KEY POINTS:
Sarah Ulmer, the last New Zealand cyclist to arrive at an Olympics on top of the world, is playing an important role in ensuring a new Sarah tops the BMX medal podium in Beijing.
Ulmer, crowned the individual pursuit champion at the Athens velodrome in 2004, will be keeping a close eye on BMX rider Sarah Walker when the new sport debuts on August 20.
Ideally, the following morning Walker, a 20-year-old from Kawerau, will be among eight riders vying for a historic goal medal on the dirt at Laoshan.
BikeNZ have left little to chance in terms of Walker's preparations, helping her find a replacement coach, some replica starting gates, and to compete on a replica of the Olympic track at the United States BMX base near San Diego.
Those developments were welcomed from a technical perspective, while Ulmer is proving valuable mental input - even if Walker is a little vague on how it all came about.
"I can't remember the first time I met her," Walker confessed.
"But we've been talking a bit more over the past few months about the Olympics and getting into a bit more detail.
"I sent through a few emails with BMX terminology and what it means so she kind of understands it a bit more."
Ulmer, given an "athlete support" role by the New Zealand Olympic Committee (NZOC) in Beijing, has briefed Walker on her own Games experiences and how to handle the pressure of competing as the world No 1.
"Sarah's been there before, she knows the situations and what it feels like and what to do with nerves, that kind of thing," Walker said.
"She's pretty similar to what I am race-wise. I don't want to think about it (the race) too much. I'm pretty relaxed and easy going about it. I don't want to be stressed too much - she's the perfect person to help."
Ulmer's input aside, it is doubtful Walker would be in her current head space without the support of her partner, Australian BMX rider Dane Booker.
When her former coach walked out last year to coach one of her main rivals, Britain's Shanaze Reade, Booker had no hesitation in applying the brakes to his own career to relocate with Walker to Auckland in March.
Apart from providing morale support, he fulfils a pivotal role of her training regime - operating the start gate and providing her with `live' competition.
"We do starts at the track, top end sprints, jumps and manuals and cornering and stuff like that," he told NZPA.
"It's good she has someone to ride against.
"The guy who's going to the Olympics for New Zealand (world No 5 Marc Willers) is way ahead of Sarah, he's one of the top guys.
"I'm kind of equal with Sarah, so she can go into a corner with me instead of chasing Marc by 10 bike lengths."
Booker was in the Australian junior team at last year's world championships but would not have been selected for Beijing.
Instead he was looking forward to sharing the experience as a spectator and confidante.
"Hopefully I can spend the down time she has, just to muck around with her and be `Dane and Sarah' instead of it all being about BMX."
He was confident Walker was grounded enough not to let the pressure envelop her.
"She can take her mind away from it. There's a lot of girls that are aggressive racers.
"Marc (Willers) is a really aggressive racer, he really pumps himself up before a race and so do some of the girls.
"Sarah's a lot like what Sarah Ulmer was like, just kind of whatever....
"She's quietly nervous, but not too nervous. She knows what she can achieve."
- NZPA
