At just 17, the New Zealand cyclist who has joined the Bendigo-based Building Champions Women’s Squad for the 2015 National Road Series season also had to prove she was capable of completing the 113km course before organisers would accept her entry.

It was no problem, though: BikeNZ happily gave Lydia a letter endorsing her riding capabilities so she could join her team-mates in the January 31 event.

"I’ve done it before so it was no bother,” she says.

“I did 115km in a Benchmark series race in New Zealand last year and ended up finishing second. It was a one-day race that finished at the top of a hill, which worked in my favour.” 

With her small frame and strong power-to-weight ratio, Lydia is perfectly built for climbing and loves pulling away from her rivals when the road ahead starts to steepen.

That’s one of the things that fuels her passion, having also competed on the track in the past.

“Because I am smaller, I never found track as easy as road,” she says.

“And because I really enjoy the hills, going round and round in circles (in a velodrome) isn’t the most interesting thing for me.

“I also like the fact that when you are going up a hill, the bigger girls drop off and that’s always good for your mental state.

"Hills mix things up a bit and make races more technical and a little bit harder.”   

Lydia hails from Auckland but has joined the Bendigo all-female cycling squad to gain experience in the bigger bunches that Australian women’s cycling attracts.

“What we do back home is nothing compared to this, really,” she says of her first major rides for BCWS, which included the prestigious Tour Down Under.

“You see everyone here in matching team kits and there are even team cars. The peloton is much bigger - in NZ it's lucky to be 20-30 whereas here it can be up to 80 or 90.

“You have to be a whole lot smarter racing and it is a lot more professional.

"Australians seem to take cycling a lot more seriously, especially the women's side of things.”

In return, the Bendigo team is happy to have her on board.

“We are getting so much out of her,” says manager Nicole McNamara, who heard Lydia was looking for an Aussie team via Cycling Victoria road manager and former BikeNZ employee Simon Gwynn, who had earlier linked them up with young Kiwi compatriot Georgia Vessey.

“He gave Lydia a big wrap.

"He contacted us and said he had another New Zealander looking for a ride. She is so grateful and enthusiastic and always gives her best.”

After watching her dad John riding in mainly B-grade races for years, Lydia was prompted to take up the sport herself at the age of 12 after seeing some of the Kiwi women in action.

“We went to the NZ crit championships one day and I was watching the elite women's race and turned to my mum Annette and said, ‘one day I am going to be out there’.

“They inspired me and it looked like something I wanted to try, so two weeks later I was on a bike and I’ve never looked back really.”

Lydia proved to be a natural and began competing about a year later, winning her first New Zealand title in the under-15 time trial.

She also took out several national schools events.

“One of my favourite races would be an under-17 time trial championship where I had been beaten by the same girl all year and I was this puny underdog who didn’t really stand a chance, but I ended up winning.

"It brought me to tears because I'd worked so hard.

“Another was the national crit champs when I was 17 and racing in the elite women’s against some of the pros who I had always looked up to.

“I came sixth, which was pretty cool against some of my role models.”

The talented teen finished high school last year and is taking a year off to “see where my cycling takes me”.

Lydia has spent several days in Bendigo during two trips to Australia to date, and is impressed by the city’s vintage architecture, the majestic Sacred Heart Cathedral… and the burgers at her new favourite Australian chain, Grill’d.

She was a guest rider for BCWS in the Tour of Bright last December, flew home for Christmas and returned to take part in the first two stages of the National Road Series.

Her 38th place overall in a field of almost 90 starters made her the squad’s top finisher in the Tour Down Under, apart from guest rider and world silver medallist Rachel Neylan.

And she was again solid in the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race on January 31.

Though Lydia is headed back to NZ, she plans to return for the rest of the series, including tours in Adelaide, Tasmania, northern New South Wales, Canberra and regional Victoria.

She hopes to ultimately base herself around Bendigo and aims to pick up some retail work in the region, forging her way in the world away from the familiarity of family and friends.

“Dad has been the biggest influence on my cycling,” she says.

“He's always given me everything I needed and helped organise me coming out here to Australia.

"He’s provided time and money, plus he's got a lot of experience so he's a real mentor for me as well.

“Coming out here on my own twice has actually been really good, though.

"I think I relied on Dad a bit too much back home, so I’ve had to be more independent and grow up so much.

“It’s good to be pushed out of my comfort zone.” 

Lydia’s sporting goals include making the NZ team for the elite world championships and she would love to represent her country at an Olympics one day or ride professionally in major women’s tours in Europe.

For now, she is focused on national road championships in April and on helping the Building Champions Women’s Squad make their mark throughout 2015.

Nicole McNamara believes her newest BCWS team member has enormous potential.

“She's only 17 and the Tour Down Under was her first NRS race ever and to see who she was finishing with was pretty good,” McNamara says.

“A lot of riders in her position would be lucky to even finish the race.

“Lydia just has to take a step back and realise that she is actually racing right with these guys. She's not riding and just hanging on, she's really mixing it with them.”