EMBRACE YOUR WEAKNESS

I was just at a junior development camp with a bunch of young shredders. Some of them were full of piss and vinegar, others less confident, with the typical awkwardness that teenage boys and girls possess. But all of them were respectful, and committed to furthering their cycling, in whatever capacity that may be.

I attended as a wizened old-person mentor (yep, you realise that being in your 30s is VERY old when you’re hanging around with teenagers!) and did some skills sessions and a trail ride with them.

We had stopped at the trailhead for the bunch to regroup, and I asked one of the other coaches “so buddy, do you have any sizzling hot wheelie tips?”. A few of them looked stunned, as if maybe admitting my wheelie form is quite average is an admission of hubbardry in the purest form. A moment later, they were divulging their own wheelie issues, tips and tricks, and it was nice to get a collaborative look at something that is universally difficult (but also incredibly easy if Instagram is anything to go by).

The point is: I was attending the camp as a coach and mentor, as someone who has ‘done the rep on the internationals’. And I was here admitting what my weaknesses were.

Without knowing and understanding what your strengths and weaknesses are on the bike, it’s going to be hard to progress; whether that progress is simply clearing a tricky section of trail on the local loop, or looking for a podium finish at a national or international event.

When some athletes talk about others’ strengths, they are all too often happy to call them out on their weaknesses, perhaps as a selfpreserving way of making them feel better about their own capabilities. But in the end, everyone has a very, very long list of strengths and weaknesses which transcend the simplistic and often incorrect categories of “oh yeah, too heavy to climb” or “they can’t ride down a rock face to save their life”. Ability isn’t fixed, and neither are these stereotypes.

While training a strength is also important in bike racing success, improving the critical elements of riding and racing we are not naturally very good at puts us in a place to transcend all expectations put on us by both ourselves and others.

Eminent Professor Carol Dweck has been studying mindset for over 30 years, and through her research found that some students recoil when faced with adversity while others thrived. Through her research she found what she described as ‘mindset’ to be the critical factor in the success of students when faced with challenges. Those who believed that ability wasn’t innate, and was something to be worked on, embraced challenges and had more success than those that believed they were born with a certain amount of ability. The difference is between what Dweck dubbed the “growth” or “fixed” mindset.

The ability to turn failure into a stepping stone, and to take ownership of this rather than blaming is the first step in developing the resilience and tenacity that epitomises the growth mindset. An easy, key trick is to change the vocabulary surrounding challenges. Rather than saying “I can’t do something”, you can say “not yet”, and in that phrase lies the potential and drive to practice and develop the work ethic required until successful.

On the bike, admitting weakness and vulnerabilities can become your greatest strength if you add a ‘yet’ to the end of it. Can I wheelie 100m down the road? Not yet. But you can guarantee I will by the end of summer. Embracing our weaknesses is the first step to progress and success.

So, what are your weaknesses?