Wheelworks.co.nz, Handbuilt wheels by Tristan Thomas

The 2012 Club Road Nationals in the Hawkes Bay was the team’s final race before winter, and was one of the more fascinating, finely balanced races of the season. Mike, Tristan, Chris and I had been given the duty of covering attacks in protection of our team leader Andy, who after Silver last year, really wanted Gold.  Tristan had given me a leg up in my tasks with the loan of a pair of deep section carbon clinchers to use for the day.

As the most populous team in the field, we knew we had to be represented in anything that went away. And when Mike fortuitously slipped away after only 15km in a group of 4, we were happy to see what kind of response came from other teams. The calm, cool weather, and the course, whose terrain lacked a single defining difficulty, provided conditions for a successful breakaway, and the leading group of 4 quickly built a 3 min lead within 20km of setting off. The bunch was resided to getting through a few more kilometres before expending a lot of energy, laps 2 and 3 were relatively pedestrian. Clicking through half way was seemingly a psychological switch from which to launch into some aggression. With the lead group having gained over 5min, strong attacks began from several riders looking to define the race by leaving the field and mopping up the breakaway en route to victory. And this appeared to have been executed when Dan Barry, who after probably 10 attempts, slipped away in a group of 3 with 75km remaining. We grew increasingly anxious as the gap grew; we had covered almost all of his attacks but ultimately failed to keep him in the main field. Having let a race favourite get away, the day appeared to be slipping away.

Patience it seems was the order of the day. The fifth lap of six was the defining lap of the race. Attacks came on every rise during the relentless 15km section of the 29km lap. The peleton’s resolve was whitling away, as was Barry’s dangerous breakaway. The critical move came from Sam Horgan who rolled of the front on an innocuous, slightly downhill part of the course, taking Andy and Brad Tilby away with him. The response from the peleton was somewhat delayed, and with so many riders looking after their own ambitions, I could see the chase was far from concerted. It then left the question with 3 dangerous riders together in pursuit; how fresh were the front 4 riders. With one lap to go, their lead was still appreciable, but could they still influence the result. The peloton eventually switched off their chase, and the infighting for the U23 podium began in earnest. Nothing managed to stick and it was evident that everyone was pretty tired. We reached the top of the course and bumped into Josh Page who had been out ahead and looked good to contend the medals however he was rather poorly and not interested in latching on to the bunch despite my encouragement. I later learned he had an unexpected excursion from riding the bike to empty his stomach contents. Shame, because up until then he had done everything right. Meanwhile at the sharp end, Sam, Andy and Brad had finally found the front of the race and continued forth. They were unable however to shake the two Dans (Warren and Molyneux), who had been out front all day. As they went to the line, Dan Warren, after 160km in the lead, edged out Andy for the Silver medal, while Horgan just had too much for all of them and took the race by over a bike length.

The peloton approached the line about 1min 30 sec later, after having met back up with Mike Naylor within sight of the line after his 160km escape, Nice ride Mike, even if it was a bit heart breaking to catch him so close to the finish.

The distance (174km) was likely the main contributor to the calculated effort from the bulk of the riders. While the course and the calm conditions meant the race didn’t really smash to pieces, the best riders did successfully define themselves be it through hard fought heroics, or podium positions.

http://www.roadcycling.co.nz/RaceTalk/kiwi-victory-on-gc-changing-day.html

What a day for the Wheelworks Womans Racing Team.  They were simply amazing today.

I’m leaving today for Palmerston North for the Tour of the Manawatu, previously known as the Tour of Wellington.  I’ve been to this race before (8 times for the mens race and 4 times for the womans) as a mechanic or DS but this will be my first time riding it.  I ‘m super excited (and a little nervous) to be riding a race of this scale.

This race is one of the largest in NZ and always attracts a large, talented field. In the photo below of last years race (taken by Joe Kelly) Mike is shadowing Lachlan Norris who rode the Tour Down Under this year up the Rimutaka climb.

This year we’re very lucky to have Paul O’Connell and James Mahuta-Coyle managing and helping.

As always you can follow the team’s progress at facebook.com/WheelworksRacing.

