Hayden Roulston caught the eye of Discovery Channel (Image credit: Christine Grein)
A big base for a big 2006
Hayden Roulston is one of two New Zealanders plying their trade on Pro Tour teams, the Discovery Channel rider having switched from Cofidis in late 2004. This year Roulston suffered injury setbacks that hampered his efforts to shine in the spring classics, and recently suffering a little embarrassment while at home in the South Island of New Zealand. He's primed for 2006, however, and spoke with Cyclingnews' Les Clarke about his plans for next year.
It's mid-afternoon when we reach Roulston at his home in Timaru, New Zealand, and he's just been to watch his uncle's racehorse run in a local race. She didn't get up for the win, but in a land known for its 'stayers' [horses that run well over long distances] there was surely plenty of competition. Roulston follows the tradition of New Zealand producing stayers - the big classics rider comes from an endurance track background and prefers long races so he can gallop all day, looking to outlast other riders over 200 kilometres or more.
With several strong performances during his time at French squad Cofidis, Roulston moved to Discovery Channel for the 2005 season, because, as he says, "When you look at the riders they've got, the results they've had, they really are the number one team in the world." He had established good relations with some of the team's staff, and they followed his progress. When he enjoyed some strong results as a first and second year pro Discovery decided to give him a shot, which suited him perfectly. "I went to Discovery because I felt it was a better setup, easier in terms of the language and the way things are run - I'm really happy that I made the move," said Roulston.
