After racing at the top level of the sport for four years with FDJ, Tim Gudsell was told last year that he would not have his contract renewed by the French team. Speaking to VeloNation this week, the New Zealander said initially the news was “really hard to hear”, especially after having bad luck through numerous crashes the last two years on the team.
“I hadn't done anything wrong or not done my job so that made it difficult. I just had so many injuries in such a short time that I never really got going through 2009 and ‘10,” Gudsell said.
“I had been there four years - you begin to feel comfortable after that long - but in the end it was really the best thing they let me go. I needed time for my body to recover physically and also mentally.”
After getting the news, Gudsell started shopping around for new teams and found a home with the New Zealand continental team Pure Black Racing.
“It was great timing that Pure Black Racing was coming onto the scene when I needed a new environment restart my career in,” he told VeloNation.
“They have given me the space to physically get back to a high level and at the same time used my experience and knowledge to help the team grow. With the support of New Zealand's largest bike brand Avanti, PBR is aiming for the Pro Tour and Tour de France by 2015. It is gradually taking steps towards this goal with the aim of turning Pro Continental in 2013.”
This year, the Kiwi could again experience something that he missed in his four years at FDJ – winning races. Pure Black Racing enjoyed a large North American racing program that saw Gudsell winning the Tour of Somerville and finishing second behind team-mate Scott Lyttle on the first stage of Tour de Beauce in Canada.
“It was awesome to feel the rush of winning again. The Pro Tour can really knock the tenacity and drive out of you if it's not going well, especially for a young rider. My mentor Leigh Bryan sat me down at the end of last year, and took things back to basics for me. In the end I needed to step away and start riding on my own terms again, dictating my own training and racing and finding that passion that drives you to win races.”
The 27 year old will be staying with Pure Black Racing next season but says he still has aspirations of returning to the World Tour circuit and believes he is capable of riding at that level again. For now his immediate goal is to keep growing with the small Kiwi team next year and hunt for more victories.