I love the moment on the start line before any big race where you are completely alone in your thoughts. You ask yourself if you are ready. You have goose bumps on your arms. You have no place to run, no place to hide, its business time. On the start line of the 2012 Elite Road Nationals, this moment is shattered for me when Mike slaps me on the back and reminds me I told him 6 months ago I was going to medal in this race! Stretch goals or the dreamer’s disease, I’ll let you decide…

Races tend to follow patterns, but with the established hierarchy of NZ cycling missing (Roulston, Hendy and Julz), it was a nightmare trying to anticipate who was going to control the race and how it was going to play out. I guess most riders felt the same way because when the gun sounded the speed immediately ramped up to 55km per hour as everyone wanted to be in the early break. The unknown question was “if the break established who was going to chase it?”. At this point I realised the race was going to be loose without rules.

The first time up the much vaunted Dyers Pass climb, Paddy Bevin was pushing 600watts (as reported on his SRM live feed) to try to establish the break. Only Lap 2 and the bunch was tapped! The early pressures up the climb contributed to a group of 10 guys slipping off the front of the field around the back of the circuit as everyone grabbed a quick breather. I was right there when the move went, I watched as prerace favourites Paddy Bevin, Josh Atkins, Paul Odlin and Robin Reid moved away. I had to decide if I wanted to go or if I wanted to stay with the bunch. I decided to wait, I thought it was too soon for me. I’m not sure I chose wisely.

The next 6 laps followed a pattern. The break would ride consistently and extend their lead on the flat section of the course each lap to approximately 1min 30secs. Whereas the bunch knew if a small group of strong riders could bridge to the front, it would be game, set and match. The result was the bunch would attack itself on the flats and go like crazy up the hill. The sight of Vink dancing on the pedals up the climb to the tune of 600watts became common place (worse still, post-race photographic evidence showed he was smiling!)… Each lap, the pressure on the climb caused the bunch to fragment into 3-4 groups of 8-10 riders. Every lap a few more riders would slip off too far and not make it back. At the halfway mark the break was down to 8 guys with a bunch of 25-30 guys trailing by a minute. WWR were well represented with Mike, Andy, Tristan and Greg.

Lap 7, the race turned on its head. 3km before the climb, a small group attacked off the front of the bunch. At first 5 guys slipped off, then a further 10 powered off the front including Bauer and Vink. This is the biggest problem with NZ racing, guys hesitate and look to other riders to take responsibility. In the space of 1min, my race was almost derailed as I sat boxed in and watched helplessly as 15 guys started to disappear. Reading the danger, I went past Mike, shook my head and said “this is bad, this is really bad, we need to go across on the climb, we need to get across fast”. The pace up the climb on lap 7 was electric! The bunch blew to pieces. By the top, a group of 8 guys including race favourites Vink, Bauer and Yates had established a small lead. Mike and I hung tough and were able to latch onto the chase group of 7. The race was over for everyone else.

The next lap saw a furious pursuit with 3 groups of 8 riders were spaced out over 40secs. I was in the 3rd group on the road with Mike, Scott Lyttle, Joe Cooper, Shem Rodger, Jesse Sergeant and Chris Macic (good company). We were riding strongly and clawing our way back into the race, km by agonising km! As we crossed the start / finish line, the front 2 groups merged with our group trailing by a further 15secs. We were still 10secs adrift at the bottom of the climb. Riding up the hill the crowd was going mental! Dudes were blasting you with water pistols, BBQ smells carried the air, music was blasting, people were going crazy and while I might have been delirious I’m sure I could hear a GFT chant ringing out over it all! I gave everything, cresting the hill with Shem, Joe, Mike and Scott. We set about chasing again. This time we caught the bunch around the back of the circuit. When the dust settled, the race was back together and the bunch was down to 18 guys. Mike and I were clinging on by our finger nails. Unfortunately for me, I burned all my matches during this 2 lap frenzy and the next lap up the climb the elastic broke, my day was over. Mike lasted 1 more lap and was pulled from the race with an agonising 2 laps remaining. For the third year running, a WWR member was the last rider on the course not to finish.

