Aaron Gate tour winner of the New Zealand Cycle Classic 2024 Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Auckland cyclist Aaron Gate is feeling confident heading into 2024 and to what he hopes will be his fourth Olympics.
Last weekend Gate won the New Zealand Cycle Classic for the second time as his New Zealand National squad dominated the five-stage event.
He has also been named as a finalist for the Halberg Sportsman of the Year Award after his stunning effort at the 2023 World Track Championships.
In fact it's been a remarkable couple of years for the 33-year-old.
After winning four gold medals at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games, Gate won a gold and two bronze medals at last year's track world championships in Glasgow.
"The confidence is there, the last one (the Covid-hit Tokyo games) left me hungry and so I definitely feel like I have a point to prove and for sure will be giving it my all."
He was a part of the pursuit team that finished fourth in Tokyo and says, unlike those Games, all the athletes will have plenty of opportunity to compete in the build-up to Paris.
"The big thing during the Covid pandemic was the lack of racing and the lack of that extra drive and motivation."
While the track is his main focus this year, Gate does have a contract with Spanish Continental team Burgos BH and will ride on the road for them at the beginning of the year.
"The road racing is the engine building stuff towards the final bits and pieces for the track.
"Road racing is still something I enjoy doing and is a big passion of mine but the main goal is the Olympics on the track this year."
Gate will attend the UCI Nations Cup track meet in Adelaide in February before returning to the road.
The New Zealand track team will then get together a couple of months out for Paris to finalise their preparation.
Being a track world champion (points race) a year out from the Olympics does make him a marked man, but he'll try and use that to his advantage.
"I struggled after my first world track title (2013) wearing the rainbow bands as it put a target on my back, but now I've developed a lot more as an athlete both mentally and physically.
"So now instead of taking being a marked rider as a detrimental thing I use it as an advantage and race how I want to race and let the others work it out behind you."
New Zealand cyclist Aaron Gate competing in the points race at the 2023 World Track Championships in Glasgow. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
While nothing is confirmed yet, Gate is likely to ride a couple of track events at the Paris Olympics.
There is no points race at the Olympics, but he'll be a part of the engine room of the pursuit team and could also compete in the Omnium or Madison.
Gate is expecting his consistency to secure him his place at the Olympics.
"Something I pride myself on is that I don't have many off days but we're all adults and we just want to see the fastest guys on the track on race day.
With New Zealand already secured places at the Olympics, Gate says there isn't too much to prove ahead of Paris.
"It's more like putting a line in the sand on what needs to be done and how far off the competition we are."
Gate has won an Olympic bronze medal, 11 World Championship medals (including two gold) and five Commonwealth Games medals (including four gold).
New Zealand has all but confirmed Olympic spots for the men's and women's Team Pursuit, Omnium and Madison, the men's and women's Individual Sprint and Keirin and the women's Team Sprint.