Cycling: Kiwi talent pedalling their way to the top

Greg Henderson has helped blaze a path. Photo / NZ Herald

The proliferation of New Zealand cycling talent overseas continues to surge.

The country is reaping the benefits from the latest talented generation of pedallers, increased Sparc investment and the emergence of Pure Black Racing as a vehicle to sustain a successful future.

More than 50 New Zealanders are currently on overseas contracts; mainly on the road but also on mountain, BMX and track bikes. That figure is unprecedented, as more Kiwis plot a professional path in a sport once seen as the domain of Europeans.

Even now, just three riders from outside mainland Europe - Irishman Stephen Roche and Americans Greg LeMond and Lance Armstrong - have won the Tour de France. Only nine New Zealanders have even entered the race in its 107-year history.

Julian Dean, who has finished Le Tour six consecutive times, can take most of the kudos. He has been backed by fellow Tour rider Hayden Roulston (2009), and Greg Henderson and Tim Gudsell have raced the grand tours in Spain and Italy in recent years.

The next generation of potential grand tour riders is also established through Jesse Sergent and Sam Bewley.

Dean's achievements last year would inspire even casual Sunday riders to dream of coasting around the Champs-Elysees in a yellow jersey. Sadly, his unprecedented three podium finishes by a New Zealander - after crashing on stage two, receiving a headbutt on stage 11 and being tackled by a member of the gendarmerie before stage 16 - were still not enough to get nominated for a Halberg award.

BikeNZ high performance manager Mark Elliott will help run a programme boosted by $500,000 of Sparc money this year after the road and track success at the Delhi Commonwealth Games and the world track championships in Copenhagen. The sport's governing body will be taxpayer funded to the tune of $4.1 million.

"We're focused on Olympic medals but it's also a platform to launch professional careers from the track to the road," Elliott says. "The likes of Sergent and Bewley have got exposure from the track medals they've earned and signed with RadioShack. It's about creating a system that can replicate itself.

"Of the young group coming through, Alex Meenhorst and George Bennett have done well at age group world championships, while Josh Atkins and Michael Vink are part of the Lance Armstrong-founded Livestrong under-23 team."

Tom Scully has also signed with Garmin as an under-23 rider, despite a debilitating crash in Ireland last year.

The strength of talent could see four staff sent to a BikeNZ base in Belgium this year.

"We want to be in touch with as many guys as possible over there because the European structure can be loose. We want our riders to have medical, conditioning and nutritional support," Elliott says.

As a rider who has come through the system recently, Bewley stresses the need for programmes like the one being set up.

"New Zealand had a programme in France when I was a junior, which meant living with six to seven other Kiwi guys. It was still nice to keep speaking English rather than completely immersing yourself in another culture.

"What you don't want is a situation where guys finish racing as juniors in New Zealand and flock to Europe. Many end up quitting because they miss their parents and friends, so you have to be careful.

"Australia is a good compromise. It has a good level of cycling, is close to home, cheaper and guys can get a taste before plunging into France.

"Becoming a professional cyclist takes around five years. Going to France when you're 18, if you've never been away from home before, is not the best approach."

That is where the new Kiwi professional cycling team Pure Black Racing , led by former Star class sailing Olympian and world champion Carl Williams, is a promising solution. Williams' operation is backed by Kiwi-based bike manufacturer Avanti but their sponsorship needs to expand exponentially to meet their aim of being at the 2015 Tour de France.

"It's a tough market at the moment," Williams says. "We're happy with the model we're selling, but it's tough competing against the Rugby World Cup. However, we're not an elitist sport and represent a wide demographic - many people use a bike."

PBR launched in July and will compete on the US circuit this year and be based at altitude in Colorado. Williams says it's about creating a logical pathway for Kiwi riders to aspire to.

"You have to be a New Zealander to join in the first two years. By the time we get to Europe, the reality is we might need international expertise - the same happened with Team New Zealand in the America's Cup - but riders would still be integrated into a Kiwi culture."

Bewley is all for it: "I rate that project. It's 100 per cent New Zealand focused. There are a couple of older guys [Gudsell and ex-Olympian Glen Chadwick] but the idea is to develop young riders. You want a team which will spend six months a year overseas but share some comforts of home."