Competition is expected to be stiff in this year’s annual Architecture Unlimited Corporate Pursuit track cycling race day but no one is more ‘fired up’ than last year’s reigning champion, the Wensley’s Fire team.
Several times a week you can spot one or two fire trucks parked up next to the SIT Zero Fees Velodrome and that is because the crews are hard at work on their track bikes, drilling speed routines and team pursuit combinations.
Fire team manager Marty Jillings has been involved for five years and said the team competition had really evolved into a personal, in-house competition among the fire team members.
“The first year we entered we placed third and the next year we were absolutely smashed, so the following year a few of us decided to rev the training up a gear. That’s when it started getting way more competitive for us individually.
“The win last year was just an effect of us training hard and we will definitely be giving it our all again this weekend.”
Jillings says the thing he loved the most about the Architecture Unlimited track cycling was it being inside during the winter. It was a great way to keep up training and maintain fitness during the colder months and “the team banter is always great fun too.”
“When we go on the fire truck to a house fire you are in teams of four – just like the pursuit team – you are a family and you have each other’s backs. This translates in exactly the same way to our Corporate Pursuit fire teams,” Jillings said.
“We’re a real track cycling family, having a lot of fun and all the time we are trying our absolute best to do better than each other and make each other hurt.”
The two fire teams, which include a full business team, along with an extended fire family all-comers team, are being coached again this year by Fergus Canny.
Canny said an exciting part of coaching a Corporate Pursuit team was the different dynamics that had to be worked through each year with new riders on scene.
“There’s a real comradery among the team members and it’s the excitement of watching them grow and getting them to peak at their absolute best come race day,” he said.
There are 19 teams involved in the 12th annual track cycling business battle, which culminates with the race day this Sunday at the SIT Zero Fees Velodrome, starting from 9.30am.
Caption: Firefighter Ben Coley from the Wensley’s Fire 1 team gets starting training from coach Fergus Canny.
At a glance
What: Architecture Unlimited Corporate Pursuit
When: Sunday 23 July (Race Day)
Where: SIT Zero Fees Velodrome
Time: 9.30am – 4pm
Entry gold coin donation