F1's Valtteri Bottas & Tiffany Cromwell's Plans To Start A Family

For Valetuie is a bit more level. Although the first you were together, when it was with Mercedes the first time and you know, fighting for those wins and fighting for the championship, there was definitely a few more ups and downs and you know when there were the tough races, it was like, okay, sometimes it doesn't go your ways. Sometimes by luck happens and it's about then focusing on the next race.

We would like to acknowledge the gategyl people of the Orination, the traditional custodians of this land, and pay our respects to the elders, both past and present. And this is the heart of it now. Power couples in sport are relatively common, but few would win a race against the combined speed and skill of these two. Ozzie Olympic cyclist Tiffany Cromwell and Formula one driver Valetree Bota. I did not actually get to be a part of this conversation.

I loved it. I loved it.

Tiffany's an exciting elite Australian bike rider right and Valtrie is a Formula one legend legend so and but he also loves riding bikes. Two and so it's an interesting chat. You there, you were away doing your TV show and I'm sitting in the studio in Australia or in Sydney. Valdrie was in McLaren Vale in South Australia and Tiffany was in Monaco.

Incredible.

Yeah, so there we were thanks to technology. And I mean it looks it's interesting because they've got all the hallmarks of being an Aussie couple. So they met in a pub. He has a mullet. Oh yeah, right, and they have a gin together. They create a git and it's called Oath.

Come on, come on, wow, that's awesome.

Yeah, they've got they've also this is this is on top of everything else that they're doing in their in their chosen fields. It's a great chat. Absolutely, they talk about all sorts of things.

But yeah, it's it's really fun.

We won't we won't take up any more ever your time. Let's jump straight into this chat with Val Thorie Botas and Tiffany Cromwell. Welcome Val and Tiffany to the heart of it. How are you guys. Where are you guys.

We're off at the side of the world right now. I am in at the moment, south of.

France, Okay, and Vale, I'm in Australia in McLaren Bell, South Australia.

Tiffany, you're from South Australia. Is he staying at your place?

Actually not, because my family is a bit further in the Adelaide Hills and he likes his warn't too much to what's doing McLaren Vale.

Oh, McLaren Vale's there. There are some There are some beautiful places in the world, and that is one of them.

Yeah, definitely.

So how does the Formula one driver from Finland come to meet an Ausie Olympian from South Ossi it spends most of her time on a bicycle.

How did that happen?

At a pub, at a part local pub in Monaco places.

Yeah, so I was already living over here because we have to live in Europe to race our bikes, and I'll have to be living there too, and just happened to be in that same pub at the same mode. And yeah, the rest is history.

So who approached who? And what was it about each other that you know? And how long ago was that too?

Well, once we met it was actually quite a while that we met again, but we ended up on one bike ride together.

I was already kind of.

Riding bikes a little bit, just for my fitness. But yeah, then eventually my life situation changed as I got divorced, and then obviously I could I kind of knew what I wanted, and that was Tiffany. So then when went straight in and yeah, ended up actually coming to Australia that following winter, after we had met and spent some time with tiff in Adelaide and went from there.

Really who saw who first? And who made the first who who did the walk over? And hey, hey, hey, how did that go?

I think somebody just chanced us common friends?

Yeah, it was just a handshake, okay, And then, as you said, it took a little while longer to sort of work it out from there.

Yeah, I mean I was still married, so obviously eventually I knew that was not not going to work. Once I was not married anymore than had a pretty clear target.

Well there you go.

I knew that we could have lots of fun, fun, fun fun together, and she, yeah, seemed like a lovely person.

So went streading and what's what's it's? Bike riding been the connective for you.

It was definitely one of the common interests and one of the things we could do together quite quickly, which is nice. You know, we're fortunate with cycling that a lot of sports do crossover with that musical fitness, so you know we do go riding with all sorts of people, and yeah, it was a way to get to know each other. And then then we quickly saw we had

We travel the world.

So you just mentioned coffee, which I love. Who's got the best coffee in the worldly?

Obviously?

Wow?

You agree with that, Valfie.

Yeah, on average if you go to a coffee shop or even like a hotel Australia, when absolutely on the on the average level.

Of coffee, who's got the worst?

France? Really you think, so, oh yeah, that's absolutely okay. We've been really broad here, like they you know, there are people who have created coffee shops in Paris as a coffee scene now, and there are a few places here and there you can get a good coffee shop, but the average, if you ask for a coffee in France, it's not probably not gonna be very good.

Yeah.

