World champs unknowns excite Bond
During his rowing days, anything short of winning was considered a failure for Hamish Bond. He and Eric Murray were that good. Their winning streak extended to 69 races in the coxless pair, collecting two Olympic Games gold medals and six world titles in that boat alone.
But when it comes to cycling, Bond does not know the limit of his potential. Yet, that is what makes the challenge of switching sports so exciting, he says.
Bond will line up in the men’s time trial at the UCI World Road Championships in Bergen, Norway, tomorrow night with no idea of how he is going to fare.
‘‘I would be pulling something out of thin air. I have no bearing. I haven’t been in a field of this quality and I really have no idea how I’ll stack up, and that’s the exciting part about it,’’ said Bond, who touched down in Bergen last week.
‘‘In rowing we had to win, anything other than a win was a failure. But I can honestly say I’m not going into this race with that attitude. To me a failure would be not being able to execute a race that I felt near the limits of my capabilities and that’s what I’m looking to achieve.
‘‘Quite where that puts me in terms of results I have no idea. Hopefully it’s somewhere competitive with good riders. But I legitimately don’t know.’’
As the biggest names in the sport compete on the various stops of the WorldTour calendar, Bond has been cutting his teeth away from the spotlight, in the UK’s club time trial scene. Although the approach is unique for cycling, training for months at a time with no serious racing, it is a method familiar to him. Bond likened it to taking a ‘‘rowing approach’’ to cycling; peaking for just one event of the year.
But, as a time trial specialist, will that be an advantage? After all, the Tour de France featured just two time trials across 21 stages.
‘‘I would be surprised if anyone else has been on the time trial bike as much as I have. I ride almost exclusively on the time trial bike,’’ Bond said.
‘‘Maybe being able to compete at that high level and being in those Tour races is the best preparation for an international time trialist. I’m not sure. It’s something you’d have to ask the best guys; if they were going to be put out the best time trial possible would they train exclusively for that or would they go down the similar route they do now? There’s so many unknowns but I do hope it does give me an advantage.’’
Considering the 31km course finishes with a challenging 3.4km climb up Mount Floyen, Wednesday’s time trial should play into the hands of Tour de France and Vuelta a Espana winner Chris Froome and Giro d’Italia winner Tom Dumoulin. That climb was the reason George Bennett had initially put his hand up for the time trial, only to withdraw due to ongoing illness. But for a powerful rider like Bond, who weighs just under 80kg, it could present a challenge.
‘‘Logic would have it that the race is going to suit someone who can go fast on the flat and climb well,’’ he said. ’’Obviously Chris Froome is the favourite and that would be logical given his ability to time trial and climb uphill.
‘‘Being a bigger rider or a heavier rider, layman would say that it’s going to be difficult for me to match those guys up the climb, and possibly difficult to match them on the flat for all I know, but I’m looking forward to the challenge and I feel for my size I can climb quite well. But how that compares to the best climbers in the world I guess time will tell. It’s not unachievable, you just have to put out more power.’’