Cycling: Mindset hardest road for Ulmer

Sarah Ulmer

A change in mindset rather than any technical change is going to be the toughest barrier for Sarah Ulmer to cross after her decision to swap the boards for tarseal.

Wanganui fireman Gary Anderson made the switch following his bronze medal at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics and said getting his head around the fact he was going to be on the bike for that much longer was often the hardest change to make.

"The road is a different mindset," he said. "The mental approach to something that will take half-an-hour to 40 minutes [estimated time for an individual time trial] to something that will take three-and-a-half to four-and-a-half minutes for track pursuit events."

Anderson competed successfully on the track from the 1986 Commonwealth Games through to the 2000 Sydney Olympics, but took to the road at the 1994 Commonwealth Games in Victoria.

There are technical adjustments Ulmer will have to make - she joked that she'd need to learn to turn right and ride up hills - but Anderson, who roomed with Ulmer's coach and partner Brendon Cameron when they were both on the circuit, said Ulmer definitely "has the goods".

The 2006 world championships in Austria might be her target but Ulmer could also line up at the worlds in Madrid this September. "In terms of the first time trial; if I qualify it's likely to be the world's this year," she said. "but there's no way I'm going to be in the shape to contest a world championship like I'd want to contest it.

"That's something we've got to decide ... whether to line up knowing I'm going to get a relative pasting and deal with that and take it as experience."

The "we" in that decision are Ulmer, Cameron, manager Roger Mortimer, Terry Gyde and Dave Syfield.

Ulmer admits the inspiration for the change came from Cameron. "Brendon's always been talking about it because of the little bit of synergy it does have with the pursuit. I'm ready for a new challenge, I'm not ready to go back to the pursuit."

Cameron said he would begin the approach to Ulmer's training along much the same lines as they approached the pursuit.

"The first three months will just be basic stuff in the gym and on the road.

"We may do a few trial and errors as well, get some schedules to do some trials. It might be 12 to 18 months to get something right."

The Melbourne Commonwealth Games could be another stepping stone, but Ulmer is not expecting to be competitive.

She will sit down with the New Zealand Olympic Committee and Bike NZ to get a clear guideline on what she needs to do to qualify before assessing whether it is a realistic target.

"I'm going to have a hell of a lot of work cut out for me to even qualify for the Games being so soon."


- HERALD ON SUNDAY