A day after it was confirmed that his PureBlack Racing team had been forced to abandon its international plans and faced a very uncertain future, Tim Gudsell has said it would be too difficult to take a year out of the sport.
Recently married, the 27 year old was preparing for his second season with the team when he learned that financial difficulties had scuppered the team’s plans. The former FDJ rider is now hoping to be picked up by another team.
“Obviously it is disappointing to get this news this late in the season, or really this early in the 2012 season, you would say,” he told VeloNation. “It leaves myself and my team mates in a tough position. Cycling is my livelihood, and has been for quite a few years now so I am looking for new job anywhere.
“My goal is to get a team that still has an international program to give myself the opportunity to continue my career. Having a year out isn't really an option, it would just be too hard to come back from that.” Back in October Gudsell spoke about his year with the PureBlack team, saying then that he felt he had settled in and was on the way back to strong form after a tough time with FDJ. He won the Tour of Somerville and finished second behind team-mate Scott Lyttle on the first stage of Tour de Beauce in Canada, and was looking forward to a big 2012.
“It was awesome to feel the rush of winning again,” he said then, talking about the confidence boost he got. “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.”
He had planned at least one more season with the PureBlack Racing team, but made it clear that getting back to the WorldTour was his big goal. That didn’t necessarily mean leaving the Kiwi outfit, though, as it had laid out plans to progress to ProContinental level and then achieve ProTeam status by 2015. Riding the Tour de France was part of its five year plan.
Those ambitions are clearly now very disrupted by what has happened and, unless a new backer steps in, the team looks likely to disappear. The riders are all searching for places elsewhere, knowing that it will be extremely difficult to turn things around in time for 2012.
Gudsell is clear that tough economic conditions in New Zealand and elsewhere are to blame, and doesn’t fault the existing backers. “John Struthers and Avanti gave the program the ability to launch this year and have been amazing, but like any business they can't let sponsorship put them in the red either,” he said.
As expected, he and the other riders are left feeling powerless; all they can do is to look around while also continuing to train, ensuring they are in the right shape if and when they are picked up.
“My preparation for 2012 has started,” he said. “I raced right though until the Tour of Southland then instead of doing the standard and just stopping immediately, I had a recovery week slowing winding down so I could hang up the bike feeling fresh, and continuing my physio/massage. Then after saying "I do" had a very relaxing honeymoon in Fiji.
“On my return I had a program waiting for me from my mentor Leigh 'Rok' Brian from Monaco. He has been great, and I have started back in the gym and putting in some good miles on the bike. Uncertainty is always tough to deal with, but it seems to be part of this sport, so you learn to deal with it.”