Two in a row for Roulston

BARRY HARCOURT/Southland Times/Image ID 113717

PROUD DAD: Brian Roulston congratulating son Hayden in Gala St, Invercargill, on Saturday after his second Tour of Southland victory.

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2008 Tour of Southland

Second stage win for Patrick Bevin Groom may be in yellow Last day tips the race Roulston farewells the south in third win Roulston makes it three in a row Defender Roulston snatches Tour lead Tour rider still chipper despite fractured vertebrae from crash Te Anau-Lumsden stage will be key to sorting out winner Leader keeps Roulston on leash McCauley retains hold on Tour lead

The name being engraved into the Tour of Southland winner's trophy was the same as last year – but according to the man himself it was a different person.

Hayden Roulston became just the fifth rider to win consecutive Southland tours in the race's 51 year history when he rode across the line with the bunch at the Gala St finish on Saturday.

As he did in 2006, the powerful South Cantabrian dominated the field physically and mentally.

The Trek Zookeepers rider won by 1min 28sec from Marc Ryan (Colour Plus) despite not winning a stingle stage, with Ryan's team-mate Logan Hutchings third.

Roulston might have been equally efficient in recording his second Southland title, but the former European pro and Olympian was anything but the flinty, and sometimes petulant, figure which the public saw last year.

"I'm actually a totally different person. I owe a lot of that to reiki, it's changed me, to be honest," Roulston told The Southland Times.

"I'm more relaxed, more patient – hey, I can still throw a wobbly, but I'm definitely a totally different type of guy and I owe it all to the Japanese healing technique reiki."

Reiki is a Japanese technique for stress reduction and relaxation that also promotes healing. It is administered by "laying on hands" and is based on the idea that an unseen "life force energy" flows through people and is what causes them to be alive. According to the theory, if one's "life force energy" is low, then they are more likely to get sick or feel stress, and if it is high, they are more capable of being happy and healthy.

"I've had my personal reiki lady July down here this week with the team," Roulston said. "Four of us have been having it pretty much every night, it's an amazing thing, it really is."

Roulston sought out the alternative therapy after he was discovered with a career-ending heart complaint last year.

After a temporary retirement he stormed back onto the national scene, winning the PowerNet-sponsored tour for the first time at the end of the year.

Now he's eyeing a return to Europe where he was once one of New Zealand's most promising riders overseas, signing with Lance Armstrong's Discovery Channel team.

You might quibble at the therapy, but there's no doubting the results.

Roulston has been anything but the surly character he was 12 months ago, when he grew increasingly irritated at the constant reference to his heart problem.

He may have even found a few reiki converts in his Trek Zookeepers team. "I brought her down here for me personally, but for all their use. They are using her and loving it. I think a couple of them will be converted."

Roulston's father Brian, who managed the Calder Stewart team during the tour, was rapt at his son's success.

"It's a great feeling. He's had his ups and down in the last 12 months and I'm glad he's come through it with flying colours. It's a great achievement for him," he said.

Roulston will be in action again this week during the Oceania track championships at the ILT Velodrome.

He is scheduled to ride the madison on Wedneday night and the points race on Friday.