Erwood: 'It’s the start of something big, I hope'
Southland cycling talent Marshall Erwood has a big 2025 instore. It will include a trip to Turkey with the New Zealand team pursuit for the Nations Cup.
The 2025 New Zealand Track Cycling Championships begins in Invercargill on Monday and will run through to Saturday.
Southland’s Marshall Erwood outlines his busy 2025 schedule with the calmness that resembles him rattling off a grocery list.
For most, it’s a tiring exercise just thinking about what’s in store for one of New Zealand cycling’s rising stars.
He’s about to embark on a massive year that will include visiting multiple countries and racing in many different events on both the track and road.
But Erwood - who turned 20 on Saturday - is more excited than daunted about what 2025 will throw at him.
“It’s the start of something big, I hope,” he told The Tribune.
His next assignment in that ever-growing calendar is the New Zealand Track Cycling Championships starting in Invercargill on Monday.
The initial plan was for Erwood to race in all six days of the Nationals, although that’s now been cut back to the first three days.
Erwood has instead been summoned to train with the national squad in Cambridge as he prepares for an unexpected trip to Turkey for the UCI Track Cycling Nations Cup next month.
On the back of an impressive showing at the recent Oceania Championships in Brisbane, Erwood was initially marked down as a non-traveling reserve for the Nations Cup in Turkey.
But by the time Erwood had landed back in New Zealand that had changed. Cycling New Zealand officials advised him that they do want him in Turkey as part of the team pursuit.
It’s a strong indicator as to where Cycling New Zealand officials place Erwood, in regard to a young cyclist on the rise.
Following the trip to Turkey there is some possible racing opportunities on the road in Asia before he then flies to America for three months of racing there.
The hope after that is he will head to Europe for some more road racing before returning to New Zealand to prepare for the 2025 SBS Tour of Southland.
“It’s just to get noticed and potentially get picked up by professional teams,” he said of the busy 2025.
“[Those teams] need results and I need to get results. It is going to be a really busy year this year.
“I’ve got to get out there and get some experience.”
Erwood’s 2024 Tour of Southland was an eventful one. He was part of the Creation Signs-MitoQ-NZ Cycling team which included tour winner Josh Burnett.
The fact that Erwood even finished the tour, let alone helped Burnett to win it, was remarkable considering a certain incident on day five.
During the Bluff Hill stage, Erwood rode into a parked truck at about 40km an hour leaving him banged up and more than a little dazed.
“I hit a truck, but thankfully now I’m all recovered with a bit of physio and whatnot to help me get better.
“I looked back and it was like 40[kmph]. It is still pretty quick, but it was more the shock. I just hit it with no knowledge. I didn’t see it at all, so it kind of cooked me.
“[But] we’re bred pretty tough in Southland,” he said about finishing the tour.
“It was super special to see Josh get the win and be part of that.”
There is always a juggling act for elite cyclists around the road and track.
The road does provide more professional opportunities and for Erwood that is the route he hopes to head down.
“I can definitely see myself going professional on the road. Not many Kiwis get that opportunity.
“I was looking at a stat where out of maybe 300-plus World Tour riders only six of them are from New Zealand,” Erwood said.
The 2025 New Zealand Track Cycling Championships begins on Monday and will run through to Saturday in Invercargill.
Erwood will line up in the scratch race, individual pursuit, and points race before heading to Cambridge for the camp.
It will be a watered-down National Championship this year with many of New Zealand cycling’s star power missing.
“It is a bit of a weakened field which kind of sux, but it’s because of this World Cup [in Turkey]. Cycling New Zealand wants their riders in top performance for that, so they are not coming down to Invercargill.
“They don’t want me to stay for the whole time [at the Nationals] because it could end bad, I could get cooked.
“There is a lot of work to be done to get me to go to Turkey, so they want me there [in Cambridge]. It means I’ll miss some of the races [in Invercargill],” Erwood said.
Erwood hopes Southlanders show up in decent numbers for the New Zealand Track Cycling Championships to check out the action.
“It would be nice to get a good crowd. Normally the crowds aren’t too big so I’m hoping there will be a couple more turn up this year.”