Elite Kiwi cyclist Nick Kergozou is back on his bike for the Tour of Southland, months after his Glasgow Commonwealth Games dream was cut short by a nasty crash.
"The bike definitely took time – to get fluent into the feeling alright pedalling again," Kergozou told 1News.
"I could move in the gym pretty well, but the bike was the most challenging thing and that's what I do everyday, so it was quite physically and mentally challenging but great to be back."
And what better way to test yourself than on a gruelling, multi-stage event like the Tour of Southland?
The 30-year-old Invercargill lad said he'd taken part in several club races in Cambridge but "nothing prepares you for Southland".
"Crosswinds, sideways hail, might get a bit of snow, who knows?” he said.
But it was nothing like the challenges he had already faced this year.
Kergozou was ruled out of the Commonwealth Games after a high-speed training crash on the velodrome in July.
He injured his back in three places and missed around three months on the track – mainly the World Champs.
Kergozou also fell off his bike again on Stage One of the tour around Queen’s Park in Invercargill.
After the team time trial, Kergozou said he was travelling at around 55km/h when he came down on the asphalt.
"The body doesn't like that. And it was just flashbacks to the crash at the Commonwealth Games.”
Today, another challenge for the Peloton was The Remarkables hill climb – the hardest but arguably most picturesque part of the tour.
For some, it is the second time riders have had to endure the 6km uphill battle in 2026, after last year's event was moved to January due to a severe windstorm.
Results aside, it has also been a big week for Kergozou as he launched his comeback with a practice ride down the Invercargill Airport runway against a penny-farthing – a bicycle dating back to the 1870s and '80s.
“We had some pretty good tailwinds that day… I got up to 72km/h max speed… and I looked down and thought I don't really want to burn my legs before the tour too much, but then, I think the adrenaline got to me and I pushed it out pretty good."
The Tour of Southland runs from November 1 to 7.
SHARE ME