The final 3 laps witnessed Mike Vink do something special. He went on the attack and challenged the field to catch him. They couldn’t, he won! The strength and determination of this young man was phenomenal. He demonstrated iron will and a total refusal to lose. Following Atkins’ win in Southland and the final results at Elites, the young guns have arrived. Not only have they knocked on the door, they have smashed it down. They are fearless and race with reckless abandonment. Guys like Vink, Atkins, Bevin, Avery, Bennett and Williamson look ready to carry the expectations of NZ cycling for years to come. Throw into the mix the exceptionally talented junior graduating class of James Oram, Fraser Gough, Dylan Kennett, Hamish Schreurs and Dion Smith, and it’s reasonable to proclaim NZ road cycling might be about to enter into a golden age.

Overall, WWR had a mixed day at the office. Andy (sick) and Chris did not perform to their expectations. I strongly believe if Andy was healthy, he would have medalled in the Elite race. He’s a tough bugger and this was a strong man’s race. Tristan racing in his first Elite Nationals put in a really creditable performance. Judging by the look in his eyes after the race, he’ll be back next year to settle unfinished business. Mike and I had very similar races. In fact it was unusual if we were more than 3 wheels apart all day. Overall, we were both satisfied with our performance, we climbed with the best and we fought all the way. In the end we were just outridden by some pretty good bike riders. That’s racing.

With the Tour of the Vineyards starting next week Wheelworks Racing is rife with inter-team rivalry.  Kicking off with a timetrial for the first time has caused all sorts of inter-team smacktalk (yes, more than usual) especially as WWR is the Euskaltel of New Zealand road racing with none* of us known for their prowess against the clock.

The winner of this sweepstakes will receive a Wheelworks bottle which may- or may-not be filled with jetplanes.  Pick the fastest Wheelworks Racing rider (and get closest to his time) to win – place your comments at facebook.com/WheelworksRacing

*Andy Hagan

Due to being the only WWR member who owns a TT bike, skin suit and funny looking helmet, Andy is exempt from this competition.  If he doesn’t post the fastest time he’ll be forced, like a Ninja, to commit ritual suicide with an aerobar.

Greg Taylor

My personal pick – Greg is more rouleur than grimpeur and can pack a mean 10km lead-out

Pros:

Rode Southland

Has the tallest socks in WWR

Cons:

Due to getting old it takes Greg a long time to warm up and 9.4km might not be enough to get the diesel sparking.

Chris Kendall

A potential dark horse of the timetrail.

Pros:

Probably the most TT experience on the team.

Smooth style on the bike

Uses aerobars

Cons:

Kendall’s beard puts him at an aerodynamic disadvantage

Stu Houltham

If Stu can translate smack-talk to performance he’s a shoe-in, however so far this year he’s yet to do so.

Pros:

7 National mountain bike championships under his lycra

With 5 corners the technical (for a TT) course is suited to Stu’s bike handling skills.

Uses aerobars

Cons:

The safety pins Stu needs to keep his armwarmers in place will flap causing excess drag.

Tristan Thomas

Riding well at the moment but racing poorly if Tristan can make the stars align he will be in for a good ride.

Pros:

Uses aerobars

Like Kate Moss in Family Guy when he turns sideways he’s skinny enough to disappear.  This could be advantageous in crosswinds.

Cons:

Towering at 6’4″ Tristan’s height presents a significant aero barrier.

With the attention span of a 3 year old it’s highly likely Tristan will get bored, start dreaming about building wheels, and back off.

Michael Naylor

Racing on home soil infront of Mum and Dad is sure to boost Mike’s performance.

Pros:

Don’t let Mike’s boyish good looks and blond hair fool you: he’s tough on the inside.

His new Bont shoes look PRO.

Mike has cut back on the hokey-pokey icecream this year.

Cons:

Aerobars and cycle computers are considered frivolous items.  In a sport where the more money you spend the faster you go this might be Mike’s downfall.

In the womans event it’s Kirsten vs Janine.  Using her SlamMySeatpost timetrail bike this is an unfair fight and thus wagers will not be taken.

Check out all the Wheelworks Racing news and heaps more photos on our Facebook page.

We had two riders strong enough to win on Sunday: Greg and Andy. My job was to be the donkey.

