Cycling: Mexican wave of admiration puts Greg on the world stage

A small number of Mexicans have gathered at a cracking, old, concrete cycling track to catch a glimpse of one of their heroes.

It's not Mexico's finest, rather a Kiwi boy from Dunedin who just happens to be a world cycling champion, for another five days at least.

Greg Henderson heads to Los Angeles this week in the hope of defending the world scratch racing title he picked up in Melbourne last year as well as adding others in either the points race or the madison.

The 28-year-old joined up with the New Zealand team at their altitude training camp in Aguascalientes, Mexico, and immediately became the subject of some interest. "There are a few crazy Mexican cycling fans here and they want to meet Greg Henderson the world champion," he says from his hotel room in Aguascalientes. "It's quite bizarre."

It's been something of a bizarre past 12 months for the US-based professional cyclist considering he's now one of the elite in his events. It comes with the territory and, while Henderson attests that he's just "one of the boys", every now and then he catches himself and remembers that he is world champion.

The 10-strong New Zealand team heads to Los Angeles without its other world champion, Sarah Ulmer. And while Henderson rates as the best chance to bring home a medal, New Zealand high performance director Michael Flynn has high hopes considering all riders were selected on the basis they were chances to finish in the top six in their events.

Joanne Kiesanowski and Catherine Sell are outside medal chances in the women's scratch and points races, while the men's pursuit team is also on form after their win at a world cup event in Australia recently.

Henderson was in the pursuit team that day and is considering donning the race helmet again if it doesn't jeopardise his chances in his other events. "There may be a little plan of putting me in there," he says rather cryptically. "At this stage I'm not riding but it could change."

Racing in four events over the course of five days would be arduous by any stretch of the imagination, although Flynn has been impressed by what he's seen in Henderson since moving from Australia in January.

"I think he's got great potential to get on the podium in his three events," Flynn says. "He's a hardened professional rider and there haven't been too many races that he hasn't hit the mark."

Henderson's future, though, might be away from the track. With changes to the Olympic programme due to be confirmed in July to accommodate two BMX events for the Beijing Olympics, the future of the points race is threatened.

While Henderson could slot into the pursuit team for Beijing, he is also contemplating switching to the road, an event in which he makes his living.

As a member of the top American Healthnet Maxxis team, he's had a number of successes on the US road circuit, including a win in the prestigious New York City Criterion just prior to the Athens Games: "About 90 per cent of my racing is on the road anyway and my team lets me switch over to the track for three or four weeks each year," Henderson said. "I'm probably going to start moving towards the road a little bit more over the next couple of years and I wouldn't mind having a go at the road race at the Commonwealth Games. I'm not sure if my future is on the track - maybe I could do both - that's what I'm just trying to decide at the moment."

For now, though, Henderson's sights are firmly set on this week's world championships, where he knows he'll be a marked man.

In the past he might have been able to ride his own race without other people taking notice of him. Now, however, the tag of world champion means he's a marked man. Much like it is when he heads to the mountains in central America where he's collared by some "crazy Mexicans".

- HERALD ON SUNDAY