September 10, 2024 • 6 mins
New Zealand Sportsman of the Year Aaron Gate will finally get to ride at the highest level of pro cycling.
Gate has signed with the Astana Kazakhstan UCI World Tour road team, a move he never thought he would realise.
The 33-year-old has previously ridden for the lower tier Black Spoke and Burgos teams
He competed on the track at the Paris Olympics last month, but will store his track bike in the meantime.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
We're talking cycling now on the show, where New Zealand
sportsman of the Aaron Gate will finally get to ride
at the highest level of pro cycling. He signed with
the Astana Kazakhstan UCI World Tour Road team for next season.
He joins us on the show this morning. Aaron, good
morning and congratulations.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
Mate very much. Here it's going to be and.
Speaker 1 (00:21):
You won't be the only Kei Wei out there on
the tour, will.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
You no, I mean, yeah, it's pretty cool now to
just to see that the sheer number of kiwis at
the top level of the sport. Like when I first
got into it, I sort of looked up to the
likes of Julian Dean who raced in the professional ranks,
as well as Greg Henderson and Hayden Rolston, but you know,
(00:46):
there weren't that many kiwis doing it at the top level,
so to yeah, hopefully inspire a new generation too. And
it's great now that we've got better access to watching
the biggest bike races on TV too, So it's back
and back in Kiwi lend. So yeah, it's ime definitely
looking forward to.
Speaker 1 (01:03):
So Aaron took us through how the move came about
how did it all happen.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
Yeah, it's kind of funny the mechanics of all these things.
It's definitely a little bit of who you know. Like
I have raced a bit with with Mark Cavendish over
the years, and after the unfortunate demise of Black Spoke
last year, which sort of came quite late in the piece,
I had to sort of scramble to find an option
for next year, and Mark was one of the guys
(01:31):
I reached out to. He was writing for a starter
at the time and he wanted to help, but unfortunately
I was just too late and the team was full
for this current season. So I sort of, yeah, stayed
in touch with management there and yeah, just managed to
keep pressing them through the early part of this year.
I helped that. I had a great start of the
year with the national team at New Zealand Cycle Classic
(01:53):
and then with my current Burgos pH team, scoring some
valuable UC Eye points that a lot of teams are
for in the coming year because it's it's on a
rolling three year cycle and next year as the final
year of that rolling cycle. To determine what of the
top eighteen teams remain in the World Tour and who
potentially gets relegated down to the level below. So that
(02:16):
definitely helped. And then yeah, just kept plugging away and
sure enough they were happy to make me an offer
just before the Olympic game started, and yeah, I was.
I was keen to jump on that and have a
pathway into next year beyond the Olympics.
Speaker 1 (02:32):
Would have been great having somebody like Mark Cavendish on
your side, really, wouldn't it.
Speaker 2 (02:37):
Yeah. Yeah, he's a good dude and you can tell
that the sport means a lot to him, and he's
you can see that he's he's got a knife for
you know, people that contribute to it in a positive
way to the sport too, I think. So it was
sort of nice to have him in there and he's well,
I see there's reports otherwise at the moment, but he
has it'll be hanging the wheels up at the end
of this year and moving into management with the team,
(02:59):
so it'll be great to continue working with him and Aaron.
Speaker 1 (03:02):
What will your role be in the team? Has that
been discussed?
Speaker 2 (03:06):
Yeah, I've had some lengthy chats or lengthy chats already
with the performance manager of the team and he's been
he's been great and sort of they want me to
sort of slot them with the sprint train. So a
big part of yeah, pro cycling is the is the
big bunch sprints and the sprinters they need someone to
help set them up and put them a good position.
(03:27):
And I think the attributes you get from from the
track sort of the sustained high power efforts are quite
good for that, and a lot of track cyclists have
gone on to fill those sort of roles on the road,
so that's something that they want me to be a
part of and also sort of strengthening their classic squad
for some of the early season Belgian racing. And I
(03:48):
think too now with my recent success in China, with
a new Chinese sponsor coming on board and on for
the team, they'll be probably shipping me off to agent
for some of those important Asian races for the team too,
So it's definitely going to be a very diverse year.
And I'll hopefully be getting started and turn and under
in Australia, which will be the first time I've had
(04:08):
a chance to do.
Speaker 1 (04:09):
That, So that'll be your first one. What in a
Stan of Colors tour.
Speaker 2 (04:12):
Down Under yep, yep, that's the one you've had.
