Dawkins rides off into sunset after tough call to mates

Eddie Dawkins reckons it was harder to tell his sprint team-mates he was retiring than it was to make the actual decision as he confirmed an end to one of New Zealand cycling’s great careers.

The 30-year-old from Invercargill was part of the New Zealand men’s team sprint combination with Ethan Mitchell and Sam Webster, winning three world championship titles, an Olympic silver medal and two Commonwealth Games gold medals. He is the most successful New Zealand track cyclist at world championship level, claiming eight medals including three rainbow jerseys, along with seven medals over three Commonwealth Games.

Dawkins said the one-year delay for the next Olympics and no guarantee that even Tokyo 2021 would go ahead amidst the coronavirus pandemic meant he couldn’t find the necessary motivation to continue.

‘‘My body said ‘yeah’ but my heart wasn’t in it and I didn’t want to carry along this path if I wasn’t going to give everything to it because I feel like I’d be letting myself down but also Sam and Ethan,’’ Dawkins said.

‘‘I knew that I could get there physically but I didn’t know that I could put that emotion and spirit into it that I had been doing for the last 10 years. It was an easy decision in the end for me.’’

Not so easy was conveying that decision to Mitchell and Webster.

‘‘It was hard, it was very hard. It was probably harder than making this decision in it’s entirety because I’ve spent so much time with them. ‘‘We’ve basically grown up together.

‘‘I was 18 when I met them, I turn 31 this year. We’ve spent a long time living out of suitcases together all over the world but it has made us the closest of friends.’’

Dawkins rated the breakthrough 2014 world championship title at altitude

Eddie Dawkins, right, on long-time team-mates Ethan Mitchell and Sam Webster, left

in Cali, Colombia as his highlight.

Now he is keen to spend more time with his wife Alysha, working on their strength and conditioning fitness business that is gaining real momentum online. He would also like to develop his cycling coaching skills and didn’t totally rule out a crack at the Winter Olympics bobsleigh where he has other cycling friends transferring their skills.

‘‘Ever since Andy [Williams] started doing that he has been badgering me for years,’’ Dawkins said.

‘‘If the opportunity ever came up I’d love to give it a go. It seems like such a thrilling thing to do. I wouldn’t say no but I don’t think my wife is too happy about me doing something like that . . . so dangerous.’’

Dawkins admits he has the strength base and mindset to do it, though sees it as nothing more than a pipedream for now.

‘‘It’s very similar to sprinting, where it’s all or nothing and if you crash, you crash, it doesn’t matter.

‘‘It would be an awesome thing to do but for now I have other priorities. It would have to fit into our plan. It would be a pipedream.’’

Dawkins noted the irony of the coronavirus effectively finishing his career on the track but bringing some real momentum to his online training business because of the lockdown restrictions. His training manuals were proving popular for cyclists who now couldn’t use velodromes or gyms and had to train from home.

He has completed level 2 of the UCI coaching course under Cycling New Zealand guidance and once travel restrictions lift he hopes to go to Switzerland to do the level 3 course.

He sees that fitting into his business plans but also keeping him close to a sport he says he will never be far from. He feels he has plenty to offer.

‘‘I’d definitely try to transfer some of that knowledge over to the velodrome whether it’s in a professional capacity or just giving advice to people who ask.’’

We’ve basically grown up together. ‘‘I was 18 when I met them, I turn 31 this year.’’