Karl Menzies (Australia - UniSA) (Image credit: Mark Gunter)
Tassie rider Karl Menzies came to America four years ago while racing with an ad-hoc Aussie team at Superweek, with the team selling all its equipment after the series before heading back to Australia. The Tasmanian's results there put him back in the United States in 2005 with a small up-start team in the American Midwest and his results that year kept him there - racing the past two seasons with the top NRC team Health Net-Maxxis. This year was a roller coaster year for Menzies, from an early stage win at the Tour Down Under, a slow American early season, his father diagnosed with cancer, winning the Tour de 'Toona overall, father passing away and being part of an unprecedented fourth NRC team win. Menzies recapped the season with Cyclingnews' Mark Zalewski:
Entering the 2007, the future looked bright for Health Net-Maxxis' Karl Menzies. The Australian from Tasmania had a good first season on the top NRC team, a restful and productive off-season in the Down Under summer and got off to a winning start, taking out the first stage and the leader's jersey of the Tour Down Under.
Returning to the States for the start of his trade team's campaign, Menzies was hoping to continue top results at the biggest race of the year - the Tour of California. But the two weeks between training camp and the race were spent at his U.S. home in Boulder, Colorado - under cloudy, snowy conditions. Needless to say, the legs did not come around for him. However, two months later in California, he and the team found early season success at the Redlands Classic, where team-mate and fellow Aussie Rory Sutherland took top honours.
