Image: Gary with another podium finish
Most of our regular readers, customers and patients will know that I've set the goal of winning the UCI Mountain Bike Masters World Championships. Now with the generous sponsorship of some very good sorts: the Goodmans Company!
Image: Gary, with Alofa, sporting his new Goodmans race kit
I've been running, paddling and riding for many years. It has only been the last 10 or so years that things have started going very, very well for me. I've moved from the middle to back of the pack to now being pretty close to the front as a cyclist. I'm really enjoying the challenge of unravelling the internal metabolic process that lead to the norm which is accelerated ageing. What can we do to slow the inevitable losses in function that we associate with ageing?
Image: Gary in a bike race, 1979 Aotea Lagoon, Wellington
I reckon I have cracked a whole lot of these and, what better way to showcase this than in a brutal and demanding sport such as mountain bike racing!
I have been planning and training for the age group world championships for the best part of four years and things are on track. I'm now into my 4th year since turning 60 and undefeated in New Zealand and Australia in age group racing. In fact, I hold the over 60 age group records for every race thus far entered.
As I said, everything has been proceeding marvelously - apart from one thing: the world champs were supposed to be in Cairns, Australia this year, so we went there last year and I rode round and round the course for an entire week, such that I knew every root and rock on the course. Then that turned to custard; the race was shifted to Andorra in far-off Europe - and at high altitude! Which means horrific costs, including having to be at altitude for at least 3-4 weeks to acclimatise!
I was deeply disappointed and decided to give Andorra a miss. That was until I was talking to Rachel Goodman, the wife of one of the Goodmans Directors, Lance. She told me I had to go and urged that I approach Goodmans company for sponsorship. I fiercely value my independence and impartiality and have always rejected any kind of sponsorship, preferring to pay our way and to feel free to say what I truly feel on any issues, services or products.
Our association with the Goodman family goes back a long way, the Goodman family has an impressive sporting pedigree, and their company is just damn good! I realised there is no conflict of interest between me and them. There is nothing I would say or do with relation to Goodmans that would have me feeling uncomfortable. So, I approached Marianne Archer, their Director in charge of sponsorship, and the rest is now history:
Goodmans are now the official sponsor for our World Championships campaign!
Here is a short video about Goodmans: