The Mental Marathon - Tips for the would be omnium rider.

This is a special post that was requested by a young rider who has great blog that reaches out to various riders for unique posts. Read her blog HERE.

The question is what is it about the Omnium that makes in unique in cycling from other events and how do you manage those challenges.

For me the answer is in 2 parts. The event has such I high demand of specific abilities, but requires a long term and dynamic general plan. You need to proficient and comfortable at most distances. The challenge with that is time related. Training just one ability to an internationally competitive level is time consuming training 6 is an uphill battle you are likely to never win. Especially given that some of the disciplines seem to work against each other. Here are 5 tips that can help would be Omnium riders improve in a challenging event.

1. Understand and be honest about your strengths and weaknesses. From there look at what events you stand to make the most gain in if you improve. If you are in the top 3 in the kilo regularly extensive work on that event will lead to a 2 point gain at most. Work on an event where you are in the “softer” part of the ranking will let you spring past more people and lead to a better ranking.

2. Commit to a long term plan. It is really easy to get caught up in poor performances in certain events from race to race. If you are constantly chasing what you where most recently under performing in everything will suffer. If you have long term goals working towards them will likely help all events. If they are goals that address your biggest weaknesses you might be surprised at how that work will help even your strongest events.

3. Look at each event as a stand alone. Getting caught up in the ranking, especially early on, can lead to tactical decisions that cost you points you need later down the road. Don’t waist energy on stupid moves but do your best to race each event as it is regardless of the ranking.

4. When training have specific goals each day. Don’t try to mash it all together. Time is valuable so the work you do needs to be quality.

5. Have fun with it. The best thing about the Omnium is that you get to race a lot. You get chances to redeem yourself and learn. If you don’t get hung up on certain events then you can become a better bike racer faster in the Omnium then just about any other track event.

I hope this helps any younger riders thinking about Omnium.

London World Cup

Again the racing had me go through some highs and lows. the difference this time is I got pretty worked up about it. For anyone who was following the racing they would have seen that I yet again had an early exit from the Elimination. Usually I am disappointed. Usually I hoped for more. But this time I actually got physically angry. This for me is a good thing. Not because I got angry with myself, but because for once I feel like I have some emotional investment in my performances. I am generally considered a pretty even tempered fellow. This is a result of actually being a fairly fiery and an out of control competitor as a youth. I often had foot stamping tantrums when I could not win. Not because I was a poor sport, but because I felt I was better then what I was producing. As I grew up I had to learn to dampen that reaction or face social and moral consequences. This led to a disconnect of at least the visible emotional reactions to sport achievement in general. However I have always felt that I could use a little more emotional investment in my cycling life. I think if it is controlled properly emotion can be a great bellows for a competitive fire. My problem is I had worked so hard on being a good sport growing up I was left with coals to work with. Well this weekends racing sparked it back to life. It is refreshing to know I am emotionally invested. I think it will help me find a little more in my racing. It also seems that others took note of my change in personality as well. Even with a 3rd place performance the people at trackcyclingnews.com found more of a story in my spirited comeback than in the near flawless performance of the Colombian who clinched the event. Thanks to them for the props. I usually feel like the one who goes unnoticed so I appreciate the coverage.

Read the article here
http://www.trackcyclingnews.com/london12-momnium.html

Over all impressions of the Olympic venue are positive. I am looking forward to the return in a few months.

The Exit From Reality

I crossed a threshold some where here int the last 6 months…or 3 months….or 3 weeks. I am not really sure when. As you approach the Olympics you tend to take this graceful departure from reality. Everything around you fades into the background and at a certain point you stop making decision based on the same perimeters as everyone else in the world. It funnels you towards being extremely one dimensional. This is ironic because Olympians and pro or high level athletes in general are always asked to be these dynamic ambassadors of their country, sport, even gender. This means representing your sponsors appropriately and even in a way that is engaging but still on a level that can communicate to the common denominator. It also means being in a position where, if you are aware and choose to, you can influence the course of peoples lives, by providing inspiration which can be either positive or negative. That is why I find this contradiction so intriguing. Why is it that the general populace look towards us to be the standing pillars of something that seems to be the antithesis of our profession.

