CYCLING

Double Olympic medallist moves focus to road cycling

By Cycling New Zealand


Westley Gough celebrates his bronze medal ride at the 2012 UCI World
Championships in Melbourne. Credit: CJ Farquharson.


Cyclist Westley Gough, a double Olympic medallist, has announced his retirement from track to focus on road racing.

The 27 year old, who has been part of New Zealand track cycling teams for a decade, has joined Australian based Budget Forklifts team, a UCI Oceania Continental team that competes in the National Racing Series across the Tasman.

“It’s been an honour to represent my country at the highest level. But I believe now is the right time for me to step aside and focus on some new goals, both on and off the bike,” Gough said.

Gough, from Waipukurau in Central Hawkes Bay, became a junior world champion in the team pursuit in 2005 and claimed two world championship silver medals in the team pursuit and individual pursuit the following year.

He was part of the team that won bronze medals in the team pursuit at the Beijing and London Olympics, and three team pursuit medals at the world championships. The highlight came with a bronze medal in the individual pursuit at the world championships in Melbourne in 2012. Gough beat overwhelming favourite Australian Rohan Dennis, a double world champion and the current world one hour record holder, on his home patch in the bronze medal ride.

Gough returned from a long term injury last year to form part of the Cycling New Zealand endurance squad, with a youthful combination, that included Gough’s teenager cousin Regan, winning the world championship title in the team pursuit in February.

“Wes has been a massive part of the New Zealand track programme since 2005. He has been involved in some of this country’s most successful international campaigns including winning the first junior world team pursuit title,” said Cycling New Zealand men’s endurance track coach, Tim Carswell.

“His individual pursuit ride against Rohan Dennis stands out as a real highlight for me. With 1km to go, Wes was 1.5 seconds down but stormed home to win with his last lap of that ride an incredible 15.3s.

“Wes will certainly be missed as we prepare for Rio but we also wish him the best as he now focuses on his road racing career.”

Gough had to do things the hard way in his early days in track cycling, with no indoor velodrome in the country at that stage, and no velodrome of any kind in Hawkes Bay.

“My Dad Rod and Ross Pepper would drive me to Feilding every Thursday to train with Jesse Sergent and his coach on the concrete track there.

“I certainly would not have been able to achieve what I have without the support of my family and many other people in Hawke’s Bay.”

In recent years there has been the construction of an indoor velodrome at Invercargill and now the Avantidrome in Cambridge, which has made a massive impact on the sport.

“With Cambridge now there’s a world class facility which is easily accessible. It’s amazing to see how far the sport has come in 10 years.”

Details: www.cyclingnewzealand.nz