12 Nov End Of An Era – Jenna Merrick
It was with “a heavy heart
and a lot of sadness” that Patrick and Tammy made the decision to discontinue
Mike Greer Homes Women’s Cycling team in 2020. These are emotions shared by all
the team’s riders and the wider community which has been built throughout the
past 5-6 years. The dedication and work committed by the Harveys is second to
none, in revolutionising the women’s cycling development scene in New Zealand.
Although I was only involved with the team in 2019, MGH was central to my
personal development over a year which exceeded
my expectations. With the team I have travelled across the ditch to Melbourne, through
the old towns of Germany, mountains of Switzerland, bike paths of the
Netherlands and cobbles of Belgium. We raced at the heart of the cycling world,
an unique opportunity for a NZ domestic team, and only made possible through
the vision of Patrick and Tammy.
I feel privileged to have experienced my first block of European racing with a team
from home. Nothing beats the sound of a kiwi accent reciting a dry humoured
joke after a day of being yelled at in at least 5 different languages. While
racing overseas can be an overwhelming and tough experience, it is a vital step
to becoming a professional cyclist. Patrick and Tammy created campaigns which
gave top level racing experience, in a positive growth environment with a
wealth of support. This resulted in a number of riders moving into UCI and
professional level teams which speaks volumes of the quality of their program.
While others cherished a once in a lifetime experience.
The event on the MGH calendar that I am going to miss most is the team camp in Wanaka. It was so empowering having a large number of NZ’s up and coming riders in one place for 10 days. It is not often we all come together unless it is race day, so sharing the common objective of hard bike riding without the pressures of performance was a learning experience I will never forget. We bonded over a 200km ride, team baking, a rat race around Wanaka and trying to beat Patrick over each KOM. Each rider bought their strengths which challenged others and had weaknesses which were challenged too. Over good days and harder ones we formed a comradery and culture I felt so grateful to be a part of.
The legacy of the team and it’s riders is its biggest success, and something that will never be taken away. Over the past 2 years, six of the eight New Zealand women to compete in the Road World Champs (elite and junior) have been MGH riders, as well as a number signing into professional racing teams. MGH has shown that development pathways can and should be created for NZ women in cycling. When done so, we see athletes will rise, develop and achieve.
The positive team culture cultivated over the years throughout events such as camp, created riders who raced selflessly for each other. Contributing to the achievement of race podium results and overall titles at National Champs, Oceania Champs, and UCI races. Each ‘individual’ success was contributed towards by each and every team member who raced that day.
The team sponsors also played a large role in enabling us to take up the different racing opportunities, with high quality kit, equipment and support. Thank you enormously to Mike Greer Homes, Tineli NZ, Specialized NZ, Pure Sports Nutrition, Apex Insurance, Red Stag Timber and Sandfield Information Systems. Your commitment to our team was also a commitment to the development of women’s cycling in NZ which you have truly helped transform.
My final thank you goes to two people whose role in the team is hard to describe, because at some point along the way they have done EVERYTHING. Team manager, mechanic, convoy driver, masseuse, feeder, social media guru, logistics, team photographer, pre-race pep talkers, number one supporters, founders and back-bone of the team (to name a few). Patrick and Tammy… Thank you for being ones to give it a go and invest an incredible amount of your lives into the team. All riders, past and present have been enriched by the opportunities you have created and the way you have run MGH. NZ Women’s cycling will not be the same without you, but we hope that others will be inspired by your bold actions and build on your legacy.