It has been a rocky start for the world champion New Zealand four, but the disappointing performances at two World Cup events in Europe could pay dividends at Beijing.
They were wake-up calls and emphasised to the crew that a podium finish at the Olympics will not come easily.
The crew spent a month in Europe and finished sixth in Switzerland and fifth in Poland.
"We were disappointed with the results," Bond told the Otago Daily Times from Sydney. "Last year we struggled to lose a race, and we went over there with similar aspirations."
These performances have led to changes and forced the crew to look closely at what went wrong.
"We know we were fitter and stronger than last year," Bond said.
"But we just scraped into the final in both regattas.
"The races were fast and competitive, and we weren't. We made tough work of it. We were putting in the effort but not getting the reward with our boat speed."
The crew made minor but significant changes on the boat to make it move faster and more smoothly in the water.
"I think we have solved the problems and are now back on the right track. It was disappointing because we knew we could do better," Bond said.
The small things that went wrong added up to 1sec every 500m, which proved costly.
"In Poland we had a slow first 500m and weren't sure how this happened," Bond said.
"If we had got to the 500m with the other crews we would have won. We did the slowest time over the first 500m but were fastest over the next 1500m."
The crew changed a few things on the boat and worked on technique.
"It is now coming together,"Bond said. "We always knew that physically we were in good shape but we couldn't quite get it together on the water."
After the World Cup races in Europe the crew trained in Sydney for six weeks before flying out to Beijing today.
Why did they choose Sydney instead of coming back to New Zealand.?"There is good water here," Bond said.
"We are training on the 2000 Olympic Games course and the nearby river. It's been slightly warmer here than back in New Zealand.
"It is also one time zone closer to China. We wanted to stay on tour mode and remain focused rather than return to New Zealand."
The crew will stay in the Olympic Village for a week before moving to a hotel closer to the Olympic rowing course.
"It will reduce the travelling time and make it easier for us," Bond said. "If we stayed in the village we could have been travelling in the car for three or four hours a day."
What are the hopes for Beijing?"
Our goal is to make the final," Bond said. "Once we are there anything can happen. If you're not in the final you're not in contention for the medals."
Bond knows the semifinals will be the big test. Thirteen crews have qualified for the Olympics and six will make the final. Ten of those crews will be expecting to make the A final.
"There will be some disappointed crews after the semifinals. We have to make sure we are not one of them."
Bond does not expect to change the approach used successfully at last year's world championships.
"No. We will adopt the same approach and try and win every race," Bond said. "We will have a similar race plan and just try to fine-tune things."
Are you feeling nervous about the Olympics?
"Not at the moment," he said. "We are in a bubble here in Sydney. We don't have much contact outside ourselves."
"It will probably dawn on us when we get to the village with the rest of the New Zealand team.
"I will try and stay away from the hype until after my race and just focus on my racing. We race the first week and have the second week to enjoy the experience."
Bond's former coach and mentor Fred Strachan has won a trip to the Olympic Games on a nomination from Bond.
Chris Nilsson is the New Zealand coach.
• Bond file
Name: Hamish Bond.
Age: 22.
Education: OBHS, University of Otago, Massey University.
Event: Men's coxless four.
Race schedule: August 9, heats (9.30pm); August 11, repechage (9.50pm); August 13, semifinals (8.50pm); August 16, finals (9.30pm).
Other team members: Carl Meyer, James Dallinger, Eric Murray.
Record: World champions, Munich, 2007.
Main opposition: Great Britain, US, Netherlands.
Coach: Chris Nilsson.
>>Tomorrow's profile: Oly-Whites goalkeeper Liam Little.
