Cycling: US Postal deal lifelong dream

When Hayden Roulston takes up his cycling contract with professional team US Postal, he will be fulfilling a lifelong dream.

The 23-year-old Olympic Games cyclist announced this week that he would sign a two-year contract with US Postal, and he is hoping to be fully fit and healthy by the time he takes up the contract at the start of 2005.

Roulston said he would have an operation in the coming weeks, either in Belgium or in New Zealand, to remove a cyst which has troubled him for some months.

The operation would see him out of racing for about a month.

"The most important thing is that I'm 100 per cent fit and healthy when I take up my new contract."

The US Postal team will next year be known as the Discovery Channel team.

Roulston said it would be an honour riding with the likes of six-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong. "That's going to be huge just by itself. There's no one bigger in the cycling world than him.

"It's going to be two years of riding for one of the most professional teams in the world.

"I wanted to get into a role where I'm a worker and spend the next two years working and learning."

Roulston will complete his contract with the French team Cofidis soon.

The change of team will not mean a big change in lifestyle for Roulston as he will stay in Belgium.

"Nothing will change really apart from the jersey, but it's going to be a change for me mentally," he said.

"I've spoken to the directors [of US Postal], and I could tell straight away they were the team for me.

"It's my dream team. Ever since I started cycling it has been 'US Postal, US Postal'."

While US Postal is best known for Armstrong's success in the Tour de France, Roulston said his dream of riding in the prestigious race was still a way off.

"At this stage I won't be riding the Tour de France. It's nine of the best guys in the world who ride in the Tour de France. There's no weak link."

To get there, it will be two years of learning and proving he has got what it takes.

Roulston and Greg Henderson finished seventh in the madison at Athens.

- NZPA