Launceston's former world athletics championship representative Josh Harris said he is totally committed to exploring whether he wants to jump sports to cycling.
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The 29-year-old teacher, who reached the pinnacle of athletics when he contested the marathon at the 2017 world titles, turned to cycling as part of his comeback from a serious foot injury.
After crashing in his first race, the Tour de Singkarak in Indonesia, Harris bounced back to complete last week's Tour of Tasmania, coming 67th of the 71 finishers just over half an hour off the time of winner Dylan Sunderland.
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"A bit of both," he said when asked if cycling was simply cross-training or a career change.
"I am taking it seriously and this is what my focus is on at the moment. As for what the future looks like, my options are open.
"I'm pretty new to it but I'm still improving and the possibilities are endless."
The former Brooks High student's sporting destiny was in question when he reached its pinnacle in August 2017.
After a decade-long running career featuring numerous state titles and national bronze medals over 3000 metres, half-marathon and marathon, the two-time Tasmanian distance athlete of the year risked permanent injury by starting his marathon race at the IAAF world championships.
A freak accident at an altitude training camp in Switzerland a fortnight earlier saw Harris suffer a stress fracture in his anklebone.
The University of Tasmania Athletics Club member, who also represented Australia in cross-country, began his race in London but pulled out halfway and did not run for the next year.
Two years later he turned to cycling which he said was much easier on the body but a totally different mindset.
"Physiologically it's quite different to marathon running where you have to hold a pace for two hours. This is a lot more up and down which really tests me.
"These guys back up, back up and back up again. I'm used to having time to recover.
"I'm spending more time training than I ever have and it's all in. I'm putting the work in but it's a different kind of work."
Harris, who is also a former beer mile world record-holder, said the tour's learning curve was as steep as the Poatina stage profile.
"I learned a lot, especially about riding in the wind and positioning in the bunch.
"I didn't really have expectations to do well but it is something cool to add to the list of things I've done.
"Cycling is a tough game. If you lose the peloton, it's game over. But it's good experience and I'm loving it. If this is the pinnacle of my cycling then that's pretty cool.
"I think I've got the capacity, it's about getting the same mentality as these boys.
"I've got plenty of work to do if I want to get good on the bike.
"I've been able to see where I compare and think I'm going OK."
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Rob Shaw
Heralding the impact of Tasmanian sport without saying "punching above its weight" is not as easy as it sounds.
Heralding the impact of Tasmanian sport without saying "punching above its weight" is not as easy as it sounds.
