Sam Gaze

Samuel William Gaze (born 12 December 1995) is a New Zealand cross-country and road cyclist, who currently rides for UCI Continental team Alpecin–Fenix Development Team.[3] He won the under-23 Cross-Country at the 2016 UCI Mountain Bike & Trials World Championships and the 2017 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships. He also competes on occasion in road racing events, winning the National Criterium Championships in 2017 and 2018.

Sam Gaze
Gaze at the National Championships in 2015 in Rotorua
Personal information
Full nameSamuel William Gaze
Born (1995-12-12) 12 December 1995
Tokoroa, New Zealand[1]
Team information
Current teamAlpecin–Fenix Development Team
Disciplines
RoleRider
Rider typeCross-country
Professional teams
2015–2019Specialized Racing (MTB)
2019Deceuninck–Quick-Step (road; stagiaire)
2020Alpecin–Fenix[2]
2021–Alpecin–Fenix Development Team

Career

At the Men's cross-country event at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, Gaze won the silver medal behind fellow New Zealand rider Anton Cooper.[4][5] Gaze was selected ahead of Cooper, who suffered medical conditions during 2016, to represent New Zealand at the 2016 Summer Olympics. He had two punctures in the Olympic race and his gears failed, and he pulled out when he got lapped.[6]

In March 2018, Gaze became the first New Zealander to win an elite UCI Mountain Bike World Cup title, when he claimed the cross country event in the first round of the season in Stellenbosch, South Africa.[7] In April 2018, Gaze won the gold medal in the cross country event at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.[8] Despite his win, Gaze came under significant media attention for his perceived unsportsmanlike behaviour towards his compatriot and silver place winner Cooper. Gaze was fined CHF200 by the International Cycling Union for showing Cooper the finger during the race.[9][10]

In August 2019, Gaze joined UCI WorldTeam Deceuninck–Quick-Step as a stagiaire for the second half of the season.[11] For 2020, Gaze joined the Alpecin–Fenix team to contest road and mountain biking events.[2]

Personal life

Of Māori descent, Gaze affiliates to the Te Āti Awa iwi.[12]

References
  1. "Samuel Gaze". Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  2. "De nieuwe speelkameraadjes van MVDP: "Er zal meer naar ons gekeken worden"" [The new playmates for MVDP: "We will be looked at more"]. Sporza (in Dutch). Vlaamse Radio- en Televisieomroeporganisatie. 2 January 2020. Retrieved 3 January 2020.
  3. "Alpecin-Fenix Development Team". UCI.org. Union Cycliste Internationale. Archived from the original on 29 January 2021. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  4. "Gold and silver for NZ mountain bikers". Radio NZ. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  5. Richens, Matt (30 July 2014). "Anton Cooper wins with mountainbike gold". The Press. Retrieved 24 April 2016.
  6. "Rio Olympics 2016: Sam Gaze finishes lap down in men's mountain biking". The New Zealand Herald. 22 August 2016. Retrieved 22 August 2016.
  7. "Kiwi Sam Gaze stuns to win opening round of UCI Mountain Bike World Cup season". Stuff.co.nz. 11 March 2018. Retrieved 18 March 2018.
  8. "Kiwi 1–2: Gaze and Cooper claim gold and silver in Commonwealth Games mountain biking". The New Zealand Herald. 12 April 2018. Retrieved 12 April 2018.
  9. "Kiwi mountainbiker Sam Gaze fined for flipping the bird at team-mate". Stuff. Retrieved 16 April 2018.
  10. Alderson, Andrew (12 April 2018). "Comment: Sam Gaze becomes one of NZ's most ungracious victors with spiteful aftermath". The New Zealand Herald. ISSN 1170-0777. Retrieved 16 April 2018.
  11. "Deceuninck – Quick-Step sign Steimle and Gaze as stagiaires". Deceuninck–Quick-Step. Decolef Lux SARL. 2 August 2019. Archived from the original on 3 August 2019. Retrieved 3 August 2019.
  12. "43 Māori athletes to head to Rio Olympics". Te Karere. 5 August 2016. Retrieved 6 August 2016.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.