Ellesse Andrews

At 22, Ellesse Andrews is already on track to becoming one of NZ's greatest cyclists. Suzanne McFadden discovers how a change of mind - and mentoring from ...

“Now I hope she believes she’s a real player on the world sprint scene.” “And maybe that shines a light on the fact sprint athletes could do a little more aerobic work,” he says. “To back herself and put herself in a position to win multiple events is amazing. “She’s one of those individuals who’s incredibly determined to the point of being stubborn. “Stepping in to help the team pursuit was a great example of her character. “In New Zealand, we’re pretty quick to play the humble card which can get in the way of our performance. The difference between the individual sprint and keirin, in terms of what you need to do physically, is quite different - and she just won both. “Ellesse went for a walk outside the stadium, out of the environment, put her music on, had a bit of a reset, and walked in and then, boom. “She gets so tired with her training, she really struggles to study as well.” “As a young athlete from New Zealand, who was an endurance rider just three years ago, and not necessarily having all the race experience other nations get from a geographical perspective… “She doesn’t like not having something to do,” her dad says. “It’s part of our family ethos,” says Mote-Andrews, a musician and composer.