Despite the fact that it was cosy in the quiet dining room of the luxury hotel on the outskirts of Gent where HTC Highroad was holed up on the eve of the 2011 Het Nieuwsblad, Hayden Roulston was taking no chances on catching a cold before the race. The recently-crowned New Zealand road race champion wore a heavily padded ‘bubble’ jacket for the duration of his interview with VeloNation.
Roulston first shone as a junior rider in his homeland and trod the well-worn path to Europe to ride with the French Bressuire club.
Good results led the Ashburton native to a contract with Cofidis for 2002 and he rode for the French outfit for three years. That same year, he rode his first Commonwealth Games and there took bronze as a member of the New Zealand team pursuit squad.
The following year, he paired with Greg Henderson to take silver in the world Madison championship behind Swiss six day kingpins Bruno Risi and Franco Marvulli. But more significant that year was his first big Euro road success, a stage win in the always-tough Tour of Poland.
After his tenure at Cofidis he signed for Discovery Channel for season 2005, remaining in the US to ride for the Health Net team in 2006. Ironically a health scare interrupted his progression there and it was 2009 before he signed with the Cervélo Test Team.
During this period he added to his Commonwealth Games medal tally with silver in the 2006 points race behind Aussie Sean Finning. He demonstrated the versatility that is his hallmark by taking his first New Zealand Elite road race the title that same year.
This part of his career saw him dominate his native race scene with stage wins and overall victories in the Tours of the Vineyards, Wellington and the Southland. The latter has seen him lift the GC on four occasions, including 2010.
Back in Europe for the 2008 Olympics, he won the GP Etienne de Wilde before grabbing silver in the individual pursuit at Beijing behind Bradley Wiggins and bronze in the team pursuit behind Great Britain and Denmark. The Cervelo ride for 2009 saw him tackle his first Grand Tour and he finished the Tour de France in 79th place.
The 2010 season opened with fourth place in a brutal Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne, then a top ten in Paris-Roubaix. He also picked up a stage win in the Tour of Denmark, a share of the spoils in the HTC squad which won the nocturne TTT opener of the Vuelta, and Commonwealth Games road race silver medal behind Allan Davis of Australia.
Zipper fully pulled up, the 30 year old Girona resident sat down to answer our questions.
VeloNation: You are New Zealand Elite road race champion for the second time, so congratulations, Hayden. Isn’t it hard to hold form right through into January, coming off the back of a European road season?
Hayden Roulston: I held my best form as long as I could, it’s a long time from the end of the European season to the Nationals in January. But I had the Commonwealth Games in October and the Southland Tour in November along the way.
VN: The Nationals in New Zealand, the Tour Down Under, The Tour of Oman and now Belgium – hectic stuff for you…
HR: I had two-and-a-half weeks at home in New Zealand between the TDU and Oman, and there was no pressure on me at Oman to perform. I’m used to the long haul flight from Australasia to Europe – I must have done it 50 times.
What takes more getting used to is the temperature difference between Girona and here. Its 18 degrees down there and hovering around zero here in Flanders.
VN: How does the start of the season look for you?
HR: From now to Paris-Roubaix is pretty full on, with Milan – Sanremo in there along the way. Then I’ll be going to California for two weeks to prepare on my own for the Tour of California. The next big goal after that will be the Tour de France; there are nine to go from a list of 15 but I think I’ll have a role to play in the TTT and in looking after Cav during the first week.
Later in the year I hope to ride the Vuelta as preparation for the Worlds…but the first part of the season is always the busiest.
VN: Tell us about your time at Cofidis; what about the ‘easy life on French teams’ syndrome?
HR: I loved it and had a great time. The team had a strong Anglo feel to it, there was David Millar – who was the rising star – Stuey O’Grady, Nico Mattan, Chris Peers . . . I think that as far as French teams not producing the goods, times have changed; no one just turns up at training camp and goes out for runs anymore.
Everyone is into the scientific side, measuring power and strength – look at Europcar’s results this year; they’ve been riding the African races to prepare and getting strong results in the early season races.
VN: After riding there, you had your US time with Disco and Health Net…
HR: To ride with Lance at the top of his prowess was amazing. But it was at Health Net I was diagnosed as having a problem with my heart. That took me some months to sort out; I didn’t take the medications, adopted a holistic approach to the problem and got it completely sorted out.
In fact, when I joined Cervelo someone raised the issue and I was taken to see a heart specialist in San Francisco who gave me a complete ‘all clear.’
VN: Were you surprised when Cervelo folded?
HR: I was, but I often wondered how a bike company could afford to sponsor a team 100% like that. They were all good guys to ride for and with.
VN: How much freedom do you get at HTC?
HR: In Cav we have the world’s fastest sprinter, so it’s obvious in races that are liable to end in a sprint we’ll be riding 100% for him. But take this weekend…Het Nieuwsblad and Kuurne aren’t going to end in sprints (Hayden got it wrong with Kuurne, the finish of which was contested by 100 riders) and in those situations, riders like Matt Goss and I will take our opportunities. It’ll be the same at Flanders and Roubaix.
VN: You were fourth at Kuurne last year…
HR: I’ve ridden it four or five times and you get to know the parcours; it’s a very technical race and you have to get to know where the opposition are liable to make their move. Boonen, Devolder and Gilbert have all ‘been there, done that’ and know it inside out – so they’re the guys to watch. Hushovd, Farrar and Flecha are three other guys who you have to keep an eye on.
VN: How do you feel about the radio ban?
HR: The majority of the guys are in favour of them but there are a few guys who don’t want them; personally I don’t think it’s a tragedy if we don’t have them – there are bigger issues. But I don’t understand why they want to take them away…they’re obviously good for race safety, they enable the DS’s to pass information to the riders.
VN: Will we see you back on the track for the Olympic team pursuit in London?
HR: It’s in my mind, yeah. But I want to have good year on the road in 2011 first – I think I have the potential to have a good season.
VN: You’ve been a Worlds Madison medallist and have all that road endurance – have you ever thought about the six days?
HR: I’d like to, but the last thing that’s on your mind after a long road season is to put your leg over a track bike!
VN: As part of Cavendish’s train, how often do you practice lead outs?
HR: At HTC we’ve all bought in to the fact that Cav is the man when it comes to sprints. We did a few drills before the Tour Down Under but it’s hard to simulate what happens in an actual race. There are 150 or 200 guys around you in a bunch sprint, but it’s something that we talk about a lot.
If someone blatantly screws up then we’ll talk that out; but if everyone gives the best lead out they can then there’s no grief. Even if Cav doesn’t win, if he gave his best that’s all he can do.
VN: You’ve been a pro for a decade; what are the biggest changes you’ve seen?
HR: Everyone is on SRM’s or Powertaps now, with the majority of riders now basing their training on power. The equipment has moved on so much…electronic gears, for example, and there’s also the emphasis on aerodynamics for road bikes, not just time trial bikes.
VN: Finally, what are your own goals for 2011?
HR: I think I have the potential to stand on the podium in a Classic or to win a Tour stage. That’s what I’d like from this season.