Speaker 1 (04:18):
You've had a stellar season, winning four stages and the
overall classification of the New Zealand Cycle Classic, New Zealand
National Road Race Champs, the Oceana Time Trial, overall classification
of the Transhamalan Cycle Race. The list goes on of
course at the Olympics as well. So what do you
put the cracking year down to?
Speaker 2 (04:38):
Oh, it's I mean, it's not something that happened overnight.
It's been years of dedication from my coach to Simon
for Now and making sure I stay on the straight
and narrow and train as hard as possible. You know,
it's easy. Well, something that I really stress with the
young guys is the importance of perialization and putting the
hard yards and in the preseason and making sure the work's
(04:58):
done before you actually start racing, so you can race
how you want to race, rather than trying to find
your legs as the season goes on, which was sort
of the old way. But cycling now has just got
faster and faster, and if you don't hit the ground
running at the start of the year, it's it can
be hard to really find your find your strap. So
I think it was setting the year up well with
(05:19):
the Zellan Cycle Classic and the success there. I mean
I can sort of keep the success flowing, so to speak.
And yeah, just some important breaks here and there and
year now I'm on a sort of into season holidays
so to speak, putting the feed up for a bit
before I get underway for doing the pre season training
next for next year.
Speaker 1 (05:39):
So that's the track the track bikes now put away
for a year or two.
Speaker 2 (05:44):
Yeah, yeah, I mean I'm going to do some some
races and the winter over here on the track bike,
just to keep the keep the leagu speed there because
it can be Yeah, you don't want to take for
granted what the track's done for the road leads too.
It's they sort of both feed off each other. So
it will be important to keep a bit of that
sort of stimulus that came from the track racing in
(06:04):
the body, especially especially as I get older. So yeah,
won't be hanging the wheels up in the professional sense
on the track bike for a bit. But yeah, can't
fully escape the velodrome.
Speaker 1 (06:15):
Too much fun and the mullet stays.
Speaker 2 (06:18):
I guess, oh yeah that's been going to bait. I
think it definitely needs to trum up. It's getting a
bit out of control now, but I still have to
get that one past the wifey. She thinks that has
to stay.
Speaker 1 (06:31):
Well and again, congratulations, I think it's exciting. Maybe we'll
look for you in the next Netflix series of the
Tour de France made good luck for the season.
Speaker 2 (06:40):
Thank you. Cheers mate,
We're talking cycling now on the show, where New Zealand
sportsman of the Aaron Gate will finally get to ride
at the highest level of pro cycling. He signed with
the Astana Kazakhstan UCI World Tour Road team for next season.
He joins us on the show this morning. Aaron, good
morning and congratulations.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
Mate very much. Here it's going to be and.
Speaker 1 (00:21):
You won't be the only Kei Wei out there on
the tour, will.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
You no, I mean, yeah, it's pretty cool now to
just to see that the sheer number of kiwis at
the top level of the sport. Like when I first
got into it, I sort of looked up to the
likes of Julian Dean who raced in the professional ranks,
as well as Greg Henderson and Hayden Rolston, but you know,
(00:46):
there weren't that many kiwis doing it at the top level,
so to yeah, hopefully inspire a new generation too. And
it's great now that we've got better access to watching
the biggest bike races on TV too, So it's back
and back in Kiwi lend. So yeah, it's ime definitely
looking forward to.
Speaker 1 (01:03):
So Aaron took us through how the move came about
how did it all happen.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
Yeah, it's kind of funny the mechanics of all these things.
It's definitely a little bit of who you know. Like
I have raced a bit with with Mark Cavendish over
the years, and after the unfortunate demise of Black Spoke
last year, which sort of came quite late in the piece,
I had to sort of scramble to find an option
for next year, and Mark was one of the guys
(01:31):
I reached out to. He was writing for a starter
at the time and he wanted to help, but unfortunately
I was just too late and the team was full
for this current season. So I sort of, yeah, stayed
in touch with management there and yeah, just managed to
keep pressing them through the early part of this year.
I helped that. I had a great start of the
year with the national team at New Zealand Cycle Classic
(01:53):
and then with my current Burgos pH team, scoring some
valuable UC Eye points that a lot of teams are
for in the coming year because it's it's on a
rolling three year cycle and next year as the final
year of that rolling cycle. To determine what of the
top eighteen teams remain in the World Tour and who
potentially gets relegated down to the level below. So that
(02:16):
definitely helped. And then yeah, just kept plugging away and
sure enough they were happy to make me an offer
just before the Olympic game started, and yeah, I was.