Yeah, we're talking about the average, like there's obviously good, good spots, but yeah, on average, I'm not for sure.

You're going to say that the middle of America, all.

The square states in America, Yeah, pretty nice?

Yeah yeah yeah yeah.

Okay, So you've both got demanding schedules with what you do, and clearly you're in different countries right now, how do you make time for each other and how do you stay together when you're not together?

Well, we're lucky that these days technology has come a long way, so you know, we have all the devices, FaceTime, these sorts of things, which you know, if you think back, even when I start my sycling career, we didn't have that, which is like two thousand and five, my first time in Europe. But otherwise, yeah, we luckily we both like to travel and you know, within reason, we can kind to each other's races and depending on the time of the season because with my bike I can train anywhere

And Valtui twenty is it twenty two races? Twenty two countries for a year?

For you?

Twenty four races.

Are twenty four races? Excuse me?

Right?

So that's that's a lot of travel. It's a lot of a lot of hotels.

What's your best give me one of your best travel tips.

Yeah, it's a lot of travel.

And it's not only that, you know, there's also you know, I do some work with the team, so there's separate trips, there's separate sponsor events which sometimes could be in another continent, you know. So it's pretty for long But travel tips, well, I'm still myself discovering Australia. For me, there's still a lot to see because it is a big country. But like places i've been Japan, it's always up in the list. And something more exotic that I keep going back to

Yeah, there's northern lights are pretty spectacular right now, I've got a photographer made of mind that he keeps sending photographs back from hel Sinki each year he goes there and photographs the northern lights.

I got to get there at some point.

Yeah.

Yeah.

And Finland is like the more north you go, the better it gets, sort of just get out from the people and the cities.

Yeah.

How much time to get to spend in Australia, you two, Well.

I'll actually have to spend more time than me. It sings having the F one there, and it well because with the F one there, it's at the worst time for me, like a calendar. It's like the very busy time of racing where we have a lot of the big one day races here in Europe. But like this year we did our six week stint which was really good over December January, but that's normally the only time we get back. This year we get a bonus trip because there's some gravel races out there in April that

Yeah. You both.

Participants in elite sports and that requires a certain mindset to stay at the top. How do you support each other through that? Do you let each other go or do you lean on each other at certain times?

I think we are good understanding each other. For sure. There's more intense times and when there's not, and there's times where we can kind of see like okay, they just need their space, or other times where it's like you can bounce ideas off each other or or just have other conversations to distract yourself from the intense period.

I agree, and like you kind of get it. You know, once you've been through your ups and dancing in the sport, you learn to it's not like mentally, how does defect you and your partner most likely as well. So for me, I find it actually quite easy to read Tiffany and just trying to kind of reflect to myself, like how would I will how would I feel in that position if exemple had a bad race or stuff like that. Sort it's pretty pretty straightforward.

Yeah, And so do you ever allow the thought to come in because obviously there's a there's an expiry date for elite sportsmen where you're no longer in that top echelon of what you're doing, and you sort of have to look at your role again, what.

Is my role in this now?

I'm actually still going for those top three spots or whatever or top ten?

Do you allow yourself that space to sort of go, what next?

What happened? What's the next stage? And do you plan for that later on? Are you in that sort of are you in that headspace?

Both of you.

Definitely planning, Like I think it's always good to plan, and I think that's one mistake many athletes they do in their life that get don't start planning early enough because definitely, like you mentioned, nothing last forever, and especially in sports, so as it can be quite restricted period that you can actually make a living out of it. And also what's then going to keep you busy?

You know? So personally I've.

Been planning for a long time, you know, thanks to you know, good advisors and stuff like that. So already now, Like if I wouldn't be in the modern sports, I would be pretty busy on other stuff and I could control the huges of my time on homocuspent in different things. So I think that is really important for anyone because if you drop on nothing of their sports career, then that's typically when you see issues after that with the personalities.

Right, what would you say that, Tiffany, Yeah, I'd agree with Boucher because of course I'm also like towards the end of my career, sure, and I've changed a lot throughout my career of being the one targeting the results and now kind of helping mentor the younger writers and being a road captain using experience to kind of support my teammates to get the bigger results.

But for sure, there is that expiry data. Yes, you hear so many stories of athletes going into depression or being lost or being bankrupt, you know, within a few years after finishing their careers, because you go from being in the spotlight to almost being a nobody. So yeah, like Baltrie, I've been trying to set myself up as well, and I have a lot of hobbies and you know, we've kind of created a few brands are in there, so for sure you're always thinking about it. But I'm

Yeah, because it's usually there's quite a lot of time that happens after that because you think about I'm thinking of AFL footy players and soccer players and stuff.

