Top rider had wobbly start
Holly White has quickly progressed from training wheels to the track.
The 16-year-old Greenlane athlete has taken the secondary school cycling world by storm and has high hopes for a future on two wheels. It’s a turnaround for someone who just a few years ago wasn’t so keen on riding bikes.
‘‘I couldn’t ride a bike at primary school and had to use training wheels. I was too embarrassed to take them to school so I just didn’t,’’ she says.
White started cycling competitively when she got to St Cuthbert’s College and says she fell in love with the sport.
Her personal best at this year’s 16 kilometre Auckland Waterfront Time Trials was 23 minutes 7 seconds, making her the fastest schoolgirl yet and the quickest adult female for 2013.
She also took out the UCI Oceania Track Cycling under-19 2000 metre pursuit title in Invercargill on November 20.
White has now been selected for the GMC Development Team, coached by Commonwealth Games medallist Gordon McCauley, and will start training with the squad in the new year.
‘‘It’s about developing us to become international riders and get out there on the world stage on the road as well as track,’’ she says.
At the New Zealand Secondary School Individual Cycling Champs White broke the under-17 4000m time trial record by 11 seconds.
She now has 64 regional and national medals for road racing, track cycling and multisport events.
The wins mean her hard work has paid off, White says.
‘‘All of a sudden all those early winter mornings are worth it. You do get nervous but I really enjoy just going out there.’’