Posted: June 18th, 2010 | Filed under: Bike Racing and Training | Tags: Bike Racing, Cycling, Nature Valley Grand Prix, Stage 4 |
Chloe Hosking (HTC-Columbia) captured her second professional stage win at today’s Uptown Minneapolis Criterium. Shelley Evans (Peanut Butter & Co TWENTY12) won all three intermediate sprint competitions and took third in the pack sprint to gain an additional 21 seconds worth of time bonuses and secure the yellow jersey, as
The race was active, with HTC-Columbia’s Kim Anderson, Emilia Fahlin, and Linda Villumsen seen attacking at the front alongside Team Vera Bradley Foundation, Team TIBCO, and Colavita/Baci. Breakaways only got a few seconds away, and lasted at most one lap. As the time bonus laps were announced, Peanut Butter & Co TWENTY12 took to the front to deliver Evans to her time bonuses.
“We wanted to make Shelley really work for the sprints so I was jumping long to try to get her to have to go early,†said Brooke Miller (Team TIBCO). “The first two time bonuses I had some long sprints out there, we were jumping before the corner!†Miller captured a total of 16 seconds of time bonus, 10 for taking second in the stage and six additional sprint competition seconds.
“The battle was on today, some different people were going for it, some competitive sprinters,†Evans said about the fierce sprint points competitions, which saw Evans drive all the way to the line to take the wins. “It took a little out of my snap, but you know, big picture always in mind, the team did an amazing job for getting it. We had our goal, we accomplished it, and we’re happy.â€
With four laps to go the peloton slowed down and went from strung out to spreading across the width of the road.
“It slowed a bit in the last 3 laps, so it was a bit of jumping from wheel to wheel just to try to stay up front,†said Hosking. “Luckily for me it really picked up in the last lap. We [the team and I] rode the course before, and we thought that going into that last corner if you were more than second wheel back your race was over. Coming into the last right hand corner was a bit chaotic. I was second wheel, but it was 3 people wide. Not ideal, but it worked out!â€
“Chloe had a great run on my wheel and flew around me right at the end, timed it perfectly,†said Miller, who drove out of the final corner with a small gap. “There’s a difference between losing and getting beat, and I got beat today, she had a great sprint.â€
Evans leads the yellow jersey charge with 19 seconds over the second place Starnes. Villumsen (HTC-Columbia) maintains third, while Ruth Corset (Team TIBCO) moves up to fourth with a one second intermediate sprint time-bonus. Kim Anderson (HTC-Columbia) was awarded the Freewheel Bike Most Aggressive Rider Jersey. Evans widens her Wheaties Sprint Jersey lead, Starnes keeps the Fruit By The Foot Best Young Rider Jersey and the Jelly Beans Sport Beans Queen of the Hills Jersey, and Chloe Forsman (Specialized D4W/Bicycle Haus) keeps the Nature Valley Top Amateur Rider Jersey.
Tomorrow’s Menomonie Road Race in Menomonie, WI, is a first for the Nature Valley Grand Prix. The 76 mile women’s course is marked by rolling hills and long climbs on a windy course that is anticipated to shake up the general classification.
Posted: June 17th, 2010 | Filed under: Bike Racing and Training | Tags: Cycling, Nature Valley Grand Prix, Stage 3 |
Disappointment abounded when the Cannon Falls Road Race was cancelled due to severe weather conditions.
On a humidly sunny day as the Midwest knows so well, 92 women lined up at the start, adrenaline and anticipation in the air. The jersey-wearers were called up to the line and to the naked eye it seemed a race-start as usual, when race officials abruptly announced the cancellation of the race.
â€I race [cyclocross]. I’ve been through hail, snow, rain, wind, bring it on,“ said Coryn Rivera (Peanut Butter & Co Twenty Twelve).
