From boat to bike - Bond’s post-Olympic ride

Perhaps we should have seen it coming. With 69 consecutive wins (plus two in the men’s coxed pair), two World Best Times and two Olympic golds, where else could this formidable force go? Certainly with the launch of their book ‘The Kiwi Pair’ just two weeks after the Olympic Games, Bond’s participation in the cycling race, Tour of Southland, and Murray’s foray to Tahiti, we may have guessed that change was in the pipeline.

Confirmation of our suspicions followed on the back of Croatia’s Martin and Valent Sinkovic announcing their switch from the Olympic Champion men’s double sculls to the men’s pair. So we may not see a face-off between the Sinkovic’s and the Kiwi Pair in 2017, but both Bond and Murray have confirmed this is not the end.

While Murray cited knee surgery and the consequent recovery as his reason for some time out, Bond has more lofty goals. “I plan on being in Tokyo and more than probably in a rowing boat … I certainly don’t feel as though I’ve worn out either my body or my will-power yet,” he says. But in the meantime, Bond has decided to give cycling a real chance.

“I’ve always been intrigued to see what would happen if I gave it some time,” says Bond about cycling. “Whenever I’ve cycled in the past, I’ve always had a rowing goal that has been on the horizon. I haven’t been able to go, ‘right, I am a more or less a cyclist’ and train as such.”

Bond has now started the process. Admitting that he had already been thinking about it months before the Olympic Games, he completed his first rides while touring Rio for the two weeks post Games. Despite people around him calling him “nuts”, he says he finds a change to be as good as a holiday. “I think physically, once you have a few days of rest, you’re fine. It’s not as though we walked to the South Pole or something, we just raced six minutes,” Bond laughs.

Taking advantage of the rowing training, Bond says he’s starting “halfway up the cycling hill” rather than starting at zero. It certainly worked. In early November, after losing 10 kilograms, he participated in the Tour of Southland. The Tour of Southland is regarded as the most prestigious stage race in New Zealand cycling, as well as the hardest. Bond, as team manager, found sponsors, organised riders, transport, food, bikes and more. The team out-performed their expectations with two members (Bond and professional cyclist Michael Torckler) finishing in the top ten.

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“The highlight was the Coronet Peak climb. Mike and I were the fastest two up there, so that was pretty satisfying to ride away from some former pro tour riders and other New Zealand riders and have them not being able to keep up with an 80 kilo rower,” he says.

Watch the stage here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0RewZn4GZhA&feature=youtu.be&t=636 (Climb at 15:18, interview with Bond at 10:35)

It may be no surprise that Bond would have no trouble finding success on a bike. But in his very rational way, he is not leaping to any conclusions. He plans to take a step-by-step approach to cycling in the same way he did with rowing for more than 15 years. Bond describes his transition. 

The biggest differences with rowing…
“In cycling you’re looking to conserve energy or use your energy very wisely. Whereas in rowing, more or less 100 per cent of the time, you are looking to work hard. You are not trying to hide, that is not going to get you very far in rowing.

“The similarities physically, sets you up pretty well – especially the cardiovascular nature of it. I’ve been training on the senior team for 11 years now, so that is a lot of aerobic capacity and training that I’ve developed over time and that is directly transferrable.”

Is cycling or rowing is harder?
“Well I am just going to piss off one or the other. I guess in cycling the burn is just isolated to your legs, and maybe your heart and lungs as well. But certainly rowing can be a whole-body pain experience, or discomfort. The only difference is that you can have a more whole-body suffering experience with rowing.”

If this is the end of his rowing career…
“I am definitely not drawing a line. I plan on being in Tokyo and more than probably in a rowing boat. I would be getting well ahead of myself if I had plans of being there on a bike. At the moment cycling is a more exciting prospect for me and more motivating. That is why I am going down this route presently. But how far it goes, I just don’t know. I might fall on my face really shortly and realise that perhaps I should back in a boat.”

On finding purpose in life…
“The people who know me well, know that if I am going to do something, I am going to do it well. I’ve invested more or less my whole focus in rowing for 15 years. I have put everything else second, literally everything. I’ve been very lucky to have supportive family and a supportive wife that understands that sort of singular focus. I’m certainly very thankful for everything I’ve been able to achieve in the sport and also received, not only the results, but in lifestyle and a sense of purpose. I think that is what people are after in life, a sense of purpose. For the last 15 years my purpose has been sitting down and going backwards on water. World peace may have been a better purpose, or something like that, but I didn’t fall into that.”

On the Sinkovics moving into the pair …
“The Sinkovics are great rowers and athletes who we respect immensely and we wish them all the best for their new challenge. I have no doubt it would be a good battle if we were to line up against one another. But irrespective of that prospect, we need to make sure we are motivated and excited enough to put in the work required to first meet our own performance standards.” 

Advice for young rowers …
“It is quite easy in hindsight to identify the pivotal moments and crossroads that you came to in your sporting career, but, at the time it is not so easy to understand. All you can do in the moment is make the most of every opportunity you are given.

People say, ‘what is your secret to success?’ There is no secret. It is all those little choices along the way that add up over time. You are just the product of all those little decisions, whether they be good or bad.”

You can follow Hamish:
Strava: https://www.strava.com/athletes/4065286
Instagram: @Hamish_Bond