With the nature of the climbs and crosswinds we anticipated a race of attrition, however with 5 strong Subway riders coming from the Tour of Korea we needed to be vigilant and make sure if a break went that we were in it. As soon as the flag dropped a break formed with Sam Horgan, Matt Wheatcroft, and Mike and the three of them quickly built up a solid lead.

Mike, Stu and myself stayed near the front of the race for the first 60 km and set tempo and covered moves. Subway didn’t look especially happy despite having Horgan in the break and they would sporadically send a rider off the front of the bunch who would be quickly covered by myself or Stu.

On the second lap (44km) Horgan punctured from the break and after a slow wheel change returned to the main field leaving Mike and Wheatcroft to go it alone. With no Subway rider in the break and with some of the best legs in the field we had to be especially vigilant.

On the third lap my legs (66km) were starting to get tired so I let Kendall and Dan take over and drifted back to check on Greg and Andy and have a bit of a rest. Greg asked for a push while he watered the roadside flowers – the first time I’ve done this and it made me feel very PRO. Andy then tapped me on the shoulder and told me to get back to the front and watch the Subway guys – no rest for the wicked.

The second hill on this lap (~80km) was where the first big move came. Just before the climb Odlin took a flyer – I chased for a while but with Horgan on my wheel and the peloton single-file I wasn’t getting much help. Greg saw the move and bridged across as I started to fade – whew! As the climb hit, the pace was high but not crazy and I was sitting comfortably in the first 5 wheels following three Subway riders when they looked at each other, nodded, and attacked.

I was red-lined and the long effort just before the climb wasn’t doing me any favours. I followed the attack and slowly the bunch thinned out; first a couple of individual riders, then the whole back half of the peloton drifted away. I clambered over the top with the front bunch with Greg and Andy. Dan and Stu weren’t far behind and they managed to work together to get back on.

On the next climb Subway rode a solid tempo and Mike was brought back from the break. I gave him a push but it was pretty clear his day was done. This left Wheatcroft out by himself.

On the 4th lap (90km) my legs were again tired so I drifted back for some well-earned rest. Andy and I were halfway through a chat when Horgan attacked from just in front of me. I didn’t hesitate and jumped on his wheel. He took a flyer off the front and we were 100m up the road before I knew what had happened. He flicked his arm for me to pull and turned around. I shook my head. He attacked me so hard I went cross-eyed but I held his wheel and within 30 seconds we were joined by the silver medal winner of Thursday’s time trial, Paul Odlin, and Matt Siliars. 3 strong Subway riders, a great time trialist, and me. Oh dear.

And this was where I made my big mistake of the day: I lapped it out with them. I had no need to. My two riders were back in the bunch and my job was to tail this break, not contribute to it. On a climb I would have stood a chance with them, but riding on flat roads with crosswinds the pace was above what my legs could deliver and I only lasted about 10kms.

I went back to the bunch with wornout legs and the realization that I’d messed up. Such is life.

As soon as I joined the peloton the attacks started and Stu, Dan and myself were dropped on the next climb. I fought like hell in the crosswinds for a couple of kms to get back on, and managed to just in time for the next hill to start. I was boxed. I made it to the top of the climb with the group but the drawn-out false flat with a cross/headwind top afterwards was too much and as other riders were shelled I didn’t have the horsepower to go around them and make it to the relative safety of the bunch. With 2 laps left my day was done.

With the exception of Greg’s flyer after Odlin, when I was dropped at the 110km mark, neither him nor Andy had been on the front or been forced to chase any moves for the entire race. Despite the disappointment of being dropped I was happy knowing that the work I’d done meant they’d have good legs for the final two laps of the race.

I rode the final 40km with U23 rider Tom Francis. The weather was sunny and warm, and other than the crosswinds and sore legs it was generally a pretty good day for a bike ride so we cruised around chatting.

Up front, the race came back together leading into the last hill. The pace must have been mighty and a group of 6 including Andy got away. Judging by the photo sequence at the finish the sprint was a bit dodgy and Andy did amazingly well to stay upright and cross the line in third place. He was later upgraded to second because of being badly impeded in the sprint.

Greg crossed the line in 8th place – an excellent result considering that only a few weeks ago he wasn’t going to race this event.

