Going For Gold

When the Olympics came to Sydney in 2000, I was a mere slip of a boy, and I had yet to work out what my favourite sport was. I’d had a dalliance with soccer but wasn’t helped by the fact that I couldn’t control a ball to save my life. I was quick, yes, but every time I touched the ball it went about ten yards in the wrong direction. That got dispiriting very quickly, I don’t mind telling you.

After a while I tried rugby instead, but it turns out that when you get tackled people tend to push you into the ground and it’s a lot harder to run 30 meters after that has happened six or seven times. So when my dad told me we were going to see some of the cycling, I was receptive to the idea of a new sport, and watching the race unfold I saw how I could get to like it.

My first bike was second-hand and looked like it hadn’t cost much even when new, but that’s what you look for when you want to try something out. I took it round the block after I’d established I could handle it, and the feel of coasting along at high speeds was really exhilarating. I did it again, and it was even better, so I persuaded a friend to time me as I did it, and saw that I was knocking seconds off my time with each circuit. Obviously that didn’t continue indefinitely, or I would have been arriving before I’d set off eventually. But I did find that it felt very natural, and I was hooked.

Then in 2003 I fell off my bike during a race and I shattered my right leg. I’d just joined a club when it happened and given my experiences with other sports that could have been the end for me and cycling. It certainly put the kibosh on my hopes of getting into it more seriously, as even after surgery I was out of the saddle for months as the healing took place, and I can’t hit the same speeds that other guys my age can due to the restricted movement I now have in that leg. But I do race for fun, and I’m pleased to be able to say that after everything that went wrong.

I’ve always found that when I really enjoy doing something, I can do it in kind of a trance. Now this doesn’t mean I go careering into parked or moving vehicles, my hazard perception is just fine. But more than once I’ve pulled up feeling sick from dehydration. I’ve begun to bring along a hydration pack for each race now, which I used to forget, and the difference it makes to my overall performance is quite amazing for something so simple and obvious. Preparation is such a big part of any sport, and the difference that I’ve seen since I started taking care of myself is incredible.