Everything about the Olympic experience seems to be “flattening”. You become more and more personally focused. Even to the point where you ask others to only focus on your needs. My wife is constantly having to plan her, eating, sleeping, activities and even phone calls around my needs. My coaches, staff and team mates are no different. I have even given up many of the activities that make me dynamic in favor of “the ideal” situation. It made me wonder how this simplified selfish monasticism can create so many good global ambassadors.

I think it is almost like deprivation training. The act of focus removes all the distractions and stimuli that normal people have all around them. When these become re introduced the best athlete ambassadors embrace them and appreciate them so much more. They take advantage of all the new options. I think this is why you hear so many high level athletes say “I would never have made it to where I am today with my sport”. It is not that their training or expertise has contributed to their success in a direct way. It is that the experience of refining that skill has turned them into a sponge. They have learned the value of experience. I think this is also why so many good ambassadors seem to have a split personality. As they focus down towards the ideal they can become different people, not bad, just different. It is not a negative change as long as they are aware of what they are doing and why. Then when they can “soak up” the world around them they suddenly have an excitement and vigor for the experiences of the world. This is what makes them inspirational. It is not just that they do these extraordinary things in sport, it is that they have this vigor and energy for all other experiences in spite of being involved in something that seems so much bigger to the average onlooker. Inspiration comes from the fact that someone that has been to such remarkable levels can have a genuine excitement about everything else. I know growing up I was inspired by athletes that where in the shoes I wear now. I also wondered how they could be so optimistic about the possibilities around them. Now I know, or think I know it is because of that deprivation. That exit from reality, that self centered objectivism, preps the body just like training does. It creates a child like optimism about all the other things out there. The good ambassadors recognize that and have a need to share that excitement and help others see part of the potential they see. Other athletes can get stuck in a downward spiral of “me” and there world will sort of collapse in on them.

For me I am truly looking forward to the soaking up. I am very excited about the Olympics and competing don’t get me wrong. It is priority one. But I know I am looking forward to spreading an excitement for life and all its experiences.

Cali World Cuped

Cali World Cup

Every year I have spent time in Vancouver in the winter wondering if it is really worth it to go down south for the winter as so many riders do to find that form. I have always thought “i can tough it out here in the rain. I can get the work done and probably be better for it.” Well This year I actually made the move down south. I have been living in Temecula California. Relocated my wife and Dog to do it and after this first race of the world Cup season I understand why.

Granted there are always a variety of reasons why you break through barriers in your form. I have been fighting with all the events in the omnium since its introduction. And I expect to be at odds with them right though the Olympics. It is just the nature of the discipline. So much racing and so little time. But the real measuring stick for me of “how strong am I” has always been my pursuit. It seems like the only quantifiable endurance event. It is the only one you can look at and say “I did that time because…”

I set the Canadian Record in the event back in the “youth” of my cycling career. I broke a record held by Brian Walton that had stood for something like 15 years. I did it while training almost exclusively for the pursuit. But despite all those factors I never understood why I had never been able to better my own time. Throughout my career I would like to think I had gotten stronger. I performed better each year in races on both the road and track. My accent has not been fast or surprising but it has been in the right direction. Winning pro stages, getting world cup medals, World Championship medals. Yet in all that time I had never seen an improvement in the 4km time. Last year at the world cup in Melbourne (the same venue where I set the record originally) I was able to dip under it by something like half a second, and over the years I was constantly riding in the 4:30’s more and more. But I could never understand why I could not break the barrier.

Riding a 4:27 in Columbia finally, in my mind, was a time that made sense to me in this event. And it made me realize what is so attractive about “the trip south” I don’t think it is the weather (cause I have done loads of road riding in the rain). It is not the training partners (I have been doing most of my riding solo). I think “the trip south” is a change int your attitude. It is something that causes a rider to focus all the energy on training. You go for a reason and so you almost automatically become more disciplined. You have made this investment and so you want to get the most out of it. That is the attraction, at least for me. It is a more “professional” way of conducting business, and in this case the business is bike riding. And I don’t think you need to go south to get this effect. You just need to GO. Just go some place where your lifestyle gets reduced to those vital things that are most important to you. In my case it is my family and my riding. Right now those are the things that take up my time. I think going south has meant there is less time spent on frivolity and more time spent on just those most basic activities of living. I don’t think this is a sustainable way of life permanently. But just because it is not continuous does not mean it is not a great way to live. I miss my friends and the wonderful distractions of North Vancouver. And the complexity of what sounds like a reduced simple athletic monasticism has been mind boggling. But in the end I think it is why I was able to pass the 4:30 mark in Columbia. It also confirms to me yet again that I am in good hands. With the support staff, my coach, my family it is all adding up to going faster. This is an exciting feeling to have at this stage of the game.

