Where in the world is: Ryan Wills kiwi pro cyclist

Mar 20th, '09.

In 2006 Ryan Wills was involved in a serious accident when a utility truck hit him and three teammates while training in the Waikato. Unfortunately for Wills, this was only the first of two accidents where he suffered broken vertebrae, but nothing stops this young cyclist from aiming high.

Early this month Wills was training for the NZ Track Nationals when he slid from the top of the banking of the Invercargill velodrome. Not one to let a bit of pain stop him, Wills continued the Nationals and only discovered he had fractured two vertebrae after the competition ended.

After the first accident, Wills knows the value of a positive outlook on recovery. "What's kept me sane? I haven't really had time to stop and think about it" he said now back in Belgium. "It gave me a couple of extra days to spend with my partner Soren before I flew out to Belgium, it's also given me time to catch up on all the Prison Break episodes I have missed" laughed Wills.

"Although I would have liked to have been on the bike, it's also given me a mental break before the real racing commences".

Wills hopes to be back on the bike for team Lotto-Bodysol this weekend with his first race likely to be the Trophée de Hesbaye - Aalst-St-Truiden on March 29 which is a race for U27 riders. After this event Wills is aiming to follow the same programme as last year.

"It will include races like the U23 Liege - Bastogne - Liege and Tour of Belgium which will be amongst some more amateur one day races and tours of Luxembourg, Ardennes and Liege. The 2nd half of the year will involve racing a lot more professional races with the protour and I will be ending my season with the tour Circuit Franco Belge" he explained.

Now in his fourth year in the European cycling scene Wills says that his dream of traveling to Europe was made real when he was selected to represent New Zealand at the Junior World Championships in 2006.

"Over the last year I have made myself really at home building a great group of people around me who help to make this all possible for me. You don't want to come to Europe too early though because being away from home for so long does get hard sometimes and you don't really want to come until your consistently placing in big races throughout New Zealand" Wills explained.

Wills' advise to fellow young riders is to "stick at it and do the small things properly, make sacrifices a stepping stone and just enjoy riding your bike and the rest will take care of itself".


Being in a European team has its up and downs shared Wills. The best part he said are the people he has met and the experiences he has had. Riding with one of his mentors Sylvain Chavanel is one highlight. "He's just an all round great guy. I have had the pleasure to ride with him and he's one of those people you just can't stop learning from and he's the nicest guy you will ever meet". Wills added, "the Frites (hot chips Belgium style) with mayonnaise are pretty good too!!"


The biggest surprise Wills has had was at the beginning of last year when he arrived in Belgium, "They had sorted out an apartment complex for me to stay in, when I got to Belgium I found out it was a one bedroom flat on top of a chicken farm. Didn't last too long there before moving on".

The worst experience Wills said was when his teammate tested positive for doping last year. "These guys don't really understand the affect it has on the people around them and the implications of it. It was definitely disappointing for the team and also for myself especially when you think you know someone".

Being in the feeder team for Silence Lotto, Wills is very aware that team scouts are at all the races and he is hoping to capitalize on that opportunity, "I feel a big contract is starting to get within my reach".

"If I can pull a big contract I will be aiming to do a grand tour in the coming years for experience before developing myself into a three week bike racer but at the moment I am happy where I am and feel I can build into something bigger in the next year or two. I still don't know what I'm capable of. Only time will tell."

One day Wills will be lining up in the Tour de France. For the moment he just wants to prove himself, come up with some good results and no doubt keep his vertebrae out of trouble.

Follow Will's progress through the season on his personal blog.

Ryan Wills

Greatest achievement: "Coming back from the accident in 2006 which left me in a very messy state with four broken vertebrae".

Next best achievement: "The stage win in the Tour of Wellington this year. That meant my comeback from the accident was complete and I can now build to the future."

Mentors: "Sylvain Chavanel, along with some advice Rik Verbrugghe gave me these two have helped me make the transition into a full-time European cyclist".

Hometown: Whakatane, but Wills says he spends most of his NZ time in Christchurch these days.

Photos Courtesy Ryan Wills

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