More gold in sprint team’s sights as world champs near
With their longest-ever break off the bikes following a gutwrenching silver at the Rio Olympics, New Zealand cycling’s pin-up boys are refreshed and ready to crank back into top gear as they look to defend their title at this month’s track cycling world champs.
The class trio of Ethan Mitchell, Sam Webster and Eddie Dawkins are eyeing up a third world champs gold in four years, and a sixth successive podium finish, at next week’s event in Hong Kong, as they begin their quest towards redemption at Tokyo 2020.
Despite producing a superb ride in the final at last year’s Games, the Kiwis missed out to Great Britain by 0.102 seconds, which has only made them more determined for what’s ahead.
The trio, who first linked up at the 2010 Commonwealth Games, all took around eight weeks off riding post-rio, with time to reflect on things, while staying in the gym, and getting some walking into the legs while on holidays.
‘‘It was probably the best thing for us, to take that break and reflect on how we went, and how we move forward,’’ Mitchell said.
‘‘Our sole focus was gold, and we didn’t quite get there. And it actually took for all of us to sit around the TV, watch our ride and go ‘Bloody hell, that was pretty impressive, where we got to, we exceeded where we thought we’d get to, and we were beaten by a better team on the day’.
‘‘In the end it was about going ‘How do we then change that and are we willing to put that into another four years?’ And the obvious answer was yes.
‘‘Getting back on the bike, it was like coming back home really. We’ve got so much motivation out of Rio, and going into Hong Kong in the hope of defending our world title has really spurred this excitement.’’
The trio jet out today for their next big excursion, and despite so often living out of each other’s pockets, they weren’t in desperate need of a break from one another come their break though, with this a tight-knit group, who kept up plenty of contact, with Dawkins even getting engaged during the time off, and Mitchell and Webster getting groomsmen duties.
‘‘Every day, in all honesty,’’ Mitchell said of how often they were in touch. ‘‘We talk to each other, send each other photos. We’ve never really got to the stage where we’ve ever felt as though it’s too much. I think we’re pretty lucky that we’re best mates more than team-mates, so it’s an easy relationship.’’
Now being the senior statesmen in a national squad which has seen an injection of youth, the star sprinters are out to keep setting the example, and have this time taken a refreshingly different approach in their training, with a bigger gym focus, and different reps and exercises at their Avantidrome base in Cambridge.
After not competing in the first three World Cup events of the season, the trio turned out in the fourth and final round in Los Angeles in February, getting acquainted with that colour of gold that they hope to see more of in the near, and more distant, future.
‘‘That’s what these next three world champs are about, a stepping stone towards Tokyo,’’ Mitchell said.
‘‘Although we want to win the world champs every year, Tokyo is our biggest goal, and it’s about building an engine, with three years to do that.’’
If things all go to plan, there’s one heck of a legacy that can be left by this high-flying group.
‘‘We want to be the best sprint nation in the world,’’ Mitchell said. ‘‘And to be that, we’ll have to train the best, and be the best off the bike as well. If that creates a legacy it creates a legacy, but we’re doing it for each other more than anything. It’s about not letting any of the team down, and our coaches down, because we know how much they put in.’’