You really you know the top.

I mean, you might get one or two people that play into their late thirties, but most of it it's done around, you know, sort of the mid thirties, and then you're onto the next, onto the next phase. Tiffany, you mentioned hobbies. I'm loving the helmets that you create for val Thie. The artwork that you do. Is that's one of the hobbies that you might persevere with or is that just a fun thing to do for you.

At the moment, I keep it just as fun. That's why I call it a hobby. But you know, design and creativity has always been something I'm passionate about. You know, when I finished school, I studied passion design, and then my second career took off, so I could never really finish that, and I doubled in design cycling apparel and then so yeah, it's always just something I've enjoyed and

I imagined with Australians they would love it for the golf club fundraisers getting one of those helmets and putting it up and raising money for charity.

Get a lot of people getting on those.

Yeah, definitely. And we have done a few helmets for foundations or for fundraising. So when we can, we like to try to make a difference and associate with causes you know, we're passionate about. So yeah, like we always keep at least one helmet of every design. That's the only thing I asked fell Through for like a bit of a collection. But you know, sometimes we'll have two of a standard of a special edition design for example, and yeah, like we just did one last year for Brazil.

Absolutely, I think it's really a kind thing to do. It's so fun too, always fun to be creative and things too. Hey, what is you know, as we're talking about it's high stakes for you guys in your in what you do, high pressure. I'm sure there are setbacks. We all go through setbacks, whether that's in relationships or in our work. What we want and we get pushed back. Can you share some advice that you've given each other when you've experienced setbacks to set things you know on a different track.

Well, normally one advice to quite a few times I've told Tiffany if she is like in her mind like thinking about yeah, something negatively or stuck in like bad mood or just I know it by something or that's normally, I try to tell her to look at the big picture in life, you know, if it's like one bad result here, you know, but look at everything. You know that that we have, look at everything you've done in your career, look at everything that there is a head

Definitely, yeah, for sure, and that the sound's going to come up the next day. Like I know one that probably is a bit more fluctuating mood. For Valtuie, he's

Yeah, fantastic because I can imagine with both of you, you both reliant on precision machines, plus you're dealing with humans dry having those machines that you're not quite sure. You know, it's such a dynamic, but you're both in dynamic sports. Things change all the time. So and often the margins are so small, aren't they that you're dealing.

With sure, especially in valchory sport, you know, and they have a lot more things that can go wrong that's out of their power.

Yeah, Like that's the thing sometimes there's yeah, certain things that you can't control, you know, if things go solve that you can't affect them. It is really important to really move on quickly and not to think about it really. But it's more like if you make a mistake yourself or could have done better, then of course the first thing is to understand why it happened, you know, and what can I do better next time?

Just back to you, guys, being separated just through your work and things like that, do you or how important are rituals and routines in your relationship to stay connected? Can you share anything about what you do?

Yeah, like every morning, every night. We normally we speak every day on the phone. But like at home, I don't know. I think we're both pretty happy to freestyle and you know, we know that each other. We are busy, but we always stay connected. That's one thing for sure. But apart from that.

Not much exactly because I think, you know, sometimes it can be where we are both at a race, so then we're both so busy, justs focused on that right now. It's like I'm not a race at the moment, and well it's got a hundred things going on. But yeah, like we say that the main thing that's always a common is when we wake up, we'll send each other a message or and yeah, just before going to bed. Like I'd say, that's the one thing that's always a yeah, a thing we do.

What's it?

What's it like when you're watching each other race and you're in you know, you're watching the television coverage and you hear the commentators say something.

Crappy about each other?

What's the when they might make a comment You're going, oh my, I'm going to kill that person.

I haven't heard that action? What you haven't had compliments for TIF on TV?

Well that's good? Yeah, Tiff, have you ever heard anything?

Most of the time it's positive. Sometimes you get them and then you know, you just kind of like you brush it off. You know it's for TV or you knows. You know, there's certain commentator as a journalist, like to have an opinion just to be controversial because that's what gets the clicks. So you learn in that sport that everybody has an agenda, so you don't really take anything personally.

There.

You go, tell me, have you ever do you give each other tips? Like when you're watching that thing, you go, oh, Tiff you should have gone around the.

Other side of that or do you ever is that? Is that against the rules with you too?

Yeah?

Not really nice.

