When Terry Gyde opened up a text message with a photo of a Fuji track bike, he was transported back in time to when Christchurch hosted the Commonwealth Games.
Shaylah Sayers had just purchased the frame via TradeMe and wanted her coach’s seal of approval.
“I asked her: ‘Is it carbon or aluminium?’ She said she couldn’t afford carbon. It was so cool. I remember when I had my first bike,” Gyde reminisced.
“The (1974) Commonwealth Games were on and dad took me down to Denton Park.
“The road race was on that day. I remember it was stinking hot and I was petrified of this track, even though it’s probably only a 30-degree or 28-degree bank.
“The first run round was pretty intimidating,” said Gyde, who was undeterred.
“I said to dad: ‘I want to get a racing bike and take up cycling'. He said: ‘We can’t afford it’.”
However, Gyde’s parents had been putting money in his savings account during primary school and allowed him to break into it.
“I took out my $59 and bought a racing bike and a pair of shoes. I was away. That was in 1974.”
In November, 2021 Shaylah turned up at Denton Park, joined Canterbury Track Cycling’s development programme and four months later returned from Cambridge with six titles.
So the $800 the teenager spent was worth its weight in gold.
“It’s a horrendously expensive sport these days. You only have to go into a bike shop and look at the lowest end of road racing bikes,” he said.
“The lowest end of a brand new road racing bike is probably $5000. They go right the way through to 25k.”
Track bikes, like a Canadian-manufactured Argon 18 Electron Pro Pursuit TKO, can retail for $9995.
Gyde urges parents of potential track stars to make a gradual start from the blocks.
“I always encourage them to buy a nice second-hand bike, because at such a young age the kids are growing so quickly.
“You’ll probably pick up a reasonable one for $1500-$2000. If they stick with it, then upgrade a bit later.”
Shaylah mowed lawns, did other household chores and hoarded her allowance to buy the frame she pedalled to the top of multiple podiums earlier this month, though her dad Laurie and mum Toby also have to contribute time and money.
Fortunately, Canterbury Track Cycling appreciates financing the sport can be an uphill battle.
“People who have come through cycling and give up often give their second-hand gear to the club and we move it on to the various kids so it’s less expensive,” Gyde said.
“One of the parents of our elite women gave Shaylah a pair of cycling shoes and others have given her bits and pieces.
Training at decrepit Denton Park means you also need two sets of wheels, one for outdoors and a lighter set for the boards in Invercargill or Cambridge.
“There’s an awful lot of equipment, everyone begs, shares and borrows with your group. I’ve got a group of masters bike riders who are really helpful towards the young ones I coach as well. It’s like a big family.
“They loaned wheels and kit to all the different kids that went away (to Cambridge).”
This camaraderie is crucial.
“What you want to do is make it a happy experience, make them love it and then they can buy the other stuff a bit later on,” Gyde explained.
“It’d be cost prohibitive for a lot of families so if we’re able to share our stuff around, so the parents or caregivers can purchase things bit by bit, it becomes doable.”
About 30 novices – the majority 11 or 12-years-old – signed up last season, however, he’d like to grow capacity to 60.
“Cycling has a bit of a bad rap for being an expensive, elitist sport. Track doesn’t have to be that way,” he said.
“Our mode of operation is to remove cost barriers to people getting involved.”
That included subsidised accommodation costs in Cambridge, where each rider only needed about $200.
“We’re the only centre that does that. We don’t want it to be a drag on the family,” Hatton said.
Lizzy Thomson convinced her to give track cycling a whirl when they met on a ride in Bottle Lake Forest late last year.
On March 19 they combined to win the under-15 time trial gold at Cycling New Zealand’s headquarters in the Waikato.
“I kind of knew that (first) day she was going to stick with it,” Laurie Sayers said, when remembering Shaylah’s first exposure to the development programme.
It runs for a month and costs $150, which includes bike hireage. Riders participate in four intensive training and coaching sessions, after which they can pay $10 to ride in competition sessions.
“She’d never ridden a bike with road bike handlebars, only flat (mountain bike) ones. They taught her how to ride and she was hooked,” he said.
Laurie Sayers had never been sold on cycling technology, arguing: “I’ve always thought when you go riding it’s a way to get away from stuff like that.”
But a bike computer has been purchased to enhance Shaylah’s set-up and she used a new $400 helmet for some track events at the nationals.
“I’d hate to think what that’s worth,” said Laurie Sayers, who had to take time off work and cover travel costs to Cambridge.
“That can get expensive, but Canterbury Track Cycling helps out a lot with accommodation.
“One of the best things about the organisation is the amount of support. They’ve given Shaylah pretty much everything she’s got besides her bike.”
“I could see it getting very expensive as you go through the grades. You’re not allowed disc wheels in the younger grades then it’s pretty much expected as you go up.”
Penny Thomson sounds sheepish as she is coaxed to reveal the financial outlay to bankroll her child’s passion for cycling.
“No, I don’t want to, I’m too scared,” she said, laughing nervously.
“I did a bit of track cycling when the kids were really little, like toddlers. I started again when Lizzy started up. I’d rather be taking part than sitting in the stands watching,” she said.
Thomson admitted she spent about $7000 on her 13-year-old’s latest track bike.
“We took all the gears and wheels off the old bike to keep costs down and we share gear like chain rings,” she said.
“They (the bike) retain their resale value and the other logic is if she grows out of it, I will have it.
“You can spend a hell of a lot of money but you don’t have to, to be competitive.
“You can get a good junior set-up for $500-$1000. As with any sport, the upper limit is only dictated by how much you are prepared to spend.
“The good thing is there are rules where the juniors have limits as to what gear they’re allowed to use . . . the types of wheels, and that actually keeps the sport manageable.”
“They organise the accommodation for the whole group, the entry fees, even getting the kids started with cycling.
“Word of mouth is a great way of finding gear. Last year we broke a bike in a crash and within a week someone knew someone who had a suitable bike and they were riding again.”
Thomson said parents without an interest in cycling might find it tougher to devote time transporting their kids to and from Denton Park twice a week during the season, and other training routes.
“The hours would rack up, they sure would. When the kids are older and you can send them out by themselves or with friends it’s easier,” she said.
“I ride with them on the road because of their age and because the roads are so fast and dangerous where we live in West Melton.”
Asked if she was relieved her child selected track cycling over swimming – and those early morning sessions before school – Thomson was philosophical.
“They all have their own pros and cons.
“Whatever it is, you’re going to have various commitments. I’m just glad it’s not rowing, the hike to get there. When I think of rowing I think of early mornings and the huge amount of fundraising.”