â€It’s not that we don’t recognize that there is a problem,“ said René Wenzel, team director of HTC-Columbia. â€We can all see the weather, check on our radios and our mobiles. It’s that we’re not trying. I think it’s sad we’re going to cancel before it actually happens. It’s happened before that we there was a tornado warning, we started the race and then we took shelter – 20 minutes later it was all clear and we could move on.“
â€We looked out on the road for places to take shelter, and there aren’t any,“ admitted Paul Merwin, the Women’s Technical Director. â€Once you’re out there there’s no where to go. It’s just open farm fields. A couple years ago we had a lightning strike and everybody hid in a barn at Redwing, but we don’t even have that out here.“
“We had a difficult conversation an hour in advance of are we going to go,†Merwin said. “We decided we were going to go and take the chance. It wasn’t until the very last minute that our state patrol car was on the phone with the National Weather Service and said, ‘You need to come see this’, that we see it’s a big red blotch and it’s coming right towards us. It went from, ‘There’s a 50% chance of significant weather’ to ‘there’s hail and 60 mile an hour winds that are on their way here’. That’s a level of certainty that we can’t ignore.“
Race officials tried every angle, looking for shortcuts, scoping out potential exit points, return points, and areas of shelter. In the end, definitive reports of severe tornado weather conditions from the National Weather Service caused the race to be called off.
â€I’m really disappointed,“ said David LaPorte, Executive Director of the Nature Valley Grand Prix. â€This was going to be an awesome stage, especially with the potential of the wind breaking up the general classification. Often times the Cannon Falls Race, when it’s calm, everyone rolls back into town as one big peloton and then a pack sprint for the finish. When you have a cross-wind you can gain or lose massive amounts of time. It looked like we could have that cross-wind, but it looked like we could also have a major downpours and hail it was just too dangerous. The women’s race we cancelled because we saw it coming in and the men’s race, when they started it looked like it was going to be okay and as it developed they had to cancel it as well.“
â€Yes, I’m disappointed, but it’s better than getting pounded on by hail and 60mph winds and possibly really getting hurt,“ said Shannon Koch (GG Events Management).
â€I finally got to do a stage race with a rest day,“ Katherine Carroll (Peanut Butter & Co TWENTY12) Tweeted lightheartedly.
Tomorrow sees the leaders line up again to shake up the tightly packed general classification at the Uptown Minneapolis Criterium.
Posted: June 17th, 2010 | Filed under: Bike Racing and Training | Tags: Cycling, Nature Valley Grand Prix |
Stage 3 of the Nature Valley Grand Prix, the Downtown St. Paul Criterium, was held together by the teams with general classification hopes, resulting in a shuffling of the general classification via time bonuses as Alison Starnes (Team TIBCO) maintained the yellow jersey for one more day.
The race was strung out from the gun, with HTC-Columbia, Peanut Butter & Company Twenty Twelve, and Colavita taking notable pulls at the front the first few laps.
A crash on the third lap found approximately 15 people in the neutral pit, including the yellow-jersey Starnes and several Team Vera Bradley Foundation, HTC-Columbia, Team TIBCO, and Peanut Butter & Company Twenty Twelve riders.
With the crash, chunks of the peloton struggled to bridge huge gaps. Eventually the pace eased up and most of the field regrouped. Some small breaks were attempted, but none stuck.
By the first 10 laps Peanut Butter & Co. Twenty Twelve’s strategy for claiming the yellow jersey became apparent as Shelley Evans won all three sprint laps. Evans went on to take third in the stage and amass a total of 21 seconds in time bonuses. Though hoping to overtake Starnes for the yellow jersey, Evans landed shy of the GC lead by just 2 seconds off the lead.
Though most of the race was well controlled, the teams fought a messy last lap set up their sprinters for the win.
“We were lined up with three to go which was too far out,†Evans explained. “We let other teams take control. I was just trying to move up and move up and never really made it far enough. You can’t win coming out of the corner on fifth or sixth wheel which is what happened to me so I just chased in the sprint.â€
“I’m a little disappointed in how I did, but, tomorrow’s a new day and we race again.â€
“It was really jumbled up at the end, all of the riders were really fighting, †said Theresa Cliff-Ryan (Colavita/Baci Pro Cycling Team) who took second on the stage. “Coming out of the last corner in second place, I just didn’t have enough to get to the line first.â€
While Peanut Butter & Co Twenty Twelve, Colavita/Baci Pro Cycling Team, and Team TIBCO fought for sprint time-bonuses, HTC-Columbia took a different approach.
