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August 2, 2025 • 14 mins

Corbin Strong  won the overall title at the Tour de Wallonie after peloton caught five attackers just before the finish line.

He joined Piney to discuss the race.

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Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Weekend Sport podcast with Jason Vine
from Newstalk ZEDB.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
Cling this out Kiwi. Corbyn Strong has claimed the first
general classification victory of his pro career at the Tour
de Wolloni in Belgium last week.

Speaker 3 (00:25):
Here comes commn Strong on that though till us still leading,
Corvin Strong is going to do it again. He's coming back.
Then he's sacking overall last year and he's going to
win stage one. Corbyn Strong the KIWI reminding us why
he was sacking last year because he was so consistent
in these kind of finishes. He's going to win the
stage and he's going to take over the Orange leaders
Jersey at the ETS Tour the Woalony.

Speaker 2 (00:47):
So that's Corbyn Strong winning the first stage. He had
an incredibly consistent week. He was inside the top ten
in every stage and after winning that first stage, he
then surrendered the overall lead to British writer Oliver Knight
in stage two, got the lead back on stage four
and held off Czech Republic ride the Mattias Vatchek to

(01:08):
finish the last stage in second, which was enough to
secure him victory. As mentioned in the commentary there Corbyn
Strong was second in this event last year on countback
in pretty brutal fashion, so it would have been very
very nice, i'm sure for him to finally win this one.
He joins us now Corbyn Strong, Hey, congratulations Corbyn on

(01:28):
the win in Belgium. Let's start with that last stage.
What was it like having to sit on Mattias's wheel,
worrying about both catching the breakaway group but also the
bonus seconds at the end as you tried to hold
on for the general classification win.

Speaker 4 (01:43):
I was a really really stressful situation, actually, I was
quite nervous for that, sad only being one second the
head of that second. He's a really strong timer and
there's quite a hard there's a few quite hard climbs
in the stage, so I knew I just had to
hold onto his back wheel and in the end was
a really good situation for me. The team handled it

(02:03):
really well and time bonuses were getting taken up by
the breakaway and yeah, thankfully I had good legs as
well and could just follow him when he attacked and
then minister to beat him on the line.

Speaker 2 (02:15):
And what does this mean to you personally as well?
Having missed out so narrowly and so brutally at the
same event last year.

Speaker 4 (02:24):
Yeah, obviously. Yeah, missing out last year was pretty guarding,
especially because it was the first professional race that my
appearance had to watch as well. So on the finish line,
my dad thought I had won the GC and he
was pretty gutted when he found out that I hadn't.
So so I think they really enjoyed this year following

(02:44):
along and seeing me pull it off and the end.
So yeah, for me, Like when I turned pro, I
always wanted to ride one week GC races, but it
never really eventuated till this race last year. So to
come back and prove I can win a race on
GCS was really nice doing and.

Speaker 2 (03:03):
Just picking up on that. You've been viewed as a
sprinter for much of your career, helping out your teammates.
Is it a little bit unfamiliar for you to change
into a general classification writer or actually? Did this race
suit you quite well both this year and last year?

Speaker 4 (03:18):
Yeah, don't really see me well, obviously, Traditionally, like the
Grand Tours, like Tour de Fronts, you have we need
to sixty minute climbs and that's not really my cup
of tea. But at Tour Boloneia. It's more like two
to ten minute climbs, so I can I can do
really well over climes like this. Yes, the Park four
is really cited to me. But yeah, you're right as well.

(03:41):
It's not something I've been used to doing as writing GC.
I did it a few times when I was younger.
It races like Tourist Southland and New Zealand Cycle puss it.
But yeah, obviously it's a different cup of tea over here,
and the professional races with such strong teams and yah,
it's a really different style of racing.

Speaker 2 (04:01):
How difficult is it to manage going between the two
from a specialist sprinter to a GC it.

Speaker 4 (04:07):
Thankfully for me, I'm in a pretty good position with
the team. Yeah, they really value my me as a writer.
I guess out so I go to most races with
a lot of support. But normally, yeah, normally I'm going
to races just targeting the odd stage or it's a
one day race. Yeah, just going for the best results possible.

(04:30):
The jered to Tellier that I did earlier this year,
we went with a big GC goal with Derek g
and he he had a really good race. He finished
fourth on GC and was challenging for the win the
whole three weeks and I was there to challenge the
odds stage. But yeah, over all the team's goals GC
for Derek. So I also really enjoyed chipping in we're

(04:51):
open helping the team be successful.

