Kiwi cyclists have a wheelie bright future, says champ

NO-ONE knows better than Hayden Roulston what it took Aaron Gate to win Commonwealth Games cycling titles on the road and the track.

The 41-year-old is one of New Zealand cycling’s all-time greats, earning silver and bronze at the 2008 Olympic Games, podium finishes in Commonwealth Games road and track events, and a pro tour stint on the Discovery team alongside Lance Armstrong.

In an extensive interview on stuff.co.nz today, Roulston says that after a tough couple of years for New Zealand cycling, the Comm Games success has created ‘‘a real breeding ground for the future’’ and medals to young sprinters Ellesse Andrews and Rebecca Petch will

‘‘inspire a lot of young girls into the sport, as well’’.

As well as looking to the future, Roulston also revealed how he got into the sport and the lengths he went to to stay healthy during his star-studded career.

Although cycling was in his genes (‘‘Dad and my uncles were quite heavily involved’’), he preferred BMX to track cycling.

‘‘I was winning trophies, but my mate, Brad Hudson from Ashburton, was winning $3 a race on the bike track. At that time of my life, WWF wrestling was the big craze and I was a staunch card collector, and a pack of WWF cards cost $1. BMX trophies weren’t paying for cards, so I turned to track cycling.’’

Roulston ditched cycling in 2006 – at the peak of his career – because of a heart condition, but says alternative therapies ensured he got to Beijing in 2008.

‘‘In the end, I went down the natural healing path, practising reiki, a Japanese healing technique. I also did a lot of work on myself, a lot of childhood stuff, which I think helped heal what was going on with my heart. That experience was a real turning point in my life.

‘‘I remember High Performance Sport New Zealand paid for my reiki lady [Julie Reid] to go to the 2008 Olympics, which was pretty cool because reiki was a big part of the results I had there.’’ And as to whether he still rides?

‘‘I ride when the sun’s out, there’s no wind and the magpies aren’t swooping. Normally from December through to February! I do way more running now, it’s just better time-wise to do a 30-minute run than a two-hour bike ride. I’m enjoying the running; the old athlete’s still in me, I like to push it as fast as I can. That’s as fast as an 86kg body can go, we’re not talking Usain Bolt.’’