Tonight I’ve had the hardest training session I have ever done, even harder than being power tested at British Cycling! It has got me thinking as I load the data onto Strava and Training Peaks and see what all my friends have been up to today. Riding miles in the sunshine and enjoying pushing themselves against others to get that all important ‘KOM’ while I follow a strict training programme of pushing my body to its limits on the turbo. I just wondered if we all were given the chance to go to an Olympic Games would we take it? Or is this the reason why the Olympics is so special, as we see the best of the very best against each other performing at the highest possible level and we believe that we don’t have that in us?
It’s like being told at the start of the school year by your new teacher “everyone at the moment has an ‘A’, however it’s up to you to keep it and its for you to lose.” Mr Watson the teacher that said this to my class had belief from not only me but a class of drop outs*. I’d never had a ‘A’ before, I only saw them on my big brother Alan’s report card. That was the only subject (besides P.E) I passed that year before I chucked in school for good.
Now I feel I’m in that same position with British Cycling, I just have to keep working hard, digging deep and that ‘A’ (or B-) could be mine. For me this is a great chance to achieve something very special turning around what I thought was going to be the end of my adventures and sporting life with the news I was losing my eyesight. To be included in a very special bunch of guys at British Cycling, the team mates, my tandem sight pilot Adam ‘Howser’ Duggleby, (and the coaches), who are giving up everything for a chance to perform on that stage. Even my wife Caroline, family and friends have made big changes to make sure I get the best out of myself which can be the toughest thing to deal with when other people put you first before themselves.
So given the opportunity would you commit and put your life on hold?
*If your a teacher reading this you should say this to every student you teach at the start of the year and see if you get better results……..A bit of Mr Watson’s teaching gold.
