Rachel Mercer: On the road to 2012
Wellington Cyclist Rachel Mercer has her goals firmly on target. Since 2002 she has been aiming for the 2012 Olympic Games, and she’s taking all the right steps to get there.
Back in 2002 when Rachel was a thirteen year old swimmer with plenty of national medals and titles to her name, she came to the attention of the NZ Academy of Sport. By the end of that year she was a cyclist.
Through a screening program at college level, Rachel was identified as one of 900 athletes in the Wellington area with great potential. The Academy of Sport then selected 250 athletes, put them through a series of tests and introduced them to different sports to determine the athletes’ best chance for success.
Rachel went from that initial selection down to the last three. At the end of the program Rachel was announced as a potential top endurance athlete suited to cycling, long distance running and swimming and triathlons. Rachel committed to cycling and asked Eddie Bright to be her coach. At that time Bright was the NZ Academy of Sport Coaching Manager and a cycle coach of 20 years.
Fast forward seven years and Rachel has a string of cycling successes to her name. She has been the NZ Under 19 National Time Trial Champion, the Oceania Time Trial Champion, the Wellington Emerging Athlete of the Year and just missed the podium at the Junior World Championship. This year she was the top placed New Zealander in the NZCT Women’s Tour of New Zealand, she toured in China and at the end of May is heading over to Europe for her second season in the European circuit.
“I believed in her then, and I believe in her now,” said Bright, who has been Rachel’s personal coach from her first day as a cyclist. “After a couple of months of working together we sat down and put together a ten year plan including the Olympics in 2012. Nothing has changed in those seven years. My belief in her is rock solid. Her progress is exactly what we wanted. She’s on track to go a long way.”
Rachel is heading over to join a team in Holland to gain experience in the big European races and to get noticed. “The big races for road cycling are all in Europe so it’s pretty important for me to go over there and try and get UCI points. I can get in some really good racing and it’s a professional circuit so if I get results I can get paid!” she said.
Unfortunately for Rachel the Belgium based British team she was with last year fell into financial difficulties, meaning Rachel and Eddie had to work hard to find a new team with a place for her this season. Both Rachel and Eddie are committed to doing all that needs to be done for 2012 success.
“You just need to get a result, someone will notice you and offer you a contract. I’m hoping maybe in two years’ time I’ll be a professional cyclist in a pro-team,” said Rachel.
Bright thinks that may happen next year. “She certainly impresses people. Team managers I talked to at the World Championships and in Europe were very complimentary towards her. She’s got the talent, the heart and the right temperament.”
Being committed to such a long term goal is physically, mentally and financially draining. Rachel explained that it’s hard to get a job when she is away racing so often and finding sponsors for women’s cycling in New Zealand is difficult, even for athletes with huge potential. This year Rachel is boarding in Holland with the family of one of the riders in her team. She is living in their sleepout.
Rachel does get to travel around the world, something her friends are jealous of, but there is never much time for sightseeing. “When you go to races you don’t get any time to yourself. You just travel there, race, then travel back. I have a few days off this year, so I may get to go somewhere. It’s exciting, but you definitely do miss home,” Rachel said.
Like most top athletes the sacrifices are huge. What motivates her? “I don’t know what it is about cycling,” said Rachel who is softly spoken and shy to talk about herself. “I’m such a competitive person I thrive on the environment. It is so challenging. I just really enjoy getting out there and pushing myself.”
Keeping her top fitness involves training 12-16 hours per week on the bike, with one free day when Rachel does thirty minutes on the rollers to keep her legs ticking over. She has hill sessions, sprint sessions, a couple of long rides each week and supplements this riding with a core stability workout on her Swiss ball. When not training or racing, Rachel is studying towards her degree in Health Science through Massey University.
To make it to the Olympics, Rachel needs as much international competition as possible. She hopes to represent New Zealand in the World Championships this year and the Commonwealths next year, but is not confident of her chances. Bright said that in his opinion Rachel is “undoubtedly the leading under 23 rider in the country, by a mile.” Unfortunately that’s not all it takes to be picked for a New Zealand team; places and funding are tight. Rachel sees the solution as simple. “My results will speak for themselves.”
“I’ve coached some really talented people but Rachel has got more than the right physiological components, she has got the mental approach, she is mentally very, very strong,” said Bright. “I actually think she has the capability to go all the way.”
Rachel will be based in Groningen, Holland for four and a half months, plenty of time to get noticed and to take the next steps to keep her goal on target.
By Sarah Christian - co-editor and journalist for www.roadcycling.co.nz
Photos courtesy RoadCycling.co.nz