Louis Crosby steps up to pro ranks

Louis Crosby PureBlack Racing pro-team ©RoadCycling.co.nz

Mar 25th, 11. 21 year old Louis Crosby is in Boulder, Colorado preparing for his first season as a pro-cyclist - an opportunity which came out of the blue just five weeks ago.

The Auckland rider was the last rider to sign-up to PureBlack Racing's U23 team and never expected to be stepping up to the pro-team within a few months, especially considering he was carrying an injury.

Crosby had been negotiating with the team's management about having a break in his U23 contract to race overseas in the middle of the year. His wish was granted, but not in the way he thought.

"I have raced a few days with the team this year," Crosby told RoadCycling.co.nz two days before he left for the USA.

"We went down as a team and raced the Ruapehu Cycle Classic last month, it was my first experience in the team environment and I was really impressed. That was actually when Carl mentioned to me about the pro-team."

Crosby did not need to consider the offer for very long.

"It was either dirty old Belgium in a team I hadn't had any contact with, or these guys which are an amazing group of guys, and good friends," he said.

There were lots of different circumstances around the pro-team signing Crosby, Team Director Carl William explained.  

One was Michael Torckler's injury, although that was not the ultimate reason, another was to do with the expansion of races the team had on its schedule, but primarily it was because Crosby stepped up.

Williams and sports director Benny Devcich travelled with the team to the Ruapehu event where they had the opportunity to learn about the riders' attitude and personality, as well as see how they ride of course.

"Louis has shown some really positive attributes for a young guy - especially his professionalism. He really wants to be there and when you get a guy with a fire in his belly like that, it can be a pretty lethal weapon," said Williams.

"With [the schedule changes] we needed to bolster up the support roles in the team. Louis fits a slot in the team where we could have been a little weaker as far as having the real big powerhouse rider. He might find himself looking after guys like Chaddy [Glen Chadwick] and Guddy [Tim Gudsell] on the front a lot this year.

"There will be a whole new skillset to learn on how to support those lead riders. It will free guys up like Roman [Van Uden] and Dan [Barry] to be a little more aggressive. He is a really, really important addition to the team."

Crosby's first scheduled race is not until the Tour of the Gila in late April, which fits in well with his own recovery. Back in November, he broke his wrist after crashing out from a leading bunch at the Taupo Street Criterium. Up until now he has just been riding long kilometres to get back to fitness.

"It gives me another month to get some speed work in before I have to step up to the mark at Gila. I'm really excited, it is a huge race to start off with! We're pretty lucky to be based at altitude in Boulder too, there should be some good training time. It's very exciting to be going to America with these guys."

Crosby left New Zealand on Monday and, along with Taylor Gunman, James McCoy and Mark Langlands, has been in the team's permanent base in Boulder, Colorado for a couple of days now.

"So far, the two days we have spent in Boulder we have found it to be a place of extremes in more ways than one - really good coffee at OZO and really bad at Starbucks!!!" he told RoadCycling.co.nz earlier today.

"Also the weather yesterday was very cold and I watched Taylor nearly get blown off his bike into a river it was so windy! Where as today it is calm and hot, t-shirt and shorts weather. All in all the four of us have smiles on our faces and we are doing what we love, riding our bikes."

Crosby came to the sport of cycling later than most of his teammates, he considers signing for this team his greatest cycling achievement to date.

"The past four years have been a period of building for me and I feel now, and clearly the team feels, I've got to that stage where I'm ready to get some good results." 

Williams agrees. "It's all been a natural progression, we are always open to bringing on new riders and developing new systems, it was Louis stepping up which is the reason he is where he is."