Disappointment

Perhaps the reason we love cycling so much is because of the extreme ups and downs that it provides us in this self-contained world of ours. The great thing about sports is that it's basically a sandbox - they have their own unique set of rules that wouldn't be tolerated in normal society. You play by those rules, you can get very emotional, and then you can immediately step back into real life and there are few consequences or rewards based on how you did.

If you're like me and set some concrete goals within the season, then you'll undoubtedly have some expectations that go along with it. If it doesn't pan out the way you want it can sometimes be disappointing. I personally experienced this on the weekend in the Melbourne-Warrnambool race. I trained relatively hard for the Warny, sacrificed a fair amount of mornings and weekends to do some very long, hard rides and spent a lot of mental energy thinking and talking about it. Whatever the reason or excuse, I didn't meet my expectations and wound up a bit disappointed. I'm not the only one. Many others had punctures, crashes, got caught at the wrong place at the wrong time, bonked, etc. SO here's my Cycing Tip for today....

Its important to keep in mind that no one else cares as much as you do when you don't meet your expectations. Keep in mind they're YOUR expectations (well, Cadel may see this differently - but that's pro sports). Most of the fun in building up for your goals is the preparation period - the planning, the training, the sacrifice involved. Without that, cycling would not be nearly as satisfying as it is.

Win or lose, you're only as good as your last race. There will be many more!