeah I find I find the sea magical so peaceful I just yeah I think I’m going

To end my day days not literally um but I I’m retire by the sea I think yeah good planing yeah definitely okay we’ve done a bit of research here our research department at anyos grenadiers they they just they tore up the budget and just went deep okay um okay Miami or New York

City uh New York why that’s I’m from New York State I think it would be bad if I said anything else and yeah it’s just AAL reasons it’s just the Big Apple like is cool you can’t beat it IHOP I don’t even know IHOP H IHOP or Denny’s IHOP

Can you explain to me what IHOP is uh it’s like a you guys are you guys familiar with diners yes yeah it’s a diner so when I went to New York my son said we need to go to a Denny’s okay so we went to a Dennis it’s kind of super

Beige yeah I’d say IHOP’s a little bit nicer so there slightly higher quality I’d say so okay good stuff what would you pick what what’s your go-to choice on the menu at IHOP then what would you choose I think I’ve never been to Ihop or Den’s outside of breakfast so okay

Guess go for a stack of pancakes how hard the stack be well I think they’re it’s only like three High okay they’re quite wide diameter is quite fa pancake diameter I love it yeah right this is a cracking question what’s your favorite garbage play in Rochester yeah people at

Home are going to hate me for this answer but and maybe they can’t even say I’m from Rochester but I’ve never had a garbage plate full the is I found out what a garbage plate was earlier can you describe what it actually is yeah it’s pretty much everything you get at like a

Sort of hamburger restaurant you know like hamburger meat fries uh what else cheese yeah um onion rings yeah could could be could be onion rings so and these are pretty big I believe oh massive massive yeah even like just like any sort of meat kind of just thrown

Into one sort of big plate it’s a yeah garbage fo just literally it’s that okay great stuff yeah right let’s see what else we’ve got a tandem miraculously appears okay and you can choose one person again living or dead which is quite strange they essentially be a

Ghost um riding for 100 miles who would your ideal tandem partner be I’m going with Eddie Ms cuz I have to do less Works Le less work sorry would he be on the front on the back uh whichever has like the most power like cuz like

Whichever I don’t know if it’s uh like the same on a t i don’t know we yeah we probably need to ask Dan bigam I mean he’s probably done a lot bit of Tandem research yeah what I’ll put him on the back put him on the back and what era

Eddie would it be because Eddie’s been he’s about 80 isn’t he Eddie now so what what era Eddie would you have when was he like the 70s was hisa 60s 70s yeah we’ll go 1971 Eddie MKS I don’t know that’s just a toal I think that’s a

Pretty I mean I I reckon because Eddie MKS was pretty good every single year of his career I think that probably a pretty vintage yeah vintage I know I’m not doing too much work and we’re still flying so people going to watch this and get getting getting to know you mate I

Mean you you’re still a very young man but how would you describe yourself as a rider right now and um and off the back of that what are you hoping to achieve in 2024 so what sort of Rider are you yeah I mean like in the past I’ve done

Well in uh climbing races as well as the GC so uh yeah that’s my goal to someday be able to ride at that level on the pro ranks but yeah in 2024 is just to learn from these guys that have so much experience and yeah just to get you know

Used to their professional life yeah yeah and what have you learned anything so far cuz it’s been very short 10 year we’re still you know month a couple of months away from the start of the season so what what’s your feelings about the team so far what have you taken on board

Already yeah it’s just like super relaxed like it’s Rel like you know like when it comes down to it you know it’s serious when you need to be but yeah then it’s all like Good Humor off the bike too so and who you rooming with uh

Currently no one actually no no one who would you uh who would you reckon would be the ultimate teammate or to room with I’d love to room with g once like just to I mean he’s done so much I could be yeah amazing to do that that’s wonderful though isn’t it you you

Mentioned G what is he like 37 38 you’re you’re you just turned 18 yeah I can’t believe that the day of the Medicals in Manchester was your 18th birthday wasn’t it yeah yeah I mean you you’re obviously acutely aware of of your your your atively young age and how does it feel

Like coming straight from the junior Race To The World Tour it’s amazing and like sometimes I have to slow down and realize like where I’m at uh cuz it happened so fast and sometimes I have have to like yeah think like yeah like what I’m like I have to humble myself

And say wow like already it yeah I think the best team in the world so it’s a must be one continuous Pinch Me moment really mustn’t it yeah yeah for sure looking forward to 2024 AJ what are you most looking forward to yeah just getting to know my new teammates uh

Better and you know learn from these guys they have so much experience yeah just get used to the the life as a professional last question before we wrap things up the Su is fading over the hillside I mean this is absolutely wonderful go the end of the peer and

Just sit and watch yeah just watch the sit on the Dock of the Bay but have you had a chance now to sample any British snacks oh yeah any any kind of any nibbles sweet or savory what you go to definitely wouldn’t call it a snack but

I I I just love a good uh fishing chip well that’s a I I think that’s the right answer yeah absolutely and what okay some vinegar uh yeah why not ketchup no man Meo Mayo okay and what about curry sauce I haven’t I actually I I I can’t say cuz I

Haven’t had you need to try you need to try curry sauce one time you need to try gravy get get yourself some mush different different completely different so gravy I don’t know it’s just like brown meaty soup okay we have bet we are the yeah so pour that on your fish and

Chips so wrong beef on fish it’s so wrong it’s definitely good um yeah there we go beef on [Laughter] Fish