Brand new to the team for 2023, the experienced Patrick joins having been a professional rider since 2016; where he has taken some strong wins such as a stage at the Tour Down Under in 2019, the overall title plus a stage win at the Tour of Turkey last season and a powerful reduced sprint victory later in the year at the Tour de Suisse.
“Absolutely not” from a cycling family, Patrick grew up doing a bunch of different sports, such as running, triathlon and rugby – the latter of which sees him find his idol with the talismanic former New Zealand international Richie McCaw.
Growing up in a small town in New Zealand, his club was a “good one” and he came through at a time “when some great guys were running it.” He started doing some club racing and training rides, and from there was hooked. It was his want and need for adventure that ultimately catapulted Patrick’s cycling career.
“When I finished high school, I didn’t have anything lined up and went on a gap year to travel and race. I told my parents I would be back in 12 months but here we are now over 12 years later; I guess I happened to be in the right place at the right time.”
As a sports fan who grew up doing and following different sports Patrick still thinks, unbiasedly he adds, that “cycling is in the coolest sport in the world.” He particularly enjoys the chaos of it all, with all the detailed and intricate moving parts making it such an exciting battle of tactics and strength, with the combination of individualism and teamwork.
Now into his thirties, Patrick felt it was time for a new and refreshing environment to continue to push himself as an athlete.
“I believe I can squeeze out more from myself and from a sporting perspective I just want to push my boundaries to find out where I can go, and Team dsm-firmenich seems like a great place to do that.”
He joins the team with a vast amount of experience in the peloton and Patrick also looks forward to sharing that with the younger teammates around him in an environment that he feels is perfect for him. It’s one of his key driving factors for the coming years.
“I come from rugby, a sport where you’re fully immersed in that team aspect. Sometimes I think cycling misses out on just how important that team atmosphere and culture can be, but I’ve seen that it is something which Team dsm-firmenich identifies as a big thing, and I want to be part of that for the next few seasons.”
With the excitement and energy exuding from him as he talks, it is clear that Patrick has a passion for cycling and everything that it entails; describing himself as a “determined” and “reliable” teammate and person.
When he’s not churning those pedals, you can find him watching as much sport as possible, relaxing playing some video games, socialising with friends and family, or practicing the piano; which happens to be a “not so hidden talent”.
Fun fact – Patrick is also a triplet, but he and his siblings look “nothing alike” and if you didn’t know they were related then it would be “impossible” to pick them out from a line-up.
