Cycling: Bevin a new name to watch on track

Endurance track cyclist Patrick Bevin at the Avantidrome. Photo / Christine Cornege

Patrick Bevin is the odd man out in New Zealand's track cycling squad for the Glasgow Commonwealth Games.

As the only newcomer, the only rider who didn't compete at either the London Olympics or this year's world championships, chances are Bevin won't be a relative unknown for long.

At 23, the Taupo endurance rider has fast-tracked himself into the elite group. How he's done it suggests an uncommon talent.

Bevin spent the past four years riding professionally on the road in the United States for the Bissell team.

"In my first year out of school I told my parents I was taking a gap year - and took four," he said.

He had dabbled on the track before heading to the US but he had a hankering to return to the boards.

A couple of accidents on the road were a catalyst for change. He was getting run down and knew he had to make a decision.

"It [returning to the track] was something I wanted to do and it was going to be very hard to balance it with a fulltime road team so I axed that in the end and put all my effort into this."

Even so, Bevin was cutting it fine. He had his first race on the track last November, won the madison with Tom Scully at January's world cup in Mexico, then the points race at the national champs last months.

"It's what I wanted to do and you put a circle around the goal and you've got to go for it. It's nice to be named a member of the team but that's only part of the process. You aspire to win medals at an event like the Commonwealth Games; it's just part of the progression."

No prizes for guessing where the progression is heading. Think Rio, 2016 and the Olympic Games.

Bevin has a keen appreciation of the difference between riding the road as a professional and competing on the track.

"It's a different animal being on the road with a pro team. Pretty much it's you get your pay cheque, get your air ticket, live where you want, don't turn up unfit, don't turn up fat. You learn pretty quickly how to look after yourself. Now you come into a situation on the track where everything is geared around performance. It's not something you take for granted."

Bevin is enjoying his riding. Right now there's plenty to like. He's cracked a crack team - one of seven endurance riders named on Thursday - loaded with top-quality international performers. This is a good time to be a gifted cyclist in New Zealand. The bar is being set high; standards are demanding.

"Paddy's a guy who likes good structure," Bike NZ high-performance boss Mark Elliott said. "He's always had the horsepower. He's shown if a goal is put there he delivers above and beyond."

Cycling is one sport where the competition in Glasgow will be strong. Britain was dominant on bike at the London Olympics, but will be split into their individual national components. Canada and Australia are no slouches.

"I think it's a really big deal for the track," Bevin said. "It's a great opportunity to race in that environment. For me personally to come in it's a huge buzz, my first major campaign. I think track cycling is in a really great place.

"To have a facility like this - and you get sick of hearing it - but it's very good," he said looking out on the flash Avantidrome just outside Cambridge.

So now there's another young rider with fierce ambitions.

The mountain bike team for Glasgow is expected to be named after the world cup event in Cairns next week, with road riders to be confirmed later.