You know it's if obviously been racing since young age, and she's the professional in that sport and I'm not, you know, and I'm a vice versa.

You know, I don't get driving.

Tips from tip exactly. Like, if anything, I will ask them questions like why did they do this strategy or that, just for me to understand, because you know, if you're not there in person hearing what's happening in the radio, you don't really know why they're doing certain things in the race. But but that's because you're watching from a far and you kind of understand how the sport works. But I'm not going to be like, why did you not overtake that guy? Or yeah, because again, like well

Okay, So to that then vow Loves he's cycling. Do you do you ever give you know, aerodynamic cycling tips, you know, pull your knees in that sort of stuff for your elbows, not aero stuff.

But I definitely give him some tips like around training or now he's getting to be racing through gravel racing. Yeah, I can give him some some things to think about, or you know, even fueling and strategy like that, because you know, I have so many years of being told these things. Yeah, so from that, I can definitely give some insights and then but also it's up to him and how he wants to take them and use them in his own performance.

Yeah.

Amazing. Hey, so you're in business together. What's what's what's that dynamic like between you? Does that has that changed anything? Or how do you work together?

I don't think it really hasn't changed anything.

If it's if anything is something else that we can do together outside sports, which is kind of kind of fun and in the end, like everything we get involved together is true passion normally, which means it's always going to be fun no matter what. So yeah, no, no, if anything that's connected, I'll seeing it anymore.

Yeah, And you know, we can always bounce ideas off each other. And we're lucky with the various businesses we're involved with together, Like we have other people we're working with, so it's kind of like team efforts and it's more we can discuss things between each other, like what we want to change, what we need to discuss about with our business partners, and yeah, just ultimately we both have the same goal and the same vision of trying to

And just a quick brief, what are you doing together? What are some of these businesses that you're working on.

Yeah, we have our oath Gin which that's a big passion project. It's so one we're very heavily involved with, i'd say, and you know we build it from scratch with a very small team and just brought into Australia. So yeah, that's been a fine and challenging project. We also have some gravel races in both our hometowns, so Finland Gravel and red Or Gravel. There is a mass participation event where we also have elites and amateurs racing together.

Oh, I'm very impressed. I can't wait to taste that.

Yeah.

So, actually today we just finished the blend for the edition three of the wine. When that I do with them? So but that edition tree is going to be launched next year. But we've done number one, which he has sold out. But we launched number two in January and there's still some left.

So what's that called, Ihanna.

Which is finished for wonderful or lovely? Yes, so, I a few finish words. That's actually eat somewhat easy to pronounce.

It's funny that you actually mentioned.

I'm now at the at the place of the wine maker Corina of Oliver Stern.

So yeah, oh, will you tell her from me? She's a winner.

I've got a few bottles laid down that and I give it to my mea. We lived in the States for twenty five years and anytime I went to someone famous as house, I always took them a bottle of Olivers that said you're gonna you are gonna love this.

I like your one test. Thank you so much.

Hey, I will say, speaking of words and finish words, I Hannah, how did you go with the Aussie vernacular the vultui with you know that we put a y on everything, brecky, prezzy, chucky.

I'm still learning.

I'm doing pretty good nowadays, but uh still, every now and then I get a new new word of the zilingo.

But yeah, get get in there.

And I'm finally starting to understand tiffany as well.

It's pretty pretty nice. Yeah.

Is that that's a that's an ongoing thing.

Yeah, yeah, I think of that ongoing process now.

Yeah, can you think of one that just absolutely had your stumped?

Do you just like, I don't know what you're talking about.

There's been many, many occasions. I don't know chief for any any good ones, but simple ones like tongues. You know, it's very to me. That's not a cliplop, it's something else. You know, it's normally like woman's underwork.

But yeah, stuff like that.

Only when you liked when you heard it the first time in real life was fair income because we're waiting to do the ferrying to go to kangar Island and this guy was like trying to argue something and then he finished very digham. Oh they actually use that expression.

I love it. Is there a finish equivalent to any of that sort of stuff.

Well, one thing, especially in South Australia, like yeah, na, it's pretty common. And actually in finish there is your your A your a, which is like exactly the same meaning and we actually use it quite a bit.

So that was funny to do.

Have to put that one in.

Hey, who takes who takes longer to get ready before you go out? And and between the two of you is who's more likely to attempt something extreme just for fun?

Who's who's the more outrageous and who's more careful?

Me?

No, I seem I'm always up for anything as it's really close school.

