What it takes to be a Champion

A recent post, brought a lot of feedback about what it takes to excel in cycling.   The overall responses were shocking to me.

Many people, some who's opinions I greatly respect, responded.  It seems that most feel champions are 'born'.  It is a case of genetics….you have it or do not.   You have the VO2 Max or you don't.  I even got some feedback that 'luck' was a key determinate.

I have spent a lifetime reading, studying, observing, and coaching for performance.   I have strived for personal high performance in several arenas over the last 50 years.   One of my recommended reads is the TALENT CODE.   This is one, of many books, exploring this very interesting subject.

Since we know that 'beliefs' drive action which creates results, one's belief, on an all important subject like this, can largely determine life outcomes.

NOTHING in my experience leads me to believe that champions are born.  

When I was playing football at Texas A&M in the late 60's, we had a pretty poor team and I was about the 30th best overall athlete in the group……….project that to a national scale including all the athletes for just the football teams.   Maybe there were a few thousand guys in the sport, at that level, with greater general athletic ability??   Add basketball, baseball………..you get the idea.  You might say, I was one of the 'many others'.

Academically, I achieved the Dean's List most semesters…….but then so did about 500 other people at Texas A&M alone.  I routinely found myself in upper level classes with folks that could learn and grasp things over my head.  Calculus was like the Chinese Language to me.

When I started cycling, Joe Friel did testing on me.   My VO2 Max was so low, I would not listen to what he even said about it.  I figured all it could do was limit what I believed I could accomplish.

I have one friend and cycling comrade that was a surgeon, is a scratch golfer, went to Hawaii to the World Ironman Championships, plays music and sings, is a woodworker.   I am sure I left something out.  I could not be a doctor if tried, once had a 9 handicap, can't hardly swim two laps in a 25 meter pool, can't sing, play an instrument or dance.   Do you get the picture?

Don't get me wrong, I came into this world with some gifts.   I am damn glad for the hand I was dealt genetically but it is hardly extraordinary.

I have been fortunate enough to accomplish a few things in life and most recently on the bike.  I was never an olympian or world famous business person but I have reached a few 'podiums' along the way.   Maybe I am kidding myself, but if I had relied on IQ or VO2 max tests to tell what I could accomplish, things would have been much different.  I always set bold goals I had no idea how to achieve.  I committed myself to them.  I prepared through study and training.  I learned to suffer…….setbacks, defeat, pain and agony.  I rarely feared failure, injury or much of anything else.   One book I read, used the term 'GRIT'.  There is no test for 'GRIT'.  I am not sure I have all I could use, but I think I have a little.

I am pretty sure that every time I have reached the 'podium' in life, there have literally been thousands (maybe millions?) of people with better genetics who could have beat me but they didn't.  

Genetics and luck (if it even exists) are completely out of our control.  The truth is, we don't know what our potential is in anything.  The truth is most of us never come close to reaching our genetic potential so it is not really a limiter.  So, I am going to keep stumbling through life oblivious to genetics and luck.

I am going to train, rest, suffer, study Spanish and love my family.   I am going to strive to be a better and better bike racer, Spanish speaker, husband/father/grandfather.

I am going to pull up to the start line at the next race knowing my competition because I have studied their experiences and results.  I am going look around and calmly to see who might be second.

All of this will result in tons of failure but you know what?  Sometimes I WILL achieve success………

See ya out there.