CYCLING: At 13 she's one to watch

Hamish Bidwell
Labelling emerging sports people as the next big thing can be a fairly odious pastime.
Everyone seems to be looking for the next Richard Hadlee, Ian Ferguson or Susan Devoy. In the case of Havelock North cyclist Ella Sadler-Andrews, the comparisons with Sarah Ulmer are inevitable, but definitely unfair says her father Paul.
Thirteen year-old Ella is fast gaining a reputation as one of the best young cyclists in the country, male or female, and has set her sights on becoming a professional rider.
Like Ulmer, Ella is a third-generation cyclist, following in the footsteps of her father and grandfather, who were both enthusiastic competitors in their native England.
In Paul Andrews' case that urge to ride still burns strong and father and daughter both head into today's final Ramblers club ride of the season looking to win their respective grades.
Paul is locked in a four-way battle for the D grade title with he and Gavin Bush level on points, three ahead of defending champion Lans Hasselman with Mal Warren still having a mathematical chance of beating all three of them.
In the E grade, Ella is neck and neck with Tim Waugh for that crown as she builds up for two very important races.
"She's got the Twin Peaks Tour on June 18 and then the North Island Secondary Schools in July," Andrews senior said.
"In her age-group the Auckland schools such as St Cuthberts and Diocesan have good cycling teams and Te Awamutu also have a very big club, so there are a number of other talented girls out there. I'd say there's probably a good 20 or 30 riders who are very competitive in Ella's age-group."
But that's still not enough to occupy her attentions full-time and Ella often has to ride in under-15 and under-17 races to get competition. The recent Te Awamutu Tour is a good example.
Ella won the under-15 girls' section, but because the race included boys, her effort was good enough to see her finish 12th overall.
That sort of achievement is starting to turn the odd head, including Ulmer's, who gave young Ella a few well received words of encouragement at a recent race in Auckland where Ella was again riding against boys.
Paul says that kind of recognition has done wonders for his daughter's confidence and helped strenthen her resolve to turn profesional one day. That's if she can tear herself away from texting her friends.
"She's mad keen on it," said Paul.
"I think she spends most of her spare time texting her mates and she can even manage it while she's riding her bike."