Hamish Bond is a world
champion on the water, but he will test out his wheels on the
Tour of Southland next week.
Bond has swapped his rowing skiff for a road bike to contest the gruelling six-day cycling tour.
It is a new venture for the double world champion, who admits being a bit apprehensive about the prospects.
Bond (23) is a member of the Zookeepers-Cycle Surgery team for the event and is teamed with New Zealand representatives Sam Bewley and Westley Gough, and former New Zealand representatives Heath Blackgrove and Glen Chadwick, who are racing professionally in the United States.
"I'm not as prepared as I'd like to be," Bond admitted.
"I would have liked to have another month of training."
Bond has a strong work ethic and will be doing his bit to assist the team of stars to win the event.
The Rowing New Zealand elite squad has used cycling for its off-the-water training over the past four years and Bond is confident on the bike.
Bond had a month off training after winning the gold medal in the coxless pair with Eric Murray at the world championships in Poznan, Poland, two months ago.
He spent two weeks relaxing overseas before returning to New Zealand.
"We spend two months off the water after the world championships before resuming our rowing training in December," Bond said.
It is the time for cross-training and Bond cycles and does weight training.
This pattern was interrupted in the first two weeks of October because he was part of the New Zealand crew that was invited to compete in an invitation race on a winding river on the Gold Coast against an Australian crew.
"I have been cycling full time for the last three weeks," Bond said.
"When I heard that American Floyd Landis was competing I decided to put my name out there to see if I could get in a team."
A cyclist needs similar attributes to rowers and this is why Bond enjoys the sport.
"You need to develop the heart and lungs, have leg strength, and pump your yourself up to achieve high work rates," Bond said.
But there is one crucial difference and this could make it hard for Bond on the the tough hills on the Tour of Southland.
Bond weighs between 88kg and 89kg.
The elite road cyclists average around 70kg.
"I'm heaver than the other riders and will have to work harder on the hills," Bond said.
Bond is confident of his physical condition but is unsure how he will cope with six days of gruelling cycling.
"I've never done it before," he said.
"I'm not sure how my body will hold out.
I'm sure that my back and my joints will be very sore by the end."
Bond had an impressive record in cycle races last year, winning seven races in the 10-race series at Te Awamutu and finishing seventh in the 100km Round Taupo race and in a 160km back-roads race.
His rowing goal for next year is to retain his pairs title with Murray at the world championships at Lake Karapiro.
"We won this year at Munich. I would be disappointed if we didn't win again," Bond said.
"We have the facilities and the systems working for us at Lake Karapiro."
Bond said it would be easier training over the next 12 months because the facilities at Lake Karapiro had been upgraded in preparation for the world championships in New Zealand.
"We no longer train out of the old tin shed," Bond said.
The Tour of Southland starts with the teams time trial around Invercargill's Queens Park on Monday and finishes back at Invercargill on Saturday, November 7.
Tour of Southland
Zookeepers-Cycle Surgery team
Heath Blackgrove (professional cyclist in USA), Sam Bewley
(NZ rep), Westley Gough (NZ rep), Glen Chadwick (professional
cyclist in USA), Hamish Bond (world champion rower)