9 February 2026: There is something understated about the start of a new Olympic cycle. No countdown clocks, no selection drama, no medals on the line — just riders back on the track, turning laps again, quietly beginning the long road to Los Angeles 2028.
For New Zealand’s Olympic and Paralympic track cyclists, that process is now underway.
After the intensity of Paris 2024, the return to training is less about chasing outcomes and more about finding rhythm again. Bodies are different. Priorities have shifted. Some riders are still processing what Paris meant to them, while others are simply rediscovering what it feels like to train without an Olympic deadline hanging overhead.
Cycling New Zealand has confirmed that both Olympic and Paralympic squads are now back in structured training, marking the first practical steps of the LA 2028 cycle. But behind that announcement is something far more human: athletes choosing to start again.
For some, this is familiar territory. They have lived through multiple cycles, understand the emotional dip after a Games, and know that motivation rarely returns overnight. For others — especially younger riders — this is the first time they can genuinely imagine themselves on an Olympic or Paralympic pathway.
The early weeks are deliberately low-key. Sessions are about rebuilding fundamentals, re-establishing confidence on the boards, and remembering why they love the sport in the first place. There is no urgency yet — just steady work and honest conversations.
Importantly, Olympic and Paralympic athletes are beginning this phase together. That shared space matters. It reflects an environment where experience is passed on quietly, where riders watch how others cope with the reset, and where progress is measured in small, unglamorous steps.
This part of the cycle rarely makes headlines, but it is where everything is shaped. The habits formed now, the decisions made quietly in training, and the riders who choose to commit — or step away — will determine what the New Zealand team looks like in four years’ time.
Los Angeles is still a long way off. There will be injuries, changes in form, selection heartbreak and unexpected breakthroughs between now and then. Everyone involved knows that.
But for now, the most important thing has happened: the bikes are rolling again.
Not with noise or expectation — just with purpose.
This article is an independent summary of reporting originally published by Cycling NZ.
Original source:
Cycling NZ
Written by the TrackCycling.org Editorial Team
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