A raised hand as Commonwealth Games gold medallist Corbin Strong crossed the finish line of the 15km scratch race in London early yesterday was the signal for his parents Alan and Raewyn, at home in Invercargill, to start the celebrations.
Alan Strong said his initial reaction as the race finished was "quite subdued", as it was hard to tell which cyclist was which.
"When they got the lap up on the field and were coming into the finishing lap, it was very hard to distinguish between one Scotsman and another, and we weren’t 100% sure when he hit the line whether there was a Scotsman he needed to beat to get gold or whether it was somebody else.
"So it wasn’t until his hand was raised that we sort of got a bit excited then."
Strong launched a bold attack early in the race with Scotland’s John Archibold and Wales’ William Roberts, taking the rest of the field by surprise and lapping the main group of riders with 10 laps ahead of them.
Mr Strong said Corbin had called the day before and said he would have to attack the race differently with a bit more aggression than usual.
"So we sort of knew what the race plan was, and it was just whether or not it was going to stick."
Mrs Strong was simply relieved after having witnessed an earlier crash at the Games which launched a cyclist into the London crowd.
Once it was was over "then it was ‘holy, they’ve just won that!"’.
Speaking to their son, they had time for a quick "hello and well done" before he got in a night’s rest before the next race.
"He’s pretty much just on to the next thing. He rides for a world tour team so he’s got a couple of big tours coming up and yeah, it’s pretty much just move on. Just another day at work," Mrs Strong said.
A keen fellow cyclist, Mr Strong said it had been satisfying to see Corbin and his brother Hayden, who is also cycling at a high level abroad, perform so well.
"[I’m] just so, so proud that they are happy doing what they love to do," Mrs Strong said.
"And whether they get accolades from anywhere else, you just want the kids to be happy. He’s certainly doing that and making us very proud in the process."
"He’s just such a tenacious bloke, like there’s nothing holds him back. He went after anything that moved in that race to make sure that he didn’t miss out and he certainly didn’t in the end."
Retired Velodrome events manager Bruce Ross has overseen the progress of several Southland cyclists, including the Strong brothers, and said it was remarkable watching their development.
"It’s good to see how they’ve come through the ranks over the years, put in the hard work, and are now getting the ... the accolades they deserve for the performances."
- By Ben Tomsett
