Torckler heading back to Spanish springboard

BY GLENN MCLEAN

Wellington Classic winner Michael Torckler was back on his bike training this week, a couple of days after the biggest win of his career.

"I was a bit sore for a couple of days, but I've got rid of that pretty quick," he said, resting his bike against the garage wall at his parents' rural property near Okato after completing a couple of hours of "light training" around the sweeping hills of coastal Taranaki yesterday.

The Wellington Classic cycling win, easily the best of his career, he says, came as more than a pleasant surprise for the 22-year-old.

"I was not feeling very good at all on the first stage to be honest, although there were patches when I started to feel good."

Those patches steadily increased as the event went on and he started to believe he could finish on top of the podium after the second stage win.

From there he never relinquished the yellow jersey over the next two stages, finishing five seconds in front of Australian rider Lachlan Norris in the general classification, with another Australian, Jay Thompson, third.

The cancellation of the final stage, a 45km criterium in Wellington, because of bad weather left no-one believing Torckler did not deserve overall victory.

The win puts him in the company of top New Zealand riders who have won the event, Julian Dean in 1999 and Hayden Roulston in 2006 and 2007 – both who went on to ride in the Tour de France.

The win was the last event on his New Year agenda as he picks up his training over the next few weeks before heading back to his European base in Pamplona, Spain, in mid-March where he will again ride for the Azysa team.

The return home after his first six months in Spain has been enjoyable for the former New Plymouth Boys' High School student, who took up cycling several years ago after dabbling in triathlon and other multi-sports.

After a physically tough first season in Spain, Torckler gave himself time off to recover after arriving home.

"I didn't touch the bike for that whole month, even though I was itching to get on for the first week," he said.

"Once I got that out of the way it wasn't so bad. I just needed that time for the body to recover, it was pretty brutal, week in and week out for six months, it took its toll."

While he admitted he was trying to be "as lazy as possible", he still managed to fit in a few runs to keep the lungs fresh.

From there, it was some light training and into the Tour of Southland, which he used to bring his base fitness back up as he eyed the Wellington Classic as his main off-season target.

Even then, he relied mostly on his base fitness to get him through.

"December was a pretty quiet month for me. I did a bit of riding and had a couple of races in January but it wasn't huge, that's for sure."

The return to Spain will see Torckler team up with a couple of countrymen, Cambridge's Brad Carter and Havelock North's Josh Page, bringing a more international flavour to the 25-strong semi-professional Azysa team. His six-month contract will see him racing up to four days a week throughout the country, as well as several tours in France.

"We'll have a core group of the team of about 10 that will be consistently racing, while we only see the other guys some of the time."

Last season he was ranked below the team's leader who was always set up to win every race or tour the team was entered in.

While frustrated by his initial experience of the team's tactics, Torckler believes it will not be too long before he sits atop the team's rankings.

"I'm definitely pushing him and I'm a lot stronger than what I was last year. I've got a lot more experience and I know what I'm going into. That will make a big difference, they will know who I am and I see myself as the team leader."

Torckler finds his new home in Pamplona, made famous by the San Fermin running of the bulls festival, more than ideal.

"It's very nice, although I'd never seen anything like that [San Fermin] before, unbelievable. But the people are really nice, really friendly. They don't speak any English and they don't care, they don't try, so I have to learn Spanish, which is good."

He'll return to the team's house next month, where all his meals will be provided for him.

His time in Spain will, he hopes, be a springboard to a career in Europe where his long-term goals include riding in the Tour de France.

"There will come a time, a point, when you have to start winning races to reach that level. I guess if I don't start wrapping up a whole lot more results this year then there will be some questions about me and I'll have to re-evaluate what I'm doing."

Saying that, Torckler is convinced he will not reach his peak until he turns 27, when he believes he will be at his best for a four to five year period.

"I've got time on my side to some extent, but you have to be going in the right direction all the time."

Finding a place among the more powerful professional teams in Europe was still as difficult as it ever had been, he said.

Saying that, Torckler was confident he could acquit himself if given the chance to step up.

"You just have to get yourself noticed, that's the big thing."

While he considers himself adaptable to one-day, as well as tour events, Torckler believes his real strength lies in hill climbing.

The mental toughness required to be a dominant hill climber saw him adjust to life well in Spain, despite some initial bouts of home sickness and having to deal with the isolation of being almost the sole English-speaking person around his Pamplona base.

"It's going to be a lot different this year," he said. "I know the place, I know the roads, I know the people. It's going to be a lot more exciting, definitely."

Torckler says he still has not given up the goal of representing New Zealand at the Commonwealth Games later in the year in India, although he says Bike NZ's main focus continues to be on developing its track team, leaving road cyclists little opportunity for funding.

- © Fairfax NZ News