10 Q’s With a Pro: Yu Hsiao
Today we check in with Taiwan's Yu Hsiao.
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As racing continues to return around the world, we’re checking in with a pro every week to see how they’re coping with this strange year—and hopefully learn a few fun facts. This week, Taiwan’s Yu Hsiao checks in. He’s back in Cupertino, California after traveling to Taiwan to compete in Ironman 70.3 Taiwan back on Sept. 13.
Tell us about your race at 70.3 Taiwan…
70.3 Taiwan was by far the hardest challenge I’ve ever faced. The international flights during COVID-19 pandemic, quarantining for 14 days, and being forced to do all of the training indoors, not knowing whether I’d be at the start line was super tough. But it was surreal and a dream come true to race in front of a home crowd and break the Taiwanese 70.3 distance record by one second (3:58:54).
I’ve been social distancing with…
My wife. I’m very lucky since Jing also does all three sports and we train together quite often.
My favorite indoor workout is…
30x30s on the bike (5-10x(30s zone 5, 30s zone 3 or zone 1 depending on how high zone 5 is)), followed by 20-30 minutes of zone 3 steady.
If I wasn’t a pro triathlete I would be…
A mechanical engineer, which I already am lol. But I would have given stand-up comedy a try.
My favorite post-workout meal is…
Chick and Tea, a Taiwanese fried chicken bento place. I only have it once every two months I swear.
One change I’ve made that will probably stick is…
Increasing the amount of healthy fats I eat throughout the day. I grew up in a family with a low-fat mentality and realized eating more healthy fat actually helps me lose weight.
The last thing I watched on TV…
The Tour de France.
I knew I could be good at triathlon when…
I finished sixth overall (amateur) at Wildflower back in 2011 despite suffering the whole day. I discovered I had the ability to stay calm and keep pushing even if nothing is going my way.
It would surprise everyone to know that…
I somehow got away with never buying a wetsuit with my own money. The first wetsuit was given to me by a friend who had an extra. The second I won at a race. The third and the rest were given to me by my sponsor Zoot!
The last thing that made me laugh…
My friend giving me advice about avoiding bike bag fee and excess luggage fee by saying, “It’s not that I don’t want to pay, it’s just that I’ve never paid anything before, so what are we going to do now?” and make sure to maintain a smile.
Hsiao’s sponsors: Zoot Sports, Fitted by Pedro, Giant Bicycles, Cadex Cycling, Garmin, BURN running club