In the Blood
Written 10 February 2009
It gets in your blood and once there it never really goes away.
Research shows that there are some specific sports that have this compulsive effect on people. �The two often talked about are running and cycling. �These are sports that athletes don't just "do" but are the precursor for who they become. �This can be said of any top athlete in any sport but I believe it happens more so in running and cycling than any other sport. �They become an addiction. This is possibly explained by the sheer intensity of both sports. Together with cross country skiing, running and cycling are the three hardest and most intense sports you can partake in.
There are so many athletes that quit cycling only to reappear a few years later when they realise life isn't that fun without the freedom and challenge of two wheels. �I must admit to a lack of consistency in cycling across my 13 years of participation. At university I very nearly let the sport go until it dawned on me that not riding made me unhappy. �I had been so challenged, tested and disciplined that a normal life had become boring and predictable. �Hence in 2004 I got right back into it and despite a slight hiccup in 2006 have remained on my bike. Be it for Cyco criteriums, Friday night track cycling, riding in the Waitaks or donut riding with DB I will now never ever fully quit riding.
In the interim watching others succeed in cycling is great, although I often feel happier for those who I know truly live and love the sport like I do. I think that is possibly why it is hard for some of us to watch the Power to the Podium programme unfold. Not because the girls they have chosen aren't talented but because many of them know nothing about the sport that we love. �They don't even know if they will necessarily love the track or continue with it. �I hope they grow to make the sport part of their soul, as it is passion in an athlete that leads to success, not just talent.