“Our strategy was exactly what happened – to let Chloe [Hosking] relax and wait until the final sprint and see if she can win,†said HTC-Columbia director René Wenzel. “We just wanted to go for the win, so it was a successful day.â€
“Coming into the race I wanted to look after myself going into the sprint and I found myself in third place on Theresa Cliff-Ryan’s wheel which is not a bad place to be,“ said stage winner Hosking. â€I was lucky enough to get a win. It feels really good to finally get a win under my belt this season.“
About the team strategy for the rest of the week, Hosking added, “We’ve got two really strong GC contenders and we’re confident that we’ll be able to get the time back on the girls who got the time bonuses today on the hills. Evelyn Stevenson and Linda Villumsen are two of the top climbers in the world.â€
Former time trial UCI World Champion Amber Neben (Webcor Builders) continued her return to racing after recovering from a crash-marred season and was seen safely near the front of the peloton.
Stage 3, the Cannon Falls Road Race, boasts three Queen of the Hill competitions and one sprint points competition. Time bonuses of 15, 10, and six seconds will be granted first, second, and third place stage finishers respectively.
Heading into Cannon Falls, just seven seconds separates the top six general classification contenders.
Evans is 2 seconds back, while team mates Linda Melanie Villumsen and Evelyn Stevens (HTC-Columbia) are four seconds and five seconds back respectively. Ruth Corset (Team TIBCO) is five seconds back, and Alison Powers (Team Vera Bradley Foundation) is seven seconds back.
Posted: June 16th, 2010 | Filed under: Bike Racing and Training | Tags: Cycling, Nature Valley Grand Prix |
by Cynthia Lou
Alison Starnes of Team TIBCO won the St. Paul Riverfront Time Trial, exemplifying what the Nature Valley Grand Prix is all about – growing young talent from their first professional race experience to winning this year’s opening stage in her first NRC win. The podium was rounded out by two HTC Columbia riders, Linda Villumsen and Evelyn Stevens in second and third place respectively.
Just two years ago Starnes had her first taste of professional cycling as part of the Nature Valley Pro Ride team.
“This was my first pro race,†shared Starnes. “I’d just upgraded from a Cat-4 earlier that year, and the experience was a little traumatic – I just remember it was hard!â€
One notable difference of this year on the technical side was the ban of aero equipment. Though most riders wishes they could race in full time trial gear, Starnes noted, “It’s the same race, it’s you against the clock.â€
Previous years’ champion Kristin Armstrong, who announced her retirement from the sport at this stage last year, returns as the director of Peanut Butter & Co Twenty12.
“I still can’t sleep before a time trial, I get nervous for my girls!†said a radiantly pregnant Armstrong. “I’ve won this race the last four years and I’m back with my team to with for a fifth straight year.â€
When asked which is harder, being a cyclist or being director, Armstrong laughs, “I think it’s easier to hop on your bike and ride! It’s been a lot of work, a lot of fun, and I’m looking forward to this week. I want the girls to be able to have great races and have the kinds of experiences that I’ve had here at Nature Valley.â€
Armstrong coaches many of the girls in the peloton, including winner Starnes.
“Time trialing is all in the head. It takes time to become mentally strong. Once you do that, you’ve done your homework, your fitness is there, you just have to go as hard as you can on a bike. It’s just 15 minute time trial. There’s no pacing, there’s no holding back. When you cross that line, I always tell people, no regrets because you were in control those 15 minutes.â€
“We are here support women’s cyclingâ€, says HTC Columbia team director René Wenzel, who brought a mixed squad of experienced and younger riders.
Last year’s champion Alison Powers (Team Vera Bradley Foundation) came in just shy of the podium in 4th place at 14’ 45“.
The action continues tonight at the St. Paul Downtown Criterium, with four opportunities for time bonuses of up to 15 seconds that is sure to shuffle around the general classification.
Posted: June 18th, 2009 | Filed under: Bike Racing and Training, Growth and Development | Tags: Cycling, Dotsie Bausch, inner game, Jazz Apples Women's Cycling Team, Susy Pryde, women's cycling |
In bike racing, as with any competitive endeavor in life, it’s important to experience physically what it takes to win, in order to imprint â€success“ firmly into the mind in order to be able to repeat a successful performance over and over again, at will. Usually, this process of learning what to do, how to do it, and how to time moves perfectly is a long and time consuming learning curve.
