Cycling: Weekend win could ignite career

Daniel Molyneux is chasing a podium finish in this weekend's NZ Club Nationals in Cambridge. Photo / John Borren

Tauranga cyclist Daniel Molyneux is hopeful the best season of his career will attract the interest of professional teams in Australia.

The 27-year-old, who is coached by former New Zealand Olympian Stephen Cox, is one of the favoured riders in Sunday's 150km road race at the NZ Club Nationals in Cambridge.

Molyneux will race for hosts Dynamo Cycling Club on a course he knows well.

"I am motivated to cap my already good season off with a win," Molyneux said. "I have come very close here before and it would be good to be on the podium or even win."

Molyneux rates his victory in the Hamilton Invitational event in November as the highlight of his career. "It was achieved against riders who had returned from racing professionally in the UK for the year while I had trained out during the winter while holding down an 8-5 office job. I outsprinted Shem Rodger, who had ridden the Tour of Britain."

Molyneux says competing in last year's Tour of Tasmania was the key factor in his outstanding season.

"It set me up pretty well because it gave me a bit of a jump-start. I got a lot of racing into my legs early at the start of the season and a block of racing behind me, which meant I came back with good form."

The former Otumoetai College student was into mountain biking at school so was a relatively late starter to road cycling, not taking it up until after he finished university in 2009-2010.

A fulltime pro career is every pro cyclist's dream and for Molyneux too.

But he is realistic about his chances despite his outstanding season to date.

"It would be nice to think so but because I was so late into the sport it is hard to progress in New Zealand without filtering through the junior system.

"But you never know and if you can get into an NRS Team in Australia and you keep progressing there is a very slim possibility."

Molyneux has a fulltime career as a quantity surveyor but despite this still manages 500km every week. So far this season he has averaged three days of racing a week since September, including four major tours.

A win in Cambridge on Sunday would be the perfect finish to a superb season on the road for the rider.