David Clinger looks more like somebody you?d meet in a dark alley than on the pro cycling tour but the full facial tattoo has brought plenty of luck to his new team-mates at the Helens cycle team.

He was with a rival team before his new look but when he turned up with the head-turning Maori-style tattoo, he was pretty much sacked on the spot.

The team were unhappy with what the sponsors would say and accused the cyclist of being bad for team bonding.

So he joined a new team who ?didn?t mind my freedom of expression? and they won their first four races ? and he hopes to do his best to allow Harm Jansen to defend his Front Street title tonight.

?They were pretty mad ? they thought it was offensive,? said Clinger, who did attempt to have laser removal surgery to placate his furious team but gave up on principle and because of the spiralling cost of the process.

?They got rid of me almost straight away. They had a problem with it for some reason, maybe because I didn?t tell them or something, but that?s their problem not mine.

?My new team have no issues. It is good for the profile of the team and the sport and they don?t seem to mind my freedom of expression.?

Clinger admits, however, that his old team were not the only ones unhappy with it.

?My mother was a bit worried about how I?d look and how I?d be treated in the future and stuff,? continued the Californian who admits the closest he has come to his tattoo?s Polynesian roots is swimming in the Pacific ? ?they are just on the other side of it?, he joked.

?But it can come off with laser treatment so that made her feel better and now she is pretty supportive.?

Clinger stills has more plans to return to his Argentinian facial artist, who he paid ?a few hundred dollars? for the work so far.

?I want to fill in some more sections along the jaw line and maybe around the eyes,? he continued.

?I love it. It felt a bit strange at first when the ink was drying but now you don?t really notice it.?

And on the subject of cycling, a subject from which he is often distracted by questions about his face, he simply stated: ?We are here to win and we have every chance. The humidity isn?t that bad and as a team we are going for first.

?I am not the team leader but he is pretty good at letting other people have a go if the position is right so we?ll see.

?There have been races where we have helped Harm get his win.

?But there have also been times when we have taken him to the front and he said he hasn?t got enough and that we should go.

?We are a strong team and I think we will be very competitive here. We have some good win streaks in the past and we are ready for this.?