Cyclist gearing up for ’88 Olympics

Press, 17 June 1988, Page 20

Cyclist gearing up for ’88 Olympics

By

MALCOLM CONDIE

Canterbury’s Olympic road cyclist, Brian Fowler, left New Zealand this week for his threemonth build-up for the Seoul Olympics. Fowler will be in Canada by now and will be meeting up with his teammate, Gavin Stevens, who has just completed Britain’s Milk Race. Both riders have been sponsored by Bike Energy, a cycling shop in Toronto, owned by Howard Chang. Mr Chang has given both riders free accommodation, cycles and cycling equipment while they are training in Toronto and riding for his team. Fowler will be racing as often as possible in Canada and his training will be based around his two Olympic events — the 100 km team’s time trial and the road race, which is over 189 km.

Paul Leitch and Greg Fraine, the other two members of the 100 km team, will not be training with Fowler and Stevens until the entire team is about to leave for Seoul. Fowler will be based in a university about 100 km from Toronto and not far from the Niagara Falls. It is hoped he will ride the Niagara Classic bike race which is a stage race over 12 days.

The New Zealand team has an entry in for the Coors Classic but,Fowler thinks the team may not be able to ride.

As far as training goes, Fowler thinks he is on the right lines. “I’ve been doing mainly miles here

but it’s getting too cold. Over in Toronto we will spend three weeks doing mileage then concentrate more on specialised training.” This special training will include time trial and sprint work. As the New Zealand pair will be training full time in Canada the schedule has been well worked out. Because they are staying on a university campus and their stay will be during a university holiday the cyclists will have all the university facilities at their disposal. Several hours training in the morning, a swim in the campus pool, weights in the afternoon and training in the evening will be a standard day for the pair. Fowler has taken only his road bike with him to Toronto. All members of

the New Zealand time trial team are having brand new bikes built for them. Although they were supposed to be complete by now there has been some hold up in the manufacturing. The team coach, Max Ruedi, will have the bikes with him when he meets up with the team. They are of the latest design and cost about $5OOO each to build. As well, carbon disc wheels have to be fitted, bringing the cost up to over $BOOO. Fowler claims the new bikes are not really needed but will look smart with the whole team on the same style of machine.

Looking ahead to the Olympics in Seoul, Fowler is casual about competing with the top echelon of riders from throughout the world.

Some riders, he says, get so up tight about big races they can hardly talk about riding two days beforehand.

“You’ve got to say, ‘it’s just another race.’ You can’t get nervous about it. You know it’s going to hurt but you just get out there and ride.” Fowler is unsure who his main competition will be in Seoul because many countries have still to pick their cycling teams. New Zealand’s was named early because of the time the road season started in relation to the tirri& the team had to be an-

nounced. It is likely ' that Paul Curran, of England, will be racing in the road race. Curran beat Fowler to the gold medal in the road race at the 1986 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh. While Fowler’s best chance for a medal will probably come in the road race — and his form of late has proved to be on a par with the best in the world — one cannot discount the 100 km time trial team. “I think we’ll be lucky to get in the first six” (in the 100 km), Fowler says, but added that if everybody in the team has a good ride New Zealand may do better. "There’s always someone who has an off day,” Fowler said. Often the reason for such “off days” is ill health or reasons beyond the rider’s control. In a newsletter Fowler received from the Olympic committee, he was warned to avoid drinking the water in Korea. The team has done everything it can to ensure riders are not affected by any illnesses new to them in Seoul.

It has been suggested that the riders take their own water supply into Korea.

In any case Fowler’s own doctor, Dr Richard Edmond, whose medical practice is at Hoon Hay, will be travelling with the team.