But the Jazz Apple Women’s Cycling Team have a different attitude. Jazz Apples’ Directeur Sportif Susy Pryde and Assistant Directeur Dotsie Bausch are pioneering a unique experience-driven development program by playing the role of both racer and directeur, mentoring their squad from within the peloton.
In addition, the Jazz Apples Women’s Development Team offers a holistic approach to training by incorporating mental, physical, and emotional support to develop smart and well-rounded racers, and imbue some semblance of balance to the life of the on-the-go professional racer.
â€Learning how to manage oneself away from home, financially, emotionally and athletically is large part of being a successful athlete,“ said Pryde. In addition to managing oneself, Pryde understands the importance and responsibility an athlete plays in representing a sponsor and teaches the girls how to present themselves in a way that is conducive to promoting their team brand.
Here we explore how this innovative team is developing younger riders, while providing practical tips that anyone can apply immediately to improve their results.
MASTER THE INNER GAME OF CYCLING FOR OUTER GAME RESULTS
As in any endeavor, knowledge and information are only one part of the equation – the physical experience of knowledge is what creates understanding and results. There is a reason some racers consistently win, time and time again, while others consistently rank in the top 5 or 10 without win – the winningest racers have a clear image and physical experience of it takes to win, and with this image, are able to produce successful results reality.
Though being the strongest rider in the field never hurts, any rider can better their results and win more titles by also racing smart. Frequently called “chess on wheelsâ€, effective bike racing involves learning which breakaways to follow, what moves to make, when to be patient, and when to be aggressive.
Reading riders is something of an art, versus science. As veteran racer Michael Creed of Team Type 1 said, â€I’m pretty good at reading when the guys are tired, I can sense that stuff and I know how to use it.“
But how does one learn to have this sixth sense? â€Necessity is the mother of invention,“ laughed Creed.
Bausch and Pryde have a different way of approaching this: Through direct, in-race instruction.
â€It’s hard to give really effective coaching from the team cars,“ explained Bausch. â€As a [pro women’s] development team, we’re usually sitting too far back in the team cars to be able to see what’s going on, how the race is developing. Sure we have meetings before and after, but it’s just not the same.â€
Following Pryde’s lead, Bausch was inspired to parlay her years of race successes, which include 3rd at the 2007 Pan Am Games, 2007 National Pursuit Individual and Team Champion titles and numerous Queen of the Mountains jerseys, to the next generation of racers. At the recent Nature Valley Grand Prix, Bausch was seen racing alongside and leading out the girls, explaining which breaks to follow and how to read the viability of a break, even launching into a breakaway herself as a way to use her talents to bring more attention to the team as a whole.
How well does this technique work?
“We got Ruth [Corset] the Queen of the Mountains Jerseys at [The Liberty Classic In Philadelphia] and at [Tour du Grand, ] Montréal!†beamed Bausch.
Hearing the enthusiasm in her voice, it’s easy to see how rewarding it is for Bausch to step into a mentorship role, a role she describes as “the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done on a bikeâ€.
Though the single-minded focus and discipline it takes to be competitive as a top level racer – or soon to be top level racer – is necessary, “It got tiring to just focus on me me me, and then, oh yeah, me,†laughed Bausch. “I felt fulfilled and slightly bored just focusing on myself. I thought, I’m done. It’s totally invigorating, passing [my race knowledge] on. They give me the reason to fight, to do it for the girls, because otherwise I’d be chillin’ in the back, or maybe not racing at all. At this level you can’t just step in and out of racing.â€
Pryde credits Webcor Builder director Laura Charmaeda with teaching her how to race, and enjoys knowing that she can now pay it forward.
