Bond hits the road in his latest mission
It’s been a long time since double Olympic and eight-time world rowing champion Hamish Bond has ever had to sweat on a selection.
But yesterday he was breathing the metaphorical sigh of relief after being named for his first major international assignment in his second sporting life as a road cyclist.
The 31-year-old Cambridgebased sporting switch-hitter has been included in a powerful 13-strong New Zealand team for next month’s road cycling world championships in Bergen, Norway, from September 16-24.
He will ride his specialist timetrial alongside recent Tour de France standout (before withdrawing with illness) George Bennett, and has been given the nod on the back of eye-catching results in a short time since shifting from the rowboat to the road cycle after the Rio Olympics.
Bond finished runner-up to Jack Bauer in the time-trial at the national championships and has recently returned from a twomonth stint in the UK where he won seven of eight events he competed in.
He was rapt to be given the chance to ‘‘measure myself against the best in the world’’ as he continues as assessment period in his new sport before committing fully to his pathway to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
‘‘In taking the approach I have those opportunities are not necessarily going to come round all that often,’’ said Bond. ‘‘I’m not in pro tours lining up against these guys
all the time. For me to work out how good I am and how good I can be, I’ve got to make the most of these opportunities.
‘‘It’s daunting but I’ve been on the big stage before. This was my goal, now I’ve got to follow through to the best of my ability.’’
Bond conceded it was pretty fresh territory for him to be relying on the whims of selectors to make a major global event.
‘‘There was certainly an element of the unknown realising in some ways it’s out of your hands. In rowing my philosophy was to make myself indispensable to make it so they couldn’t even question you’re the person to be selected.
‘‘I’m not at that point yet in cycling, though that’s my goal.’’
He also hopes his experience on the biggest of sporting stages will help him in this venture.
‘‘I have confidence in my ability to peak for an event. That’s what we do in rowing. I will be taking a similar approach and try to tap into as much cycling specific knowledge as possible.’’
The unique course in Norway will also test Bond. At 31km, it’s shorter than your run-of-the-mill time-trial and with a brutal final 3.4km climb (and a gradient of around 9 percent) it has a challenging conclusion. That would tend to favour a much lighter figure like Bennett, and the many other tour riders who will be lining up, though Bond is not without hope or experience.
Bond and Bennett are joined in the Kiwi team for Norway by rising stars Patrick Bevin and Dion Smith, who both made their debuts in the Tour de France this year, while the women’s team is headed by 2015 world time-trial champion Linda Villumsen and fellow Rio track Olympian Jaime Nielsen who recently set the fastest sea level time in history for the women’s one-hour time trial..
Bevin and Smith are joined for the road race by 2014 Commonwealth Games medallist Jack Bauer, who was a key figure in the recent Tour de France in setting up team-mate sprinter Marcel Kittel for five stage wins.