Top cyclists opt to miss Commonwealth Games
"A cycling team employs you to race for them, not for your country." Jack Bauer
New Zealand’s leading road cyclists will bypass next year’s Commonwealth Games with World Tour stars Jack Bauer and George Bennett already ruling themselves out of contention.
Bauer has confirmed he will be unavailable for selection as the race, scheduled for April 10 on Australia’s Gold Coast, clashes with World Tour events Parisroubaix and the Amstel Gold Race.
Welsh star Geraint Thomas, who beat Bauer across the finish line in Glasgow in 2014, has also confirmed that he will not be defending his title, opting instead to test himself on the infamous Paris-roubaix cobblestones.
‘‘Unfortunately there’s no question about it. A cycling team employs you to race for them, not for your country. It makes sense when you think about it,’’ said Bauer.
Although Bennett will not be racing in April, he will be busy training at altitude for Giro d’italia - which is deemed much higher priority in the cycling world.
Bennett said he had to explain to his trade team, Lottonl-jumbo, what the Commonwealth Games were when he first asked to go in 2014.
‘‘It would be great to do it and I’d love to do it, but to fly all the way back in April when I’m going to be doing altitude training for the Giro, it doesn’t really work for my big goals,’’ Bennett said.
‘‘It’s not a major goal for me and you can’t do everything if you want to do one thing well.’’
Bauer, the 2014 silver medallist said next year’s Commonwealth Games was scheduled at ‘‘pretty much the worst time of the year’’, while the location was another barrier as the majority of the World Tour riders are based in Europe.
‘‘It’s interesting because when I was first starting out in cycling I got to go to Delhi straight away in 2010 and that also wasn’t just down the road. But it was still at a very accessible time of the year, in October, and calendars were starting to empty out and pretty much everybody that wanted to ride was available,’’ Bauer said.
‘‘It was the same three years ago in Glasgow when it was straight after the Tour de France and there was not a lot going on. It’s obviously pretty easy to head from Europe to Scotland but it’s a different case this time round.’’
Bennett and Bauer are unlikely to be the only high-profile absentees with 32-year-old Bauer suggesting his Michelton-scott team-mate Sam Bewley will also be tied up with World Tour races.
It is understood Patrick Bevin, who rode Paris-roubaix this year, and Trek-segafredo rookie Alex Frame have expressed a desire to compete at the Commonwealth Games but it remains to be seen whether they will actually be released by their trade teams.
It is also unclear whether New Zealand’s sixth World Tour rider, Tom Scully, will be available.
Bauer said he was disappointed by the prospect of missing the Commonwealth Games, acknowledging that he may not get another chance.
‘‘I will hold my medal very dearly for the rest of my life and I would love to get the chance to get another one. But as it stands, because of the timing next year it’s not going to happen.’’