Everyone starts somewhere in sport. Getting to the elite level takes training, patience, willpower and a bunch of other traits that a lot of people do not possess in abundant enough quantities to get to the apex of their chosen sport. I don’t care whether you are Lance Armstrong, Dani Wyss, Deena Kastor, Chris Lieto, or Michael Phelps; you worked your ass off to get where you are in your sport. But then, they everyone started somewhere…
I started off in sport playing soccer at age 6. I also played basketball, baseball (at least for a few games), ran track and cross country, played water polo, swam and climbed insignificant boulders and cliffs before getting into cycling. My natural instinct is to push myself to the limits of my endurance. My longest ride many now be 519 miles, but when I was 11, riding 10 miles was a huge thing. In fact, it seemed bigger than the first time I ran 10 miles (about the same age).
Lance started off as a swimmer at age 12 with the City of Plano (Texas) Swim Club. He finished 4th in the state in the 1500m before moving on to triathlon and then on to cycling. He also had that comeback from cancer and 7 wins at the Tour de France. Where would cycling in the USA be now if some elitist-minded person had told Lance to stop trying to be a cyclist because he wasn’t good enough to be a pro from the start?
Dani Wyss began cycling at the age of 13 with his father. They started off just doing fun rides, he then went on to become an elite runner and cyclist. He progressed enough that by 2001 he won his first ultra-marathon cycling event (a 620km race from Bern to Bodensee). In 2009 he went on to win the Race Across America. Not bad having come from the humble beginnings of going on leisurely rides with his dad…
Deena Kastor (nee Drossin) may now be an Olympic Medalist (bronze in the marathon at the Athens Games in 2004), but she had humbler beginnings running age group races before going on to winning 7 California State championships in high school (3 in cross country and 4 in track). I watched her run as a freshman at the 1987 Western Regional Cross Country meet. It was obvious even then that she was destined for great things if she could keep running enjoyable.
Chris Lieto started off in sports as a water polo player in high school. He then moved on to playing collegiate water polo at Long Beach State. Obviously he was a good swimmer back then. He became intrigued with triathlon after watching the Ironman World Championships in 1997. He decided to try a triathlon and won the first one he entered (okay, so this guy is clearly a gifted athlete…). In 2003 he placed 13th in the Ironman World Championships that had inspired him to try triathlon only 6 years prior. And in 2009, he came in 2nd place at those same World Championships. Maybe it’ll end differently when the DVD comes out, Chris… ; )
MIchael Phelps began swimming at the age of 7 partly as an outlet for his restlessness (he was diagnosed earlier with ADHD). By the age of ten he was a national record holder in age group swimming. And in 2008 he became the most “medaled athlete” in Olympic history (with 14 golds and two bronzes).
Obviously all of these great athletes had to start somewhere, and so does everyone else. For those who bemoan the widespread use of fundraiser events and teams to grow the sport are missing the bigger picture. The primary benefit of racing is not to stoke the ego of the participants, but to create a more fit population. I don’t really care what the cost of entering a marathon is, it’s still a very worthy goal for beginning runs to aspire to. The same goes for century rides, 5k runs, and relay swimming events. If it gets people off of the couch and into the water or on the bike or running down the trail, it’s a good thing. And if people prefer to do their training in a structured environment (such as Team In Training) or feel the need to raise funds for charity with their chosen target event, then we should support them and be thankful that at least they are out there!
My very first organized bike ride was a fundraiser for the MS Society way back in 1994. It was “only” a metric century, but to most people a metric century is an ungodly amount of time to spend on a bike. Every other cyclist who is out there now doing centuries, double centuries or RAAM started out at an equally humble beginning. For those that have the desire to push their limits, we should all be thankful. More participants equals more races which equals more media exposure for sponsors which equals more sales which equals more R&D money for product development which equals stronger lighter and faster bikes, more comfortable running shoes and faster wetsuits. And the end result? Better performance and more interest in the sports. It’s a win-win for everyone…
Except the people who are elitist snobs…
You know, the ones who complain that race fees were $5 in 1978 with a tshirt. The guy who complains that he has to run past 3,000 nine-minute milers to do his 37 minute 10k (here’s hint, start with the six minute milers…). The guy who complains about all the slow descenders riding the Death Ride. The guy who thinks that if you aren’t a Cat 1 racer you are worthless. The guy who makes fun of someone for not having the latest and greatest bike or riding in a t-shirt and hiking boots. Hey bud, without the people you’re against, you wouldn’t be able to ride that Look 595 with the killer “origin” paint job. Just to rub it in, my bike has a nicer paint job! ; )
Without age groupers, charity-ride riders, and nine minute milers, you’d still be riding a steel-framed Bianchi and wearing a wool jersey with a Faeme logo on the front…
Who can you take inspiration from? Just about anyone who is out there riding…
I met a guy on Alpine Road a few months ago struggling to maintain a 10 MPH average. As I pulled up next to him, he commented on my jersey (I was wearing the Triple Crown one if I recall correctly) and we started talking about goals and past rides and such. He’s done plenty of riding over the years, but has only done a century or two, but seemed to have been as inspired by the tales of double centuries as I was by his tales of struggling to find time for 20 mile rides. He commented that it’s not about proving yourself, but about enjoying the experience. I talked to him all the way up the road before he turned around at Portola Road.
How about Team In Training? I’ve heard people complain about their “siege tactics” (to borrow a mountaineering term) while training. You’ve probably seen their tent set up at the corner of Canada and Edgewood on nice weekend days. Sure, their are lots of them out there, and many aren’t by most measures fast. But they are out there, and that is half of the battle. They also raise a ton of money for a very worthy cause (the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society). But do you know the story of their beginnings? Here’s a quote pulled directly from their website:
Team In Training (TNT) began in 1988, when Bruce Cleland of Rye, NY formed a team that raised funds and trained to run the New York City Marathon in honor of Cleland’s daughter Georgia, a leukemia survivor.
The team of 38 runners raised $322,000 for LLS’s Westchester/Hudson Valley Chapter.
This means that the runners on that original team raised an average of $8374 each… Imagine having that kind of impact.
If everyone simply acknowledge other riders on the road, the world would be a better place for cyclists. Instead of just wordlessly blowing past slower riders, at least call out to let them know that you are their. We all know that there are faster riders out there (unless you were Cadel Evans riding on Canada Road the other day!) but if you acknowledge the slower riders, they won’t feel slighted and will feel that we are all part of a brotherhood/sisterhood (is siblinghood a word?) of sorts. You don’t have to talk to every single rider out there to seek inspiration. But at least call out “on your left” or “good morning” as you pass them.
And for crying out loud, don’t run red lights or stop signs…