Sometimes I think I am in the circus

It seems like there is a lot of juggling. This sport and particularly the omnium seems like more of an exercise in logistical planning then sport preparation. With all the systems you need to train and all the venues you need to train them it is a wonder I can maintain a permanent address at all. One thing I am learning is how much I like some quite time at home.

Nice days out here

I am trying to be more of a blogger. I really am. Things just go so fast. It is still months from the games and things are already starting to move fast. I have moved out to California to be closer to both good road riding and the track at the home depot center.

It is exciting, making a move to create an ideal situation for training. It may not be a sustainable option over the long term but it sure is great to just head out and find a nice ride on just about every day on the bike. It is also spoiling me a little. I am writing this blog on the 2nd day of rain in 2 months. But it just seems so silly to go out when you know it will just be nice tomorrow. It is a good thing none of my Vancouver friends read blogs (well maybe Will excluded) otherwise they may think I am going soft or something.

Training started up again fast. And with some furry this year. As we get closer to the games I have more people watching everything more closely and we are zeroing in on what we think is going to be the best approach for me and it is exciting. It is also inspiring because every reason you have for doing something specific gives you that much more belief in what you are doing. Ultimately I think that is the most important ingredient in this process. The best athletes are the ones that have 100% confidence in there preparation.

Anyway I have been finding other things to enjoy about the new home away from home. I have been listening to more music (instead of playing bad music, something I hope to change soon). I have also been taking advantage of all the great local foods in California. I think being here for the access to food alone is a good enough reason to find your own little corner down here. It has also been fun hanging around the track gang again. It is a different vibe with these guys. I dunno if it is because we have been a part of this program when it was nothing, or because it is just a different kind of training…or if it is because of the people leading the train now but it is just a different scene. Not is a BETTER kind of way, just a different way and I always find the difference refreshing this time of year.

Anyway pace is changing and life is changing along with it but it is all for the better. First races are coming end of Nov. I am excited.

Finally flats and a super fantastic nature tour

The end of our Euro August tour finally finished on some flats. It was great to find that form that had been building up of the course of a month. The difference between racing at the beginning of the trip and at the end was like night and day. The team started to gel and people where filing the roles better and better. Personally it has left me excited to head back in the spring. The gains I made in my road skills on this trip are probably greater then any I have made in my career.

But enough about that blah blah cycling blog. This blog is more about the side of our team that makes us a little different. Before our last 2 races in Belgium we went back to a little area in the farm country. We headed out for a recovery ride through the country.

The ride started off like a normal spin. The young guys full of piss and vinegar rode off goofing around and dropped the rest of us pretty quickly. So the ride ended you being Will, Svein, Ryan A, Mark and myself. Turns out this combo was the perfect balance of interested parties and educated individuals to create an impromptu nature tour. We basically went in little spurts between 800M and 2 or 3 km between stops. Each stop was triggered by something edible. First Will spotted a sugar beet the size of a pumpkin. Shortly after he found some plumbs on the edge of a property and started to sample. This led to the owner of the property coming out. Instead of accosting us and sending us on our way he said. “You hungry? Come in and look.” The friendly farmer took us into his back yard which had more produce growing than you could find in the average super market. Standing there in our bike shorts we saw tomatoes, figs, peaches, pears, 2 varieties of plums, apples and honey bees.

We tasted and asked questions and explored and then where off. This visit peaked our curiosity so much a that virtually any time we saw something edible we stopped and at the very least discussed something about the free foods.

