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Country: New Zealand

Height: 5'8'

Weight: 143 lbs

Date of Birth: 12/05/1980

Place of Birth: Oamaru, New Zealand

Residence: Waimate, South Canterbury, NZ

Pro Since: 2005

In his first season racing in the United States, Heath Blackgrove finished 2006 with five top three finishes, including the overall title at the San Dimas Stage Race and a Stage 1 win at the Central Valley Classic.  2007 was to be a breakthrough season for Blackgrove who won the Tour of Vinyards in his home country of New Zealand and was third place at his National Road Championships, but then he seriously injured his knee at the Amgen Tour of California in February.  After several months of rehab, he returned to racing with a vengeance and was able to help the team win several races including his own victory at Stage 6 of the Mt. Hood Classic.

A former Olympian and 12-time national champion, Blackgrove achieved his first big results in 1996 when he won New Zealand’s national under-17 time trial, a title he would claim in every age category from Junior Under-17 up to Elite. He is also one of a select group of cyclists who have won the New Zealand Elite Road Championship more than once, crossing the finish line first in 2003 and 2004.

In 2003, Blackgrove was also a member of the New Zealand Pursuit Team that took home Gold at the Sydney World Cup and took sixth place in the same event at the World Track Championships in Stuttgart, Germany. One of his greatest career achievements to date occurred in 2004, when he represented New Zealand in the road race and time trial at the Olympic Games in Athens, Greece.

From an early age, Blackgrove was coached by Colin Ryan, a New Zealand sprinting legend who has remained a mentor throughout his career. He has also trained under respected Aussie track coach, Charlie Walsh, whom he credits for adding a new dimension to his training, focusing on bigger miles, strength and power and helping him make the jump to the pros.

An all-round cyclist and team player, Blackgrove is strongest on rolling to hilly terrain and in time trials. Before joining Toyota-United, his career was based overseas, racing for Belgian teams Beveren and Jartazi Ravor. Despite success in both the United States and in Europe, his favorite race is still the one that takes him home - the Tour of Southland. It is a six-day event run in the south of New Zealand and one of the only New Zealand races his schedule allows.