“When I was new to racing, we all really looked up to Susy,†explained Bausch. “She was always seeing where she could help, who she could give a push to. She could say one thing, and that one thing can last a lifetime with them.â€
“The girls can have such an impact on others, just by a simple word of encouragement. We like to teach the girls not just for themselves, but to be leaders in the peloton and to take what they learn to other teams.â€
MATCHING INNER BELIEFS WITH OUTER CAPACITIES TO CREATE RESULTS
The inner game of bike racing includes in-race tactics and on-bike techniques, but it starts with coming from both a physical and mental preparedness. Being a New Zealand-based team, one side-effect advantage of the Jazz Apple squad is their ability spend extended periods of time together between races, rather than instantly jetting off back to home. Pryde and Bausch use this time as an opportunity to teach the mental game of recovery and between-race preparedness.
“Some of them feel that they were fitter earlier, but really it’s that the racing is starting to take its toll on the central nervous system,†said Bausch. “The traveling, the racing, the being away from home, the sleeping on different beds, the different hotels, the different host houses. Your body starts to get used to it the longer you do it. YOU just get more resilient. But the first few years it’s kind of shocking.†This is the kind of experience and encouragement a young rider needs as they emerge through the growing process.
THE INNER DIALOGUE, GIVEN THROUGH OUTER DIALOGUE
Another job of the directeur sportif is to help riders create an inner dialogue congruent with success, and alert riders as to which moves are worthwhile. On the rivet and in the red zone, it’s difficult to think clearly and positively, let alone see opportunities.
For example, at the Stillwater Criterium of the 2009 Nature Valley Grand Prix, racers faced Chilkoot Hill, a 700 meter hill with an average grade of 22%. Shelley Olds (Proman Hit Squad) finished second on the stage, and acknowledged the role her directeur played in encouraging her through each lap, saying, “I had my director in my ear reminding me to chill, keep my own tempo, stick with them on the climb.â€
Similarly, the day’s third place finisher Andrea Dvorak (Colavita/Sutter Home presented by Cooking Light) remembered, “When Kristin [Armstrong (Cervélo Test Team)] started to go up the road with Shelley and get a little gap, my director said into my ear, ‘Close that gap, close that gap! It’ll be worth your while.’ So I put in an effort, caught them, and off we went.â€
FOCUS FIRST ON THE PROCESS AND THE RESULTS WILL FOLLOW
Once a racer has done all they “should†and “can†to prepare for a race, , sometimes it’s simply time to relax and enjoy the ride. In business there is the idea that if you focus on money, none will come. But if you focus on creating value, the money will come as a natural side effect. Similarly, focus on the process, the results will come. But fall into the trap of focusing on results, and you may find yourself in a stressful position.
“We definitely focus on process goals with the team,†explained Bausch. “In the end, you’re going to lose more races than you win, and you have to have the right attitude through it.â€
Michael Creed (TT1) shared a similar viewpoint. “When I was younger, I had nothing to lose. No one expected anything from me. When you allow yourself to fail, you just want to get better. Because of that, you’re successful. But when I became afraid of failing, I wouldn’t let myself go all-out. I had an excuse – form, weather, whatever. In cycling, or anything competitive in life, if you don’t go full out you’re going to fail.â€
“I had to drop my ego, and allow myself to fail. Drop expectations, and quit wanting for it to get easier. It never does.â€
CREATE YOUR OWN CHEERING SQUAD
What if we’re not blessed enough to race with a team like Jazz Apples? What if we don’t have a directeur sportif encouraging us through tough decisions and searing pain?
Dotsie offered some strategy tips to help learn the game of cycling.
“Observe! Really try to observe some of the teams. Try to figure out the team’s mission, try to guess it the night before and then see what happens during the race. Play a game with it! Be present in the race and observe the different teams – don’t just blindly go after everything that’s going up the road and blindly attack.â€
“Figure out, ‘Ah, they’re sending that person’, and try to figure out why, and what’s going on, and start to see the combinations that come together and realize what might actually make it up the road. Figure out the different combinations the teams are going to let up the road.â€
On a personal level, Bausch encouraged opening a dialogue with team directors after races. Not only will this help you learn, but it will also get you noticed as a thinking rider and start to set you apart from the rest of the peloton.
“It’s okay to go up to some of the directors and ask, ‘I noticed you were doing this, and doing that, what was the thinking behind that? ‘ I think some of the girls are timid, thinking that they’re getting in the way, but you can probably talk to any director. They’re really pretty approachable people, and would love for someone to ask intelligent questions.â€
LEARN TO GO ‘ALL OUT’
While it may seem that there is something to lose, practice asking yourself the question, “What if I had nothing to lose, what would I do now, or differently?â€
Sometimes the answer will surprise you. And sometimes not. But what asking this simple question does is it cuts through all of the excuses and potential excuses in your mind, and focuses you on the task at hand.