My new friend Tom and I finished up 20 minutes off the pace yielding me 13th and the last rider across the line.

We rode really well as a team and the work done by Stu, Dan, Chris, Mike and myself all paid off with those two great results.

The BDO Tour of Northland was one of the best-organized bike races I’ve been to.  Mike, Ross and I had a great time in the Winterless North – here is Mike’s report of events

The Tour of Northland is a very different beast than its name cousin the Tour of Southland. Whereas Southland brutalises its riders with long cold hard days racing in the gutter. Northland provides short days of racing, in warm weather and on some of the country’s most scenic roads. Tristan, Ross Watson and I were all enticed by this idea of good racing, in beautiful places as a semi-holiday after several months of hard training and racing over summer.

Day one of the race took us 93kms from Whangarei across to Dargaville on the west coast. Our elite field of 40 riders contained a mix of top riders from the likes of Pure Black Racing and Subway as well as a number of other A grade riders whom are not often seen at the national level races. The pace was pretty solid over the first 50km as numerous efforts to breakaway were keenly reeled in by the peloton. The major drama occurred at the 30km mark when touch of brakes and a clipped wheel transpired to send 4 riders hurtling to the tarmac while the bunch was strung out at 50kph. Tristan had a closer view than I but it looked and sounded extremely painful – so much so that for the first time in my time cycling the entire bunch actually stopped to check everyone involved was alright.

At the 50km mark we entered a section of rollers gradually climbing to almost 300m. Somewhere in here Will Bowman and James Northey snuck off the front and started building themselves a very healthy lead on the bunch. I didn’t rate their chances of staying away on the flat run-in so chose to sit back in the bunch a choice which become mandatory once a hit a pothole hard and my seat post slipped down almost 3 inches forcing me to pedal with my knees knocking my chin.

In the tradition of the peloton hurtling down the via roma we all but pulled back the two breakaways within 6km of Dargaville but a bridging effort by the NZ Paralympic team powered tandem provided them with the extra watts to stay away to the finish by about 30secs. I came in 10^th and Tristan was a bit further back in the bunch.

We spent a great afternoon in Dargaville, taking in the sights and enjoying the hospitality of our host Dot, who was probably one of the nicest people I’ve ever met.

Day two had some decent climbs packed into its final 50km and was likely to by a decisive stage. Just before the first of the climbs Brad Carter and Matt Gorter rode away in what was a dangerous looking move. We kept a steady pace up the first climb shedding a few riders but when we hit the 12km long second major climb things heated up. I attacked hard at the bottom but was closed down by the time it levelled off at the top. The group was now down to just over a dozen as we began a fast, wet and dangerous decent into the Kauri forest.

At the bottom of the descent it was straight into the next climb this one being the longest at over 10km but not too steep. Attacks were flying and Tristan and I were right amongst it but no one was strong enough to make anything stick. As we crested the climb and passed the might Tāne Mahuta (New Zealand’s largest and oldest tree, known by Māori as god of the forest) we captured Brad and Matt making our front bunch 12 strong. It wasn’t until just 6km to go that a decisive move was made as myself and a Subway rider managed to bludgeon a gap over a small climb and 4 others managed to make it across but not the yellow jersey.

We kept a small gap going into the final steep climb. It wasn’t long before I was drowning in lactic acid and dropped off the pace. From there it was just a matter of gritting teeth and trying to limit the time loss as best possible to the top, down the wet twisting descent and over the final km to the finish at Omapere. I ended up 5^th on the stage and on GC while Tristan took 7^th place and the same spot on GC. Ross rode well in the B grade to finish 8^th in the open men’s section.

Omapere is a tiny township near the mouth of the Hokianga harbour. It doesn’t show up on many maps and that means it doesn’t offer much in the way of accommodation and food. Booking late we had no option but to cram the three of us into one room at the extravagantly priced but hugely underwhelming Copthorne resort. The tough day was finished off with what must have been a two week old bacon and egg pie form the local ‘café’. Luckily the rain cleared by evening and we were able to enjoy the stunning views of Hokianga harbour and the sand dunes while alfresco dining on very small meals at the Copthorne.

