Devote inner drive to achieving dreams

Eric Mackenzie's single-minded ambition has propelled him to overcome career obstacles. Photo / Ted Baghurst

As Louis Pasteur said: "Chance favours the prepared mind."

Four times Tour de France rider Eric Mackenzie remembers a chance meeting at a gala day at Kawerau Primary School more than 40 years ago that helped spark his career.

"It was 1970 and I was 12 years old. Two young men moved to Kawerau to work at the mill. Both were cyclists; one was New Zealand cycling champion Kevin McComb," he said.

"The two men brought along their racing bikes to the gala. They were charging 5c to do a lap of the grass athletic track. I used up all my 5c coins doing lap after lap.

"That chance meeting with Kevin McComb was a defining moment; it mapped out my life. For a few minutes, I raced around that track on that incredibly light road bike ... I was addicted.

"I used to ride a bike to school - in fact, everywhere I went I would race it. I would go as fast as I could. I was already a bit of a speed freak."

The rest, as they say, is history. By the time he was 14, Mackenzie had an imported geared bike of his own.

McComb became a mentor and role model for the young Mackenzie.

The Kawerau cycling club grew and, at times, had the biggest medal haul of any club at the national championships. One year, McKenzie came home with three gold medals. By the time he was 19, he had won all the New Zealand open races. In 1978, he and McComb were selected for the Commonwealth Games team to compete in Edmonton, Canada.

Then, in 1980, Mackenzie was selected for the Moscow Olympics.

But the Olympics weren't enough for the young Mackenzie: "I had a dream I would be a professional cyclist and would ride in the Tour de France. I started getting subscriptions to European and UK cycling magazines for birthdays and Christmas."

After the Olympics, Mackenzie knew he wasn't coming home. "I went to the UK, where I knew a guy who had helped the Olympic team. He said, 'don't waste time here, go to Belgium', and gave me a contact.

"Within a week, I was into the racing scene."

Within three weeks, Mackenzie had won three races and, in 18 months, he was competing in the Tour de France.

It was 1982 and Mackenzie would go on to compete in four tours over five years. But a sciatic nerve injury sustained after a couple of years required seven operations. He healed eventually but the damage had been done.

"I had to concede that I would never have the power in my right leg to compete again."

His ultimate goal of a stage win in the Tour de France had not been achieved.

"I was never going to have the chance to fulfil my potential. I wandered around devastated, my cycling career over."

Upon returning to New Zealand, Mackenzie knew he needed to stay involved in the cycling industry.

"Back in Kawarau in my late teens I had trained as a fitter and turner. As a cyclist, I was always making changes to the geometry, the angles and dimensions of any bike I rode.

"I suddenly knew my destination was going to be to design bikes ... So I came home and I got a job with a bike company.

"I worked there for eight years, gaining more skills, more confidence, more experience. Then I knew I was ready to go out on my own."

In 2004, Eric set up his eponymous company, Eric Mackenzie Bikes. Today, EMC bikes has outlets in New Zealand and five Australian states, and produces bikes that are successful in the marketplace.

McKenzie says he believes people create their own luck. "If I've been successful, it's because I have a passion for what I do and the inner drive to follow through on it."

His advice for young people is: "Follow your dreams. That's the biggest thing. Most people have them but don't listen to them."