Yeah, I think so.

I think we're both we're happy to jump into something new and crazy.

But I went Bundy jumping. You didn't. That's the only thing you haven't done.

Yeah, but I think indoor Arabman on the holiday.

Yeah, because it's just silly. I choose to sit on the beach. That's just stupidity, not extreme.

Either of you jumped out of an aeroplane yet.

Yeah, we have a couple a couple of times with it.

One in New Zealand a couple of years ago.

Yeah, who's got I mean you both go.

So you both travel in a certain direction when you're either cycling, or you're both cycling, or you're driving. Who's got the best sense of direction?

I'd say me maybe.

No.

He insists on always on using about always, even if he knows where he's going, whereas I like to choose my head. And when you ride bikes for a living, and back in the day when we didn't have GPS, you had to know directions for your training. So I've always been pretty good for directions. Yeah, ninety eight percent.

Normally it is the case that I follow it you. It makes my life easy to just follow.

But in a car in Adelaide, when I know the roads at the back of my hand, he still insists on listening to the GPS and not listening to me.

Yeah, because you know, with the traffic situation analytics nowadays, you can actually save a minute or two if you do different routes, So I like to tech on that side.

Interesting hate beol.

You're renowned for your golden mullet, So I've got a question for you about the mullet. Was that on your radar before you met Tiffany? I mean South Australians were way ahead of the curve on mullets. They they've owned mullets in Australia for many, many years. So was that something that Tiffany introduced you to or did you just sort of develop that.

Yeah, it's definitely tiffinitely introduced me.

Like I think without meeting her, I wouldn't have disc gold and mullets at the moment.

I think that's fair to see.

So there's a picture when he was a kid.

I did have a mullet.

When I was like only maybe like three years old, I had a beautiful mullet.

One.

Yeah.

Oh really, so really business at the front at the like.

Yeah, when I was young, like very young kid, mullets were still a thing in Finland.

Yeah.

There's a dude on Instagram and he goes fishing from mullets because obviously mullet is a fish, and he calls it mullet fishing.

Have you seen it?

And he cuts, he cuts, and he's got a lure and he keep brings in a mullet on a mullet.

That's so smart.

I think that's in your future.

You seem so together even though you're apart, and you seem so great together. Is family creating a family part of your plan down the road.

That's a it's a good question.

Like we've so far being so busy with our careers, yeah, traveling, being active, you know, doing our work, you know, almost every week of the year, and at the moment there's been definitely no chance for that. But then eventually, when I think, for both of us, when when that kind of twenty four to seven active career thing ends, And that's something we obviously got to think about in life. But I don't know, just jump in if you think otherwise.

Things, well for gus and kind of enjoy life right now and let's see what the future brings, sees does whatever.

Guys, thank you so much for creating this time and spending the time. I wish Ali was here. She does send her apologies that she wasn't able to come. She brings a lot of heart to this and I do miss her and you would have loved to meet her, I'm sure. But thank you so much for your time today. I've got thank You've got I've just got a couple. I've got a couple of questions. We call it the pulse.

So and just keep your answers a little bit short.

So I'll ask you if you can both answer this question these questions for me, who do you admire?

It's always hid like there's so many, so many. Maybe one of my good friends, Lizzie Dagnan, who in the world of cycling, she was one of the first to really kind of break down some of the boundaries for like changing the way women's cyclings be. Yeah, I think what she's achieved and what she's done is pretty cool.

I admire my parents because I only realized like a bit later that how much they actually helped me in my career. And say, not just financially, but like in terms of time, like every time I wanted to go go according I never recall them saying no. So that was pretty cool, Like, actually, there, we're giving their time to me to do my thing.

That's great, that's great. What do you miss when you're not together?

Well, she make me breakfast in the morning and for me Tiffany making dinner in the evening, especially, I'm a tackle Tuesday.

You do them.

We do Taco Tuesday too.

We bought like the Talking Price last year from Mexico game, because that'll just glomen free, so to get green free shells. You know that's only like the mass market ones.

Do you make your own corn chips?

No, we haven't, get we could?

Yeah, yeah you could, Yeah you could. Last question your partner in one word, supportive.

Okay, I hope. I was hoping you were going to say ice, and I said fire.

Lovely.

Well, I wish you well, really great things as you as you as you bring your collective ships home, and good luck because I know things can change on a dime for you.

So yeah, I just wish you really well.

And a lot of good fortune and abundance. And thank you so much for joining Yes today.

Thank you for having us, Thank you m hm.