Against predictions day 3 dawned dry and stayed that way. This was probably the best day’s racing as Subway put the pressure on James Northey who was wearing the yellow jersey. After 20km they had two up the road including Tom Hubbard who was 2^nd on GC at 30sec. The must have ridden hard as with 25km to go they were still holding a 2 minute gap on the bunch. At this point James and most of the field really ramped things up and we flew to the finish in single file.

Having studiously studied the race information Tristan and I were looking for the 200m climb with a passing bay on it which was said to be the finish. Nearing what I thought must be the finish we hit such a climb and I attacked hard gaining a good 50m gap. Cresting the top I was dismayed not to see finishing barriers but instead a 1km to go sign. I kept riding futilely but was caught within a hundred metres of the next climb which was the actual finish and had an almighty fight to keep from getting time gapped. I finished 10^th and Tristan was just two places behind.

This brought us to sunny Pahia in the Bay of Islands and we had a great afternoon relaxing and visiting the Treaty of Waitangi grounds.

I was convinced day 4 was going to be my day; I was feeling great and the profile offered plenty of climbs. I was expecting Subway to put the heat on James again after they closed the gap to just 5sec yesterday. However they choose to sit back instead and it was Brad Carter who took the initiative and rode off solo on along the numerous short steep climbs along the stunning Tutakaka coast.

At the 50km mark we hit the major climb of the day Herne Bay Hill. At 4kms it was long and steep enough to whittle the field down to 7 pretty quickly. I gave it a dig with 1km to go and got a good gap but with no one willing to come with me it was a waste of energy. Over the other side and Subway still wasn’t making an effort to attack James. My hope was that I could join one of the Subway riders and make up enough time to move into the top 3 or take the stage win. With 12km to go we were about to enter the final climbs when the dreaded soft feeling came from my rear tyre and I had to stop for a wheel change. Unfortunately by the time the wheel van came the entire race had passed me by and I was left to ride a lonely and bitter road to the finish where I’d dropped to twelfth.

Tristan had a great day, out sprinting the field for 4^th on the stage and moving up to 5^th overall to make it a very successful tour for him. Ross held onto his 8^th place in the senior men’s grade and fellow Wellingtonian Oliver Ferry took 2^nd in the men’s Vet 2 grade.

So that was it, there was nothing left but to pack the Falcoon and make the long drive back to wintery Wellington and the office. It was a great week at the Tour of Northland, great roads, stunning scenary, good racing and the best company. Now Southland……….

Camaraderie

noun: comradeship, fellowship, companionship, friendship

1. Mutual trust and friendship among people who spend a lot of time together

Maybe it could also be defined as one of the hardest things to get find or inject into a team environment.

Money can’t buy it and you can’t force it. With encouragement and time it can happen but it’s never guaranteed. Its unique attributes mean that it just has to grow on its own.

Sport is full of camaraderie, a team’s success, or failure, is defined by it.

Comradeship can make amazing things happen and any team manager of any sport would certainly know its importance, and would be prepared to do a lot to instil it within their teams. If only it were that easy…

It’s Monday and I’ve just finished my first day back at work. It’s quite the contrast to last week, my aching legs and weary body have been a reminder of what I’ve been doing. The Tour of Wellington finished up with the always challenging street criterium yesterday. I was on the sideline shouting encouragement, and a lot of advice, to my (team) mates.

A sport so simple in principle (ride faster than everyone else) can be a brutal and amazingly hard to be successful in. Decisions made in split seconds will define you, or leave a bitter taste for weeks, months or years. I could have… I should have… next time I will.

“I just should have come round earlier” was going through my mind. The Wallaceville circuit the day before had been my last stage of the tour (and the last stage for General Classification).

I’d had a pretty good tour sitting around midfield, although I felt like I had a bit more in me and had hoped to make up some time on those in front of me on the last road stage. Waking on Saturday morning my legs still felt the same as they had when I went to bed 9 hours earlier, sore. It was reassuring that they freed up after 20 minutes of riding and I thought that I was up for a good day on a course that should suit me.