If the mind can only focus on one feeling at a time, might as well squeeze out the negative and make way for the positive.
CRAFT YOUR OWN INNER DIALOGUE BEFOREHAND
Create and implement a mantra. Let’s face it, in moments of pain there can be little brain space left to create something in the moment. Start practicing using a mantra now in your training. Choose one, and run with it.
A few examples to choose from:
â€Keep your cool“
â€Smooth“
â€Relax relax relax“
SEE IT IN YOUR MIND’S EYE, AND THE PHYSICAL WORLD WILL FOLLOW
Visualize it in real time.
Viatcheslav Ekimov, well-decorated and legendary rider with 3 Olympic Medals, 77 pro victories, and over 150 trips to the podium, used visualization to as part of his training. He visualized courses in preparation for races, and he visualized himself training in real time. If a course took an hour to ride, he would visualize it over the course of an hour.
Consider this study:
“Conducted by Dr. Blaslotto at the University of Chicago, a study was done where he split people into three groups and tested each group on how many free throws they could make.
After this, he had the first group practice free throws every day for an hour.
The second group just visualized themselves making free throws.
The third group did nothing.
After 30 days, he tested them again.
The first group improved by 24%.
The second group improved by 23% without touching a basketball!!!!
The third group did not improve which was expected.â€
Studies show that the neural pathways created from simply visualizing an act are similar to ones create by actually performing the act physically.
To reap the greatest benefits of visualization, it’s important to engage as many senses as possible.
What does it LOOK LIKE to visualize your race?
What are the SOUNDS you hear? What are people saying to you? What are you saying to yourself?
What are you SMELLING during the race?
How does it FEEL, both in your body, and the temperature of the sun and wind on your skin?
What are you TASTING? Are you drinking a sport drink, eating a Gu?
——–
In the end, it’s about preparation. Racers are often heard saying that they were â€granted miracles“ or that â€everything just amazingly came together perfectly on one day“ (Kristin Armstrong, on winning the Gold Medal at the 2008 Olympics). If opportunity favors a prepared mind, what can you do to bring your best game to the plate?
Align yourself with greatness and experience, and hold tight to your vision of success.
Posted: June 17th, 2009 | Filed under: Bike Racing and Training, Growth and Development | Tags: follow dreams, Joanne Kiesanowski, Kiwi, take a chance, Team TIBCO |
Joanne Kiesanowski of Team TIBCO, fresh off two trips to the podium at this year’s Nature Valley Grand Prix, one for second place at the St. Paul Downtown Criterium and another for first place in the Team Competition, shared a bit about her experience in Minnesota, along with tips for aspiring Kiwi racers who are looking to race internationally.
Joanne Kiesanowski (TIBCO) Wins At Sea Otter 2009. Photo courtesy Carson Blume.
“This is such an awesome race and I’m just so happy to be here,†said Kiesanowski. “We all raced really hard, and Brooke [Miller] did such an awesome job. I love racing here, and I had such an amazing host family here so it just makes it so much fun.â€
Tips For Aspiring Pro Cyclists
Kiesanowski has been racing professionally since 2001, after taking a leap of faith in 1999 to follow her dream.
“Just take a chance and go with it. I came over here by myself and gave it a go,†remembered Kiesanowski. “Don’t just wait for opportunities. Just go out there and make them for yourself. If you’re at the level where if you feel you can race internationally just spend the money and go overseas and eventually it will pay off.â€
What if you’ve taken the leap – how does an aspiring racer get noticed? Kiesanowski recommends talking to people and making contacts in addition to getting the kinds of results that teams are looking for.
