By
our
Kiwi
Correspondent,
El
Jefe'
Kashi
Leuchs
is
New
Zealand's
highest
ranked
cross-country
rider
and
finished
2001
with
a
World
Cup
placing
of
8th
overall.
Last
year
was
easily
Kashi's
best
year
to
date
with
two
podiums
on
each
of
the
NORBA,
European
Cup
and
World
Cup
circuits.
As
a
member
of
the
powerful
Volvo
Cannondale
Team,
Leuchs
has
had
to
compete
with
teammates
Cadel
Evans
and
Christoph
Sauser
before
he
can
even
step
up
onto
the
podium
himself.
Kashi
has
been
selected
for
the
New
Zealand
Commonwealth
Games
team
along
with
Susy
Pryde
and
Sadie
Parker
and
hopes
are
high
among
the
kiwi
fans
for
a
good
performance
in
the
games.
Leuchs
has
along
with
Susy
Pryde
also
been
drafted
into
the
NZ
road
team
for
the
games.
First
of
all
Kashi,
you
had
a
good
year
last
year
with
a
late
peak
giving
you
some
pretty
good
form
for
the
Worlds.
What
did
you
feel
was
the
highlight
of
your
year?
Taking
2nd
in
Durango!
It
was
my
first
time
to
make
it
onto
a
World
Cup
Podium
(which
means
to
finish
top
5),
and
to
jump
straight
onto
the
2nd
step
felt
amazing.
Of
course
I
was
also
a
bit
bummed
for
missing
the
win
by
just
8
sec!
Any
disappointments?
Yes,
after
blowing
in
the
World
Champs
I
was
definitely
disappointed.
I
had
trained
really,
really,
hard
for
that
race.
I
had
spent
2
weeks
with
the
team
at
high
altitude,
and
was
feeling
great.
Then
4
days
before
the
race
I
was
sent
to
hospital
by
a
tiny
stupid
bee,
and
I
was
forced
to
take
cortisone,
and
other
harsh
drugs
that
probably
caused
my
lack
of
glycogen,
and
eventually
my
big
bonk
in
the
last
lap!
I
see
last
year
you
had
at
least
27
races
mapped
out
for
you
to
do.
It
must
be
difficult
staying
fresh,
it’s
not
like
you
can
just
sit
in
at
the
back
of
the
bunch
in
a
MTB
race?
Actually
I
like
to
race
a
lot,
it’s
fun.
Sure,
sometimes
I
just
wish
I
could
spend
more
time
at
home,
and
with
Helena,
but
its
just
part
of
being
a
pro.
This
year
is
easier
than
most
too,
as
I
will
just
make
2
trips
across
to
USA,
and
I
can
now
drive
to
most
of
the
European
races,
because
of
living
in
France.
What
do
you
know
about
the
Commonwealth
Games
MTB
course
in
the
UK
?
Have
you
had
the
chance
to
pre-ride
it
at
all?
I
have
heard
it’s
a
bit
of
a
roadies
course.
I
would
probably
prefer
something
very
technical,
but
we
have
got
to
take
what
we
get.
The
Commonwealth
games
road
racing
event
is
on
August
the
3rd,
5
days
after
your
MTB
event.
Do
you
have
any
idea
what
your
role
will
be
in
the
road
race
or
how
you
might
be
able
to
contribute?
By
the
sounds
of
it,
the
road
race
will
be
quite
flat,
which
will
not
suit
me
too
well.
I
will
wait
and
see,
but
I'm
quite
sure
I
will
be
there
to
work
for
other
riders,
which
is
fine
by
me.
Do
you
know
who
you
will
be
up
against
from
the
other
Commonwealth
countries,
obviously
the
Canadians
are
deep
with
talent
and
the
Aussies
are
notorious
for
rising
to
the
occasion?
Of
course
the
Canadians
Roland
Green
and
Ryder
Hysjedal.