This is the part of racing in Europe that is so unique. There is always something to see or explore when you are not racing. Unique experiences like this are what take the job from being one of the best in the world to really unbelievable.

limousin, ain’t no plush towncar

That was 4 days of hurt locker…I mean there was some times at a nice easy tempo in this race. However you were almost always going up or going down. Never for TOO long but long enough to notice. As a team there are some positives to a race like this. I think it brought out a tenacity in every guy that maybe is not always there. When it went hard whether you were at the front or hanging on or chasing on you where pinned. We always hope for results but sometimes when you are trying to build something from the ground up you need to start with progress. I think we certainly saw that this week. Guillaume came into this week building on form and leaving some disappointment about tour de L’Ain behind. He was impressive. For someone with so few miles in the legs this year he was hanging with some of the best climbers in France. Will bounced back to ride through a race on some crazy rough roads with residual injuries. All the other guys here raced through tough moments and pushed to the end of the race. I feel like I added a new chapter to my limited road racing booklet. After 9 race days here I feel like I have started to get a grip on a bunch of new skills that will be important as this team grows and we work towards the goals of having a real European presence. Now we head off for 3 x 1 day races…a whole different can of hurt.

Tour de L’Ain 0.5

The end of today marked the halfway point of our first tour back in Europe and I think the opening two days saw us do some promising things as a team. We where at the very least competitive in the prologue. I would say most, if not all of us where a little handicapped by a lack of intimate knowledge of the course there. We tried to get a good pre ride in but the nature of the circumstances on the course just did not allow us to really hit the corners hard.

Day 2 we played for the sprint and waited for the “narrow dangerous” roads into the final town to make our move to the front. Again a knowledge of the course would have been helpful…as the roads were pretty much the furthest thing from narrow and dangerous that we raced the whole day.

Day 3 the hills started to roll and although I think many of us are on good form it is still a pack full of strong climbers and despite our best efforts only Svein was able to hang in with the front runners. So far this tour has been a battle for knowledge for us. This is what your first year in Europe is all about…learning the courses, knowing the finishes. The are hard lessons because I think all of us feel we have the legs to be more competitive than we are showing but as Svein said to all of us after the blundered sprint lead out, “its not just about your numbers over here.”

Time for a Time Change

August 1 and the rest of the pro world goes back to racing bikes. With the lull of racing that can happen for so many pro riders during the TDF August brings an interesting time. It is a time of transfers and talks for some riders. A time for rest for others and time for a second chance for most. The post tour race calender is full of great opportunities to push on the pedals. For many riders it is a chance to bounce back from spring time luck that maybe went the wrong way. It is also a good time for young riders and up and coming teams to make their mark on the season. With the spring classics prep and battles long gone and the tour leaving even some of the hardest racers limping home on tiered legs, many see an opportunity to shine in August.

I think the attitude on our team is no different. There is a renewed energy being back in the heart of the racing world and a lot of optimism about what we can accomplish on this Euro tour 2.0.

For me personally this is the first part of the road campaign I feel that there has been enough time to get ready for. Much of the spring I struggled to pull the road form out from underneath the track structure I build (and in some cases, overbuild) all winter. Now this later part of the season usually has me feeling a bit more road ready. However, the races we are in over here are hard and we are certainly not going to find any handouts. This is something I knew but failed to respect in the opener of our euro trip.

The Sparkassen Giro was not a challenging course or a field that was any different from what we usually race. But with 2 months away from the hustle and flow of Euro racing you tend to be a bit rusty. That and the fog of jet lag can certainly leave you more than a few steps behind. I certainly burned a lot of energy just shaking the rust and the nerves off. It was good to see some of the other guys sliding right back into that flow. This is where you can see a real difference in the time I spend on the track. I only had 4 or maybe 5 race days in Europe total so it has not exactly been built into my programing yet. Although we did not come out with a result from that first race you could see many of the guys feeling comfortable back in these kinds of races. As a team mate it is great to know we can pick up where the team left off and hopefully take advantage of the strange time that is the august racing calender.

I am scheduled to do something like 14 days or racing here so I am excited to have so many chances to finally push my skills to a new level where I can hopeful stop making mistakes and start letting the legs do the talking.