“I did two years of just two or three months, racing the criteriums and on the track. In my third year I signed my first pro contract. [It’s about] getting the results, and getting your name out there.â€
Just as focusing the sun’s rays through a magnifying glass can take disparate energy and create a single point of heat powerful enough to create a fire, Joanne advised, “You just have to go for it and don’t look back. Say, ‘Okay, well I’m just going to focus on this,’ and go for it. Don’t do it half-heartedly. Don’t try and to a lot of things at once. Just focus on racing and do it.â€
“It’s hard to do it by yourself but, it’s worth it in the end.â€
Posted: April 8th, 2009 | Filed under: Bike Racing and Training, Business and Entrepreneurship, Growth and Development, Productivity | Tags: Bike Racing, business coaching, business development, grow your business, improve your business, make money online |
- Don’t be afraid of the wind and resistance. If you watch the Tour de France, you’ll see whole teams working together to keep their General Classification guy/race leader out of the wind. So, yes, it’s best to stay protected and out of the wind to conserve for the end. But sometimes, it’s takes the guts and strength to attack and ride away from the pack, alone and uncovered, that will ultimately bring in a victory. You don’t know unless you try – in fact, UCI Pro Sergio Hernandez contends that it’s his ‘guts’ to breakaway that had teams notice his performance and open the doors to his success. Not only is he stronger for being out on a solo effort, but he gathers more attention for himself and the team.
It’s easy to let the illusion of “safety†and “conservation†keep you from taking the steps required to break through to new levels. In business, are you trying to keep yourself safe? Are you shrinking back in this economy, fearful of creating new programs and services, or attached to the comfort of your current product and service offerings, and trying to figure out how to force sales in the new economy? Dare to step out into that arena where you are uncomfortable, maybe even where you “shouldn’t†be, but know you need to be in order to grow. Dare to try something new, even if you don’t know if it’s going to work. Is there a coaching program who’s monetary investment scares you? Are you realizing you are outgrowing some of your friends and colleagues, and it’s time to move on? These can be scary choices to make, but they are also the ones that set you free and allow you to step towards the life you REALLY want.
- Taking shortcuts leaves you empty, and maybe even without learning the lessons you were meant to learn. I admit – I am still a Category 4 racer. Ouch! That stings!….breathe…..okay. In cycling, women start at the Category 4 level, and work their way up by earning points to upgrade to Cat 3, then Cat 2, and Cat 1. Many women I started racing with have bounded up the ranks quickly, and yet, through many tears and long training hours, here I am still a Cat 4. But I am finally calm in my Cat 4-ness, and realize that I still have some lessons to learn, much as I want to be a Cat 3, and Cat 2. I feel that once I learn what I need to learn to achieve my first upgrade, my second upgrade will come quickly. Each level will bring new lessons. If I had short-cutted the process, I would miss valuable lessons that make me a more solid rider. In business, I see people trying to take short cuts all the time. Yes, they can work. No, I’m not saying it all has to be long and arduous. The key is to enjoy the process. Relax and have fun, each person and business has their own lessons to learn and own journey to take.
- Sometimes you just have to throw your EVERYTHING in, beyond what you think you can do, to make that winning break. In business, are you selling yourself short by not giving it all? Not only does your business suffer, but the people whom your business serves don’t have the privilege of enjoying the support, services, or products you offer. I recently met Adam Stone (http://www.AdamStone.com), a brilliant artist, who shared that it was simply his gift and calling to be creative and be an artist. As a professional artist, it’s not always smooth sailing, but what a disservice to the world if he didn’t share his artwork and give people the opportunity to enjoy it? Similarly, how many people do I keep from being their best when I don’t share about the kinds of online and social media marketing I do? How many businesses could I partner with to grow in this economy if I simply opened my mouth more to share about my consulting programs? Well, I’m starting here.
- Set goals, be motivated, but don’t forget to enjoy the scenery. It’s a process after all. Enjoy the people you meet, the successes you have along the way, however small or large. Remember that on the other side of a perceived hardship can come your greatest opportunity.
- Recovery periods are NECESSARY to grow. I’ve seen many a cyclist burn out from over training. It’s easy to do, because the endorphins can seem addictive, and the thought is, “If this works well, more will work better!†Many of the pro cyclists I know enjoy simple coffee shop rides when they return from tough stage races, much to the surprise of the amateurs who like to throw down the hammer at every group ride, every day. Running a business requires the mental space to be creative, to make clear decisions for the company. If we’re too tired, an insidious mental fog can cloud your productivity and effectiveness, slowly pulling us down. Take at least one full day off a week. Schedule vacations, and take them! (I’m still working on this one ) Build in recovery periods throughout the day if you can. A fantastic program for increasing your personal productivity by as much as 10x is Eben Pagan’s Wake Up Productive.