From
Australia,
Josh
Flemming
and
maybe
Paul
Rowney.
For
Britian
Liam
Killen.
So
far
the
good
money
would
have
to
be
on
Roland
Green
after
pretty
much
dominating
the
world
scene
last
year.
Do
you
think
about
other
riders
and
what
their
weaknesses
are
or
do
you
tend
to
concentrate
solely
on
your
own
strategies?
The
first
two
world
cups
this
year
prove
that
Roland
is
beatable.
He
is
still
riding
super
well,
but
I
will
just
focus
on
myself,
so
that
I
can
ride
better!
Are
there
aspects
of
your
training
that
you
have
concentrated
on
this
year
to
make
yourself
even
more
competitive,
for
example,
starting
fast,
technical
riding
skills
or
pacing?
I
have
done
a
lot
of
big
gear,
strength
work
during
the
winter,
and
I
feel
my
starts
are
suffering.
But
I
think
this
is
a
good
stage
to
be
in,
and
I
feel
my
form
should
be
good
in
time
for
the
Games.
Is
this
something
that
you
do
each
year,
draw
up
a
list
of
possible
weaknesses
to
work
on?
Definitely.
After
the
season
my
coach
and
I
always
analyse
what
we
can
do,
and
how
to
do
it.
There
have
been
a
few
changes
to
the
World
Cup
Circuit
this
year,
down
from
8
rounds
to
5,
and
I
see
they
have
dropped
the
time
trials
that
were
a
part
of
last
years
format.
How
do
these
changes
impact
on
your
year,
and
were
you
a
fan
of
the
TT's
to
start
with?
Actually
I
liked
the
TT's,
but
I
really
sucked
at
them
so
it’s
probably
better
for
me
like
this.
I
don't
think
having
fewer
world
cups
is
a
bad
thing…
next
year
we
should
have
6
again,
and
that
will
be
perfect.
It
allows
for
the
other
series
to
grow,
like
the
Euro
Cup
for
example,
and
also
bigger
festival
events
and
marathons.
We
have
seen
a
few
mountain
bikers
jump
ship
to
the
road
in
the
last
few
years,
Rasmussen,
Cioni
and
more
recently
Cadel
Evans.
Some
of
these
guys
were
successfully
established
riders
when
you
were
just
getting
into
the
scene.
Do
you
think
it’s
a
case
of
boredom
and
they
are
looking
for
a
new
challenge,
or
do
you
think
that
the
road
scene
offers
more
to
a
rider
in
the
current
economic
climate?
I
think
they
went
for
different
reasons.
For
some
it
was
because
they
could
no
longer
find
mountain
bike
teams
to
pay
them
a
good
salary.
For
others,
like
Cadel,
I
think
it’s
more
a
prestige
thing.
In
Europe
road
cyclists
are
very
highly
respected,
especially
in
Italy.
They
are
the
serious
athletes
and
us
mountain
bikers
are
just
having
fun.
(I
prefer
the
fun
life!)
Is
it
something
that
you
could
ever
see
yourself
doing?
I
don't
think
so,
but
you
can
never
say
never.
Did
you
think
that
your
old
teammate
Cadel
would
do
as
well
as
he
has
done
in
his
first
year
as
a
road
pro?
I
don't
think
anyone
in
the
whole
world,
including
Cadel,
could
have
guessed
that.
During
the
Giro
I
was
just
watching
in
total
disbelief...
until
he
blew..
then
it
became
real
again!
Different
riders
train
in
different
ways,
some
preferring
to
do
the
majority
of
their
riding
on
the
road,
the
others
on
the
dirt;
what
works
the
best
for
you
and
why?
I
train
mostly
on
road,
but
I
don't
train
like
a
roadie!
The
difference
is
that
I
don't
do
mega
miles...
instead
I
focus
on
quality
training,
and
full
recovery.
This
is
especially
important
when
you
want
to
stay
fresh
for
a
long
season,
racing
and
travelling
every
week.
