He competed in 2 Olympics, 3 Commonwealth Games and won multiple National medals on both the road and the track. He has been running spin classes for over 20 years – well before the trend hit the gym scene 5-6 years ago. He is quietly intense and almost introverted but when prompted can tell the most incredibly interesting and funny tales. NZ Bike magazine thought it would be interesting to hear a recap of his cycling career and views on modern day training and racing.

NZB. How did you start cycling?
PL. My Grandparents were actually involved in track racing in the days when the rims were still made of bamboo! I was 13 years old and delivering the Auckland Star (evening paper that no longer exists) by bike 6 nights a week. Some of my mates invited me to a local race so I thought I would go and see if I would enjoy it. I borrowed a bike, came last but loved it. It was a 6 mile (approx 10km) handicap race and I was physically ill at the finish but had been bitten by the cycling bug. I went and bought my first racing bike the following weekend with the money I had saved from my paper run.

NZB. How long did you race for?
PL. I raced for 20 years from that day on. I retired from racing in 1995 when I was 33 at a time when many thought I was actually peaking. This was the year that I had my best season ever!

NZB. What are some of the highlights from when you were cycling?
PL. There are too many and they are so varied. I remember the people I met and travelled with. I will never forget living and travelling in a VW kombi with a group of mates around Europe training and racing. I was living the dream! We were based near Milan in Northern Italy and had an unbelievable time of training and trouble.
In terms of racing highlights my first international competition at the Junior Worlds in 1981 was cool. International competition is such a big step up and you really get to see how good you really were. My experience taught me that if you are not consistently winning national titles in New Zealand you will get no-where on the international scene.
Winning a silver and bronze medal at the Commonwealth games and competing in 2 Olympics were also incredible experiences. We performed incredibly well at the Olympics and were always in the top ten. This is pretty spectacular when you consider that this was the era of the Eastern Europeans “alleged” drug use.
Another highlight for me was right at the end of my career when I went back to the track in 1993 purely to see if I could still be competitive. At the Nationals I medaled in 3 events. In the 15,000 meter scratch race I actually had to finish the race on my own as I had lapped the entire field with about 1 m to go. I was the only person who stood on the podium and I think they changed the rules after that to allow you to continue racing even if lapped.
3 weeks later I broke the hour record at Manukau and still hold the fastest time for 60 minutes on concrete (46.97kmph).
It was a fantastic way to finish my career.

NZB. So what made you retire?
PL. Cycling at the elite level is all-consuming. I had put a lot of things on hold whilst racing including a family life and I simple decided that I needed to develop my life beyond just cycling. An example of how time consuming the sport can be is how long it took me to finish my apprenticeship at New Zealand Rail. I was travelling overseas to train and race so often that it took me seven years to complete. I was fortunate that I had an employer who was very supportive of people who were representing New Zealand.

NZB. How did you get involved in coaching and where is it going?
PL. I started when I was still racing over 20 years ago. I started just doing some day sessions with schools and it just grew from there. My focus now is to be part of my kids cycling and I am fortunate that I can play such an active part in their conditioning. I still really enjoy spending time on the road and this is my preferred method for coaching both technique and fitness. I love keeping a check on doing the little things properly for example the ability to ride out of seat and sprint, how to climb hills and cornering.
Training has evolved. We have a better understanding of recovery/metabolic costs and know what does work. It is interesting to note the continual changes in training at the elite level. The New Zealand track team have an incredible fitness regime developed by guys with doctorates in physiology. These training programs spend far less time on the bike (sometimes only 30% at certain stages of the season) and more in the gym than when I was racing.

NZB. What was the catalyst for your spin sessions?
PL. It happened by accident in 1995. I was asked to fill in for the coach of the Manukau Crocs Tri Club to run their wind training session. There were 4 people there however they loved it and the next week there were 8 people. It just kept growing and growing until I was asked by Rick Wells if I could do them in town also. I now do three public sessions per week in three locations and there are usually 40 people there at a minimum.
The sessions have grown because they are the best way to get your best bang for buck on a bike. What I mean is the “hour of power” on the wind-trainer can give far more benefit than most people would get from 2-3 hours on the road. It is not a substitute for road riding but is a great, and I believe essential way to build very specific aerobic systems.

NZB. What do you miss in modern day cycling?
PL. I look back on some of the events I competed in and would love to see their return. In the Olympics there used to be a 100km Team Time Trial. This was an incredible race to do and to watch.
On the local scene the thing I probably miss the most is the huge amount of handicap races that used to be run. These events were around 10km and regardless of your ability you were forced to smash yourself. They had really big fields and also taught you how to control your pace as well as to have something for the sprint.
Another thing that was heaps of fun was racing a tandem bike on the track. If you want to try something different and unbelievably fast give this a go!

NZB. Why do you think there is so much carnage on the road between cyclists and cars recently.
PL. I think you need to look at this problem in a number of ways.
At its most basic the problem is caused because there are more cars and more cyclists on the same roads that existed 10-20 years ago. There is simple less room than there used to be.
I think there is a lack of tolerance on New Zealand roads. There is rarely a day that goes by where I don’t see someone abusing someone else on the roads. This is car v car or car v pedestrian or car v car. In my opinion no-one really gets any benefit from screaming abuse at each other – regardless of who is at fault.
Another problem is the huge rise in the number of new riders in the 40-55 age group. It is great to see them out getting fit but quite frankly their inexperience on a bike can cause issues. I frequently see groups of inexperienced riders cruising along and thinking to themselves that they are not causing any problems. The reality is that they are not able to ride a straight enough line or to ride close enough to the left hand side of the road. They are not bad riders they are just inexperienced and there are few places that provide coaching and training on this type of thing.
The continued rise of triathlon causes similar issues. I have coached and know many great triathletes and many of them are great cyclists. However the nature of their sport means they spend less time on the bike than cyclists and therefore they are generally not going to have the same level of skill. I do not yell at people when I am riding in general however if I am on a bunch ride and I see a triathlete riding on their drops I will let them know what I think!

NZB. At what age can you pick a winner/national champ.
I can pick the physical ability from watching a 12-13 year old over a handful of rides. What is harder to pick is the mental and this is what so much of cycling is about. How do they juggle and balance their lives, how dedicated and punctual are they? These things have to be combined with some naturally born physical attribute such as Vo2 max and lactate tolerance.
In my opinion the most important thing is that they just love riding. When you get this and are blessed with a big motor you have the highest probability of success.

NZB. I have to finish with this question. If you were given the same gear, bikes etc as a modern cycling representative would you be faster than them?
Unfortunately I would have to say no. There is so much more knowledge on physiology, nutrition, training and recovery than 20 years ago. I often get asked how the top pro riders from the 70/80s would compare with modern peloton champs. The reality is you can only compare era with era. The top riders in the 70s were the best riders of the day. The reality is that it is impossible to compare them to modern day athletes and I think this is true in most sports.

I have been fortunate to watch Paul coach over the last couple of years. He is incredible. He knows when to push and when to listen, when to laugh and when to frown, how to communicate and how to remain calm - in all situations. His knowledge and ability to translate that knowledge is second to none. I am looking forward to many more years of his guidance and coaching and mentoring