I was keen to jump on that and have a
pathway into next year beyond the Olympics.
Speaker 1 (02:32):
Would have been great having somebody like Mark Cavendish on
your side, really, wouldn't it.
Speaker 2 (02:37):
Yeah. Yeah, he's a good dude and you can tell
that the sport means a lot to him, and he's
you can see that he's he's got a knife for
you know, people that contribute to it in a positive
way to the sport too, I think. So it was
sort of nice to have him in there and he's well,
I see there's reports otherwise at the moment, but he
has it'll be hanging the wheels up at the end
of this year and moving into management with the team,
(02:59):
so it'll be great to continue working with him and Aaron.
Speaker 1 (03:02):
What will your role be in the team? Has that
been discussed?
Speaker 2 (03:06):
Yeah, I've had some lengthy chats or lengthy chats already
with the performance manager of the team and he's been
he's been great and sort of they want me to
sort of slot them with the sprint train. So a
big part of yeah, pro cycling is the is the
big bunch sprints and the sprinters they need someone to
help set them up and put them a good position.
(03:27):
And I think the attributes you get from from the
track sort of the sustained high power efforts are quite
good for that, and a lot of track cyclists have
gone on to fill those sort of roles on the road,
so that's something that they want me to be a
part of and also sort of strengthening their classic squad
for some of the early season Belgian racing. And I
(03:48):
think too now with my recent success in China, with
a new Chinese sponsor coming on board and on for
the team, they'll be probably shipping me off to agent
for some of those important Asian races for the team too,
So it's definitely going to be a very diverse year.
And I'll hopefully be getting started and turn and under
in Australia, which will be the first time I've had
(04:08):
a chance to do.
Speaker 1 (04:09):
That, So that'll be your first one. What in a
Stan of Colors tour.
Speaker 2 (04:12):
Down Under yep, yep, that's the one you've had.
Speaker 1 (04:18):
You've had a stellar season, winning four stages and the
overall classification of the New Zealand Cycle Classic, New Zealand
National Road Race Champs, the Oceana Time Trial, overall classification
of the Transhamalan Cycle Race. The list goes on of
course at the Olympics as well. So what do you
put the cracking year down to?
Speaker 2 (04:38):
Oh, it's I mean, it's not something that happened overnight.
It's been years of dedication from my coach to Simon
for Now and making sure I stay on the straight
and narrow and train as hard as possible. You know,
it's easy. Well, something that I really stress with the
young guys is the importance of perialization and putting the
hard yards and in the preseason and making sure the work's
(04:58):
done before you actually start racing, so you can race
how you want to race, rather than trying to find
your legs as the season goes on, which was sort
of the old way. But cycling now has just got
faster and faster, and if you don't hit the ground
running at the start of the year, it's it can
be hard to really find your find your strap. So
I think it was setting the year up well with
(05:19):
the Zellan Cycle Classic and the success there. I mean
I can sort of keep the success flowing, so to speak.
And yeah, just some important breaks here and there and
year now I'm on a sort of into season holidays
so to speak, putting the feed up for a bit
before I get underway for doing the pre season training
next for next year.
Speaker 1 (05:39):
So that's the track the track bikes now put away
for a year or two.
Speaker 2 (05:44):
Yeah, yeah, I mean I'm going to do some some
races and the winter over here on the track bike,
just to keep the keep the leagu speed there because
it can be Yeah, you don't want to take for
granted what the track's done for the road leads too.
It's they sort of both feed off each other. So
it will be important to keep a bit of that
sort of stimulus that came from the track racing in
(06:04):
the body, especially especially as I get older. So yeah,
won't be hanging the wheels up in the professional sense
on the track bike for a bit. But yeah, can't
fully escape the velodrome.
Speaker 1 (06:15):
Too much fun and the mullet stays.
Speaker 2 (06:18):
I guess, oh yeah that's been going to bait. I
think it definitely needs to trum up. It's getting a
bit out of control now, but I still have to
get that one past the wifey. She thinks that has
to stay.
Speaker 1 (06:31):
Well and again, congratulations, I think it's exciting. Maybe we'll
look for you in the next Netflix series of the
Tour de France made good luck for the season.
Speaker 2 (06:40):
Thank you. Cheers mate,
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