Is
the
style
of
training
you
do
similar
to
what
many
amateur
athletes
tend
to
do
with
a
pyramid
of
base,
strength
and
speed,
or
do
the
Professional
athletes
have
a
different
formula?
Many
Pro
riders
follow
that
formula,
but
I
do
not.
I
have
just
done
some
of
my
longest
rides
now,
and
I
am
in
mid
season!
I'm
not
saying
that
the
normal
theory
does
not
work,
just
that
it’s
not
the
only
way
to
train!
What
are
your
views
on
diet
these
days.
Some
people
are
pushing
a
diet
higher
in
proteins
or
fats
as
an
alternative,
is
this
something
you
have
looked
into?
Diet
is
very
important
to
me.
I
focus
my
energy
on
eating
high
quality,
naturally
healthy
foods,
instead
of
worrying
about
Protein,
Fat,
or
Calories.
My
coach
Benoit
has
taught
me
how
to
eat...
not
just
to
be
an
athlete,
but
to
be
a
healthy
person.
This
is
something
I
plan
to
use
all
my
life!
Are
you
a
fan
of
supplements
or
do
you
tend
to
think
that
a
balanced
diet
covers
most
situations?
I
do
use
certain
supplements,
e.g.,
Protein
drinks,
BCAA
tabs,
and
multivitamins,
but
I
try
to
get
as
much
as
possible
out
of
a
natural
foods.
You
have
been
based
in
Annecy,
France,
for
a
few
years
now
and
have
recently
joined
a
local
road
racing
club.
What
are
the
things
you
can
do
over
there
that
you
couldn't
do
back
home
in
NZ?
Well
the
road
club
works
more
like
a
team.
I
only
race
with
them
occasionally,
but
if
I
wanted
I
could
go
with
them
every
weekend.
They
take
care
of
everything...
transport,
lodging,
entries,
they
even
supply
the
bikes
for
the
good
riders.
What
are
the
major
differences
between
being
based
in
France,
rather
than
Sweden
where
you
first
started
out
on
your
European
campaign?
In
Sweden
I
had
no
hills
at
all
to
train
on,
so
that
made
training
for
the
World
Cups
very
difficult.
Also,
France
is
so
close
to
where
all
the
big
races
happen,
so
we
can
usually
drive
to
the
events.
From
Sweden
we
would
have
to
fly.
On
the
other
hand
though,
in
Sweden
we
lived
with
Helena's
family
who
took
care
of
us,
and
helped
us
focus
on
riding.
They
are
a
cycling
family,
with
both
Helena's
brothers
also
racing
MTB.
Where
would
you
recommend
other
riders
serious
on
moving
into
the
big
time
to
race,
Europe
or
the
States?
I
always
tell
the
other
riders
to
come
to
Europe,
because
it’s
so
much
easier
to
find
high
quality
races.
It
doesn't
really
matter
where
you
go,
as
there
are
good
races
everywhere,
and
almost
every
weekend
if
you
want.
Plus
it’s
a
lot
cheaper
once
you’re
there.
What
do
you
miss
about
NZ?
Relaxed,
laidback
people.
Lazing
on
a
sofa
in
a
nice
cafe.
Camping
out
during
some
of
the
NZ
National
races,
and
just
hanging
out
and
having
fun.
Over
here
it’s
all
just
a
little
too
serious!
Do
they
have
hokey-pokey
ice-cream
in
France?
No,
but
I
can
find
Marmite!
Are
you
listening
to
any
interesting
music
at
the
moment?
France
has
got
quite
a
lot
of
international
music,
but
mostly
the
MTV
stuff.
There
are
actually
a
few
good
French
bands
too..
like
Noir
Desire,
and
Le
Palmers.
Thanks,
and
good
luck
for
the
rest
of
the
World
Cup
and
the
Commonwealth
games.
This
interview
can
also
be
found
on
Kashi’s
website.
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