How long have you been cycling?
Started August 1995, 14 years.
What drew you to the sport?
A neighbour had been cycling for years, his accounts of early Taupo rides with a few hundred entrants sounded heroic.
What do you enjoy about cycling?
Good people, good fun, good for the waistline, great breathing fresh air compared to mainly office type employment.
What do you hate about cycling?
Cold temperatures, rain, wind and an odd accident. Wind week upon week, would be the main hate.
Do you have a favourite brand of clothing?
For cycling not the brand but the colour, tops that stand out to motorists, ie yellow or fluoro. Other occasions mainly wearing casual such as Country Road and showing my age, faded denim jeans around home.
What aspect of cycling do you like the best e.g. hill climbing, time trialling, touring?
Touring in the peloton suits fine, with age on your side you can hide in there for days and not be expected to do too much up front. Leave hill climbing and time trialling to the retired runners and jockeys.
What are your personal riding achievements?
Started at Taupo starting in 1996, completed 11 solos (once under 5 hours) and 2 relays, the relays were entered due to lack of fitness leading up to the event.
Do you ride throughout the year?
Recent winters have seen me revert to 1 or 2 rides a week, the rest of the year 3 – 5 rides a week varying in length, anything from 15 km to 150 km.
Favourite rides?
Mostly don’t mind where the rides go, preferably with a bunch of like ability and of friendly disposition where there’s plenty of talk and cheek, the kms pass without effort. Rides which bring fond memories due to natural features: summer rides up to Totara Reserve, the Apiti circuit, Beaconsfield Valley and down Makino Road, Wellington South Coast on a sunny calm morning.
Worst crash?
To set the scene about 10 years ago along Kairanga-Bunnythorpe Road near Gillespies Line Corner about 6.30am one spring morning in a bunch of 20 plus at approx 35 kph, 2 inside line riders near the front touched wheels, one losing balance took out an outside line rider and half the following bunch including myself could not avoid being involved. The PN Hospital treated 3 or 4, worst injuries included broken collar bone, severe face injuries and concussion, the rest were lucky with only minor grazing, bent wheels and dented pride. On a positive note all the cyclists with the worst injuries carried on cycling.
What is your day job?
Employed at Steelfort Engineering Co Ltd, manage the engineering contracting division which has 30 plus employees.
Favourite music?
Beatles, Celtic (Irish)
Tell me a little about your spouse or partner.
Jan is my wife who works as part time teller at BNZ and is passionate about music, organising and taking part in music groups at The Cathedral in Broadway.
Do you have any kids?
Five adult children, 4 males including twins and 1 female. The oldest male is married, another son and our daughter are recently engaged and we have 2 grand daughters that need our expert baby sitting.
Other sports and interests?
Follow sport where NZ participtes. As a loyal Marist Sports Club member always follow the local scene, occasionally attending club and Turbos rugby matches, always read club, Manawatu and CD cricket results. Relax at the coast, fishing, snorkelling, gathering shellfish and eating the bounty.
What’s on your to do list?
The plan is to return to France over June – July 2010 for a cycling/tourist type holiday adding in parts of Italy and Spain.
Finish this sentence. What the MMCC needs is …
To continue attracting people to cycling using excellent communications, ie newsletter and more recently the website plus our experienced cyclists must be patient and offer good advice to beginners as did our mentors when we began.