- Find a good coach. Or at least throw yourself into the ring with people better than you. You are the average of the closest 5 people around you. Your income is the average of the closest 5 people around you. Throw yourself into the ring with people who’s lifestyles and income are what you are seeking. This is not to say get rid of all of your friends, but just be aware that, as in cycling, you keep riding with slow people you are going to stay slow. Additionally, a good coach and mentor can pull you above the low roar and constant bombardment of ideas, and perfect and fine tune the idea that best works for you. If you are seeking a business coach who can pull the money-making business out of you, contact me at ‘ cynthia at cynthialou.com’.
- Try to ride with people better than you. Listen to and learn from the conversations. I can’t tell you how much my world changed after hanging out with pro cyclists. At the amateur level, I heard a lot of complaining and blaming. There was a lot of “his faultâ€, “their faultâ€, “my bike fit’s offâ€, “if only I had one more GUâ€, the list is endless. I’ve seen pros kick butt with stomach aches, after puking up their last meals from a stomach bug, with the wrong bike fit. They just don’t complain about the petty things. They know they can believe in themselves to create results with their team. Similarly, don’t blame your lack of skills or knowledge for holding you back. You probably have everything you need to succeed, you’re just not allowing yourself to on some level. For me, PSYCH-K released all sorts of subconscious limiting beliefs that kept me scaredy and not winning. Email me at ‘cynthia at cynthialou.com’ for more information about PSYCH-K and how it might help you.
- Nutrition is vital. But be sure to have some fun with it too. Good nutrition leads to good mental health. Good mental health makes for clearer decisions and ability to handle stress and the rigors of running a business. Obsessive, anal retentive tracking and monitoring of food makes for crazy. Obsessive, anal retentive, driven work habits also make for crazy. Trying to “force†everything in a business doesn’t allow for the Universe and your intuition to whisper tips to you. Trust me, the Universe is smarter than you.
- Vary your training. In cycling, we work on sprinting, tempo/time-trialing, climbing. Each kind plays an important role in racing. In business, remember to engage the entrepreneur, manager, and technician. A concept I learned in Michael Gerber’s book The E-Myth, the entrepreneur is the big ideas part. The manager organizes and gets things moving smoothly. The technician does the “workâ€, such as a web designer doing the design, the cake baker making cakes. Imbalances in any of these areas can cause chaos, and detract from overall business effectiveness. As your business grows, you can grow staff and partners to specialize in each of the areas, i.e. hire project managers, hire designers & bakers, etc. Just like you’ll see members of a cycling team specialize in certain specialties.
- Look good in spandex. Yes, the process of training and riding a bike has me more fit and has grown me some great muscles, but it’s also forced me to have integrity throughout my life, to live in a way that strengthens me and has me always looking to shine light on the inner demons that want to hold me back. if you’re trying to hide poor financial management, poor team management, or even a messy desk, ask yourself where your integrity is out. You can only hide it for so long, then it all starts to hang out.
Posted: April 6th, 2009 | Filed under: Bike Racing and Training | |
Many people have been asking me why I like cycling so much. Well! Let me share with you!
Cycling is fun on so many levels.
First, it gets me outside, in the sun, enjoying scenery.
Second, I love how free I feel on a bike.
Third, having competition keeps me sharp, keeps me striving to get better and not simply settle.
Fourth, as a former (recovered? recovering?) anorexic, I needed something to take the focus off the sport of fitting into my jeans. Watching that top button on my jeans is not fun! Cycling? Fun! I have to be my best self in order to be a fast racer, and that means eating, sleeping, AND training well.
Now, if my jeans get a bit loose in the leg and tight at the top, I don’t fret too much. I know that I probably have been working more and training less. Now, if my jeans get a bit snug in the leg, I know that I’ve added some speed-inducing muscle. Yeah!
A fabulous side effect of racing is that I do happen to look better in my jeans….