Unfortunately towards the end of the first lap, coming out of a left hander, the rider in front of me let a wheel go. Calmly I waited for him to accelerate back onto the back of the peloton, the acceleration came and I thought all was well in the world again. However moments later as I looked around him I realised that I had made a fatal mistake. I should have rolled over him coming out of the corner. Without even noticing the gap had grown, hugely. I gave it full gas to try to get across. My legs winding up felt pretty good, but they faded a bit earlier than I thought they might, another rider rolled over me to try to do the same, then another… the gap wasn’t closing… A big surge on the flat then into the climb and I was struggling. By the time we hit the gradient of the climb the pace of the peloton had lifted again and hopes of us rejoining were looking bleak. That was the last I saw of the bunch, they were quickly hidden from view by the race convoy of cars, station wagons, vans and ambulances as they streamed past the fading racers.

I pushed on, and tried as hard as I could to get back but to no avail. In front of me the bunch slowly splinted as the laps counted down, behind me riders retired from the race, spent from three very heavy days of racing. It was hard not to do the same, but the desire to get onto the bell lap drove me on. However with three laps to go, I started to fade, exhausted my body had little energy left to give. I was passed by the front of the race on my 7^th lap of 8. So close, but still miles from where I needed to be.

It was hard finishing, despite being lapped I did finish the distance. To say I didn’t want to be there anymore is probably one of the biggest understatements I could ever make.

Why?

Comradeship. Being passed by your (team) mates and knowing that you couldn’t be there to help them left me feeling gutted. Not being able to be in the mix in front of our absolutely amazing supporters that were scattered all over the circuit, and online, providing support and encouragement was devastating. That time on my own on allowed me a little bit of head space, when I wasn’t concentrating on breathing or pedalling, to realise how strong the bond of the team, and its supporters, has grown over the past months.

We have had an amazing time since the team was kicked into life with a roar at the Rice Mountain Classic. Sitting back and reflecting on what we have done, and achieved, brings about an immense feeling of pride. The environment at every race we’ve attended has been absolutely fantastic and we can’t express how much we have relished the ongoing support we’ve received from everyone to date. It’s all contributed to what defines the team, our team.

I believe you can often get more from having a bad day than a good day. I’ve been happy with my form and am already looking forward to some more events to try my hand with. I can’t wait to roll out again with my mates, in training, at races and all the fun times that we have in between. I’m sure there are still more successes to be had before the summers out.

Comradeship is very difficult to instil in a team. Ask me how to do it and I’ll be able to offer some suggestions. Ask me how we did and I’ll tell you that it was always just there. Ask me what it looks like and I’ll point you to a ton of photos that we have on line , and in particular two photos of the team at the tour de vineyards (one, two), it’s a feeling that just can’t be described.

It costs nothing to get that feeling, which is hard to believe because it’s absolutely priceless.

The 2011 Tour of Wellington is all finished.  Check out these amazing photos from Joe Kelly of the boys at work and jump over to the team’s Facebook page for more great photos, updates, and insight.

Many thanks to all of the people who gave up their time to help the boys in this years tour.  Joe Kelly the photographer, Gary the chauffeur, James, Janine and Ross for handing out bottles, Nathan for his physio expertise, Mr and Mrs Hagan for their picnic making abilities, and for all the people who came out and cheered the boys from the side of the road.

With the Tour behind us we’ll be looking ahead to the upcoming races.

Team Wheelworks Racing is made up of the following members:

Andy Hagan is the fashion icon and man of few words of Team Wheelworks.  He has torn the legs off many of New Zealand’s best cyclists, quietly and without looking back.  He has been featured in glamour photo shoots in New Zealand’s top road cycling magazine, and been seen looking far better than he should have after turning out excellent results in K2, the Tour of Southland, the Taupo Classic, and the Tour of Wellington.

Chris Kendall is a reformed mountain biker who turned to road biking after realising he had been a wannabe roadie the whole time. Chris followed the rules before he even knew there were rules. His obsessive behaviours are the reason for his year round pride stripes and evenly stocked back pockets, while his secret mountain bike habit means he holds the current Team Wheelworks record for most metres ascended per kilometre in a single ride.  On the mountain bike he’s raced internationally and was sixth in the 2009 elite national championships. On the road he’s raced Tour of Southland, K2, the Tour of Wellington, and the Taupo Classic to name but a few.

