Paul Brydon was born in Christchurch in 1951, but grew up in Rangiora, attending Rangiora High School. When he was only 20 when he was chosen to ride in the pioneering New Zealand 4000m team pursuit at the 1972 Munich Olympics. He was a member of the strong Papanui club and had come under the expert coaching eye of Wayne Thorpe.

Munich was the first Olympics in which New Zealand fielded a pursuit team. It comprised Brydon, Neil Lyster, John Dean and Blair Stockwell. In the qualifying round, the New Zealanders were clocked at 4min 35.11s, not quick to advance to the quarter-finals, and 14th overall. They rode well, considering at that time New Zealand was still learning about the team pursuit, and they recorded their fastest time in that ride in Munich.

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Paul's Games History