Solid Energy keeps the wheels turning for cyclist

Solid Energy keeps the wheels turning for world champion cyclist Hayden Godfrey

Solid Energy is proud to support New Zealand’s newest cycling world champion, Hokitika’s Hayden Godfrey, and wishes him well in his bid to be one of New Zealand’s team pursuit riders for this year’s Olympic Games.

Hayden returns to New Zealand today from the World Championships in Manchester, England, where he won the Omnium gold medal. The Omnium is a new multi-discipline event, a test of both sprinting and endurance over five events.

The Omnium is not an Olympic event, but the sport’s national body, BikeNZ, says Godfrey is one of eight riders vying for a spot in New Zealand’s four-man pursuit team for the games at Beijing in August. He was part of the team which won a bronze medal at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne and also represented the country at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. He is a former holder of the national 4km sprint and 1km time trial records.

BikeNZ says the quartet for Beijing will not be named until June or July when the final rankings are received from cycling’s world body, the UCI.

Solid Energy has supported Hayden since 2004 when he was building up to the Athens Olympic Games and had been named as Canterbury’s Summer Sportsman of the Year. Support from Solid Energy has enabled Hayden to purchase equipment to enhance his training and performances, including, most recently, a set of Mavic carbon wheels.

“As well as being a fierce competitor, Hayden is a great grass-roots ambassador for sport,” says Solid Energy Operating Officer Barry Bragg. “No matter how tough his training schedules have been, he makes sure he has time to visit schools on the West Coast.

“Teachers say that his talks are a great motivation to the children to get involved in sport and now that he’s a world champion, I expect that message will come across even more strongly. Solid Energy is very proud to help Hayden keep the wheels turning and wish him all the best in his bid to make the Kiwi Olympic team,” Barry Bragg says.