Mr Coombes, as he likes to be known, was unavailable for comment at the time this article went to press.  There have been various theories on his performance over the years: is it the diet, is it the quiet solitude, or is it his sonnet-wielding panache and love of fine sherry that drives him on?  He has never responded to any media queries and even his team mates are uncertain.  He is generally believed to be the grandson of a Taranaki farmer’s wife and Fausto Coppi. Whatever it is, the powers within have driven him on through the Tour of Wellington, the Tour of Taranaki, top results in the Gwaloop Challenge and the New Zealand University Games.  Further glory awaits, though none of us are willing to speculate where.

Gary Stewart is the design guru and official team test driver for Team Wheelworks.  He owns the coolest bike of all of us and is reputed to have ridden it several times.  He is the self described cigar smoking old sponsor who turns up for the pies, pats everyone on the back and goes on to some other gig to then eat all their pies.  So far he’s managed to score zero pies, he’s had to pay for his own pizza, and we drank his wine on the training camp.

Greg Taylor is the on the road tactician and motivational speaker for Team Wheelworks.  Past tactics include leaving his pro team in Switzerland, selling his race bike, and moving to the UK to drink beer and chase girls.  Luckily for the girls, he can’t run as fast as he can ride. Greg represented NZ at junior, under 23 and senior ranks and first retired from the NZ peloton in 2001 at the tender age of 20.  He announced his third comeback to world cycling by taking line honours in the Kevin Smith memorial race in Otaki.

Janine Copp, the team Doctor with a proclivity for pink kit, alleviates the testosterone imbalance of Team Wheelworks. A New Zealand horse riding representative, Janine moved to a Wellington apartment in 2009 and decided to ride something that might fit a little better in the spare room. In her short time in cycling she has already achieved top level results in the elite ranks in the National Points Series and the various Tours around NZ. The only 30 year old ever to be selected for the New Zealand under 23 training squad, Janine’s youthful good looks belie her actual age.

Kirsten Price is the original cycling widow and other member of the Team Wheelworks Racing women’s team.  A former competitive rower, Kirsten first got into cycling to escape the exercise free world of the Beehive and because there’s no rowing course between work and Wheelworks International HQ.   Kirsten has raced at club and national events in New Zealand including Taupo-Napier and K2 and is the reigning Eddy Merckx of 50 km fun rides.

Mike Naylor is the sports science and performance expert for Team Wheelworks.  He is at the forefront of the science of negligible gains in cycling performance, and the use of quality frozen dairy products for improving athletic performance and speeding recovery.  He has taken his theories to elite cycle races in Asia, Europe, and here in New Zealand.  His theories have had proven results in the Tour of Vineyards, the Grape Ride, Le Race, podium places the under 23 National Mountainbike XC and Hillclimb Championships, and two time winner of the prestigious Glenhope to Murchison road race back when he was a sprinter.  After crashing too many times in the 2010 Tour of Wellington, next year Mike is planning to spend less time in the Ambulance having his dressings changed and more time scientifically testing which flavour ice cream has the greatest effect on performance.

Paul O’Connell is the Team Wheelworks Communications Director and Photographer.  Paul’s palmares include several first places in solo races around the Kawerau BMX track in 1986, a number of top three finishes on the Sunday World Championships, an accidental leadout from Pete Latham (which Latham won), and once beating Andy Hagan up a hill while Andy had the flu.  Paul was last seen calling out his heart rate and yelling “are you guys kidding” as the boys disappeared up another hill on a Tuesday hammer session.  If found, please return to Wheelworks International HQ.

Tristan Thomas is a Canadian who claims to have been a glider instructor pilot and bike shop employee in the past. We’re certain this is a convenient cover story, and that his real heritage is as the Canadian Quartermaster of the Research and Development Division of the Canadian Secret Service.  Upon moving to New Zealand he moved away from espionage to the fine art of building the best bike wheels money can buy.  Not only can he build the prettiest, fastest wheels you’ve ever ridden he’s also a past master at turning them quickly and has recently graduated to racing scratch.  In his spare time he is the Team Wheelworks Mechanic, Directeur Sportif,  Soigneur, Chef, Driver, Corporate Affairs Liaison and R&D Division Head.