Speaker 3 (04:53):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (04:54):
So what does a win like this do for your
cycling career and also for your confidence personally?

Speaker 4 (05:01):
Well, yeah, first of all, for the confidence it was
it was really nice. So this year didn't go with
the I hoped it took go. I'd say I've probably
been not quite performing to the standard I wanted to
be performing it. So after the year I had a
lot of rest and got to reset and went to
Live In for a training camp and then went straight
to this race. And yeah, so for the confidence to

(05:22):
turn up in such good shape and yeah get the
wind and I felt really good all week, So it's
it's really nice for the confidence and then also the
team as well. They'll really backed me in the next
race is obviously seeing how how my shape was and Maloney, Yeah,
when I go to the Arctrogress and Norway next that
I'll be full of confidence in me. And yeah, it's

(05:46):
always a really nice feeling when you know your teammates
really like confident in your shape as well.

Speaker 2 (05:52):
Very cool. We over here obviously see the Tour de
France and the Welters, the three week tours. We don't
see as many of these week long stage races. How
do they differ for you between one week in three weeks.

Speaker 4 (06:07):
Yeah, it's a massive difference. Yeah, I'd never want to
do more than one Grand Tour and one year.

Speaker 1 (06:12):
They are.

Speaker 4 (06:14):
Yeah, they are a really big vision. There's three weeks
in a row of yeah, going up high mountains and
everyone's in really top shape like this year. This year,
I got a bit sick before the Duris. I didn't
have the perfect running and then I crashed twice in
the first five days. So it's really hard to recover
from something like a crash when you're having to put

(06:36):
yourself through it for one hundred and fifty to two
hundred k's every day, like as much physio and ostio
you see, it's pretty hard to recover. Yeah, when you
have to sit on a bike for six hours and
push yourself to the limit. So we're in a one
week race, it's yeah, there's just I guess just a

(06:56):
it's shorter, there's more time to fix things and recover
between each race, and yeah, it's not as much of
a test of endurance as a Grand Tour. There's there's
nothing quite like it that of experience.

Speaker 2 (07:09):
You mentioned as zero to tell you there, and while
it didn't go exactly the way you wanted, you're still
finished second on the third stage behind Matt's Peterson, which
is nothing to scoff at. So were there some silver
linings for you to take out of the zero to
tell you?

Speaker 4 (07:24):
Yeah, exactly. The first week I felt I felt better
than I to be after my sickness running in and
then the rest of the duo, I think I suffered
from not having a perfect building. But yeah, then I
settled into more of a support role and really enjoyed helping.
Derek is a good mate, and yeah, performed really well
in the duo. Yeah, of course, it was a really

(07:44):
nice feeling to get second, and it also feels so
close to the win. It's a big it's a big
goal of mine to win a Grand Tour stage, and yeah,
there's never been in New Zealander to win a duo stage,
so it was quite inspiring to get second and motivating
to come back with that goal in the future.

Speaker 2 (08:01):
We probably don't understand really how much of a team
sports cycling is. Can you explain to us how much
of your mind set is about helping your teammates and
helping whoever has been pinpointed as the general classification candidate
and how much is it about doing well yourself?

Speaker 4 (08:18):
Yeah, well, the Duro was a big goal for the team.
In November, the team sat down and planned to go
to the Duro with Derek, and there was me, Derek
and then the six other guys there. We're told in
November there are going to the DURA to support Derek's GC.
So their next six months was all about preparing as

(08:38):
best possible so they could support Derek and facing the
desk on GPS, and even me being at the Duro
was a wee bit with Derek in mind as well.
If I was there, it takes a wee bit of
the pressure off Derek because everyone in the races are
there just for Derek and not every single day for

(08:59):
twenty one days in a row. Everyone's one hundred percent
focused on Derek. Is the odd stage that the team's
focused on me so a lot. Yeah, it's the team
sport and a lot a lot goes into it. And yeah,
especially if you write in GC.

Speaker 2 (09:13):
And then wallone when you won the first stage, is
that a bit of a shift of mindset for you
when suddenly you're the GC contender and the team's working
for me now?

Speaker 4 (09:24):
Yeah, Yeah, I think I've been in a really privileged
situation that since about seven eight months into my pro career. Yeah,
I've often been the right of the team's written for it.
But yeah, this week was especially special, I think because
I was second last year. Everyone knew before the week
started that they are coming to the tour will only

(09:45):
to race for me, So everyone was really committed and yeah,
it was just really cool to see everyone on the
same page since before the Stage one. And yeah, obviously
winning Stage ones for the boys with a lot of confidence,
and yeah, they're really motivated for the reds for the week.

Speaker 2 (09:59):
Looking ahead, the Welter Love Welter Espanya is coming up.
You did that last year. Is that on the cards
or given what you said before about only doing one
Grand Tour a year, will you be skipping this one?

Speaker 3 (10:13):
Yeah?

Speaker 4 (10:13):
Exactly. Yeah, I'm going to focus more on some Monday
race at the end of the season, there's a big
race called Grandfree Quebec and Canada, and that's a bit
of a home race for the team. A lot of
our sponsors are from Canada, and yeah, so it's a
raceless suited to me. I've been second them there in
the past, so that's a big target for me for

(10:36):
the rest of the season.

Speaker 2 (10:37):
A few Kiwi's obviously in and around the cycling circuit
on that side of the world. Sam Beuley, we spoke
to him a short time ago, actually, George Bennett, Lawrence Pithy,
who's just ridden in the Tour de France. Do you
do you keep up with those guys? Do you see
them around much?

Speaker 4 (10:53):
Absolutely? Most of us all live in Andorra as well,
so we see each other out training and everything. I've
got Tembell Stewart come staying at my apartment at the
moment in and Dora and Aaron Gates just down the roads.
Even a barbecue this weekend as well, So yeah, we
definitely all keep in touch. And then especially at you're
at the same race, you're yeah, you're always catching up

(11:15):
with the other ks.

Speaker 2 (11:15):
And Dora so middle of the Pyrenees, what's that like
living together with a bunch of kiwis all around you.

Speaker 4 (11:22):
Yeah, it's really cool. Actually, it's we're really lucky that
we'll move over to the other side of the world.
And it doesn't really feel that farm because he's surrounded
by so many, so many familiar faces outstanding.

Speaker 2 (11:35):
I just had a look at the UCI schedule, Corbyn.
The first race is the Tour down Under in January
and it goes all the way to late October. Look,
I know you don't write every race, but that is
an insane amount of competing a massive sheed'll over ten months.
How do you keep on top of all that writing.

Speaker 4 (11:53):
Yeah, it's been a bit of a balancing act. Yeah,
I think I've definitely got it wrong a few times,
and that's probably why I didn't have the Dura I wanted.
I started in January at tourdown and then didn't really
have a break until after the Duro. So I think
I got to the Duro I was already a bit
run down and thirty eight, So after the Dur I

(12:15):
had like a week or two off and Bologna was
my first race back after that. So I think it's
really important to refresh and have a bit of rest
and stay motivated throughout the season, so I think, yeah,
I think I need It's something I need to do
a bit more of in the future.

Speaker 2 (12:32):
All right, Just to finish, we've just had the Tour
de Frant's twenty twenty five edition. Finish, you've been in
that race yourself, of course, how keen are you to
get back to what is the most iconic race in
the world. Might we see you back there next year?
For example?

Speaker 4 (12:49):
It's up to the team and their goal of the race.

Speaker 3 (12:54):
I guess.

Speaker 4 (12:56):
For me personally, I think I'm I've been really close
winning at the Duo Detalia or the Volta Spania, and
so that's a big goal of mine. First is to
win one of them brandfor stage, and I think next
year it's a really realistic goal. So I want to
focus on that for next year and then hopefully I
can take that off then and then obviously the Tour
de France is the next goal.

Speaker 3 (13:17):
I think if I.

Speaker 4 (13:20):
Yeah, I've probably got about ten more years in the sport,
and that's probably my biggest goal is to win at
the Tour de France.

Speaker 2 (13:26):
All right, Well, we'll watch with interest. Corbyn, thanks indeed
for chatting to us, mate. Congratulations again on your GC
victory the first of your PO career at the Tour
de Walloni in Belgium last week. That's Corbyn strong, ten
more years. So good to hear that. There's plenty ahead
for Corbyn strong and targeting stage wins and those Grand

(13:46):
Tour events as well, and truly within his grasp, you
would imagine, as he heard say, there second and one
of the stages on the Zerau to Talia this year.
So yeah, things going well for Corbyn strong, I see
need Fisher Black was third overnight in the latest stage
of the Tour de France.

Speaker 1 (14:04):
Fame For more from Weekends Sport with Jason Fine, listen
live to News Talk set B weekends from midday, or
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