As I was pedaling along the grass this morning recovering from a set of barrier dismounts/mounts, this very thought floated through my brain: What Makes an Athlete? I’m not sure where this question/idea came from. Perhaps from some recent events that have happened in my life recently (all good stuff that I can tell you about soon enough!). Anyway, never one to shy away from a potentially controversial or unanswerable question, I thought I’d try to answer my own question… What Makes an Athlete?

There is the standard, athletes come in all shapes, sizes, and abilities. But for my purposes, I’m going to write about elite athletes. What Makes an Elite Athlete?

Passion. Drive. Skill. Tenacity. Support. Luck.

These are the attributes/factors that in my opinion make an elite athlete. No elite athletes are born overnight. It might seem that this is the case, but typically if you dig a bit deeper and start talking to or really paying attention to the athlete, you’ll learn pretty quickly that “overnight sensation” really is not a reality. This is a comforting piece of knowledge. It is an incredible combination of attributes along with some luck with knowing/meeting the right people.

Passion. Every single person has a passion for something. For elite athletes this by-and-large is their sport. If there is an elite athlete who is not passionate about their sport, then I truly do feel sorry for this person. There are to many sacrifices, tough decisions, and low moments to not be fully passionate and consumed with one’s sport. I can’t prove that passion is a key component. But if I look at myself as an example, I do believe that my passion has brought me a long way. I’m not naturally talented. I have a basic level of athletic skill that gifts me with being pretty good at most sports (except basketball and volleyball…). But to get to the elite level, it has taken a lot of digging deep, really asking myself what I want, and making the tough sacrifices to get to this level. There are days when I don’t want to train – the weather is rotten, my legs are tired, or I’d really just rather flake out on the couch. But I still train. I have this thing inside me that makes me want to get out and do the work-out, sweat it out, go through the tough moments because I know this all results in progress. Passion.

Drive. Ask any elite athlete, even a World Champion – chances are this athlete still has goals and dreams to accomplish in his/her sport. Every elite athlete wants more. To break the world record again. To win the race more easily. To hit the highest of highs. This is drive. To accept that where I am right now is good, but I really want to be at that next level. And then when I reach that level, to aim for the next level. To truly believe that there are no limits. This makes me approach my training with a special focus. There is no backing off on intervals or even skipping a recovery ride. These rides and efforts need to be done so I can get where I want to be. Complacency is not an option. Drive.

Skill. Each elite athlete demonstrates some basic skill and ability in his/her chosen sport at the outset. This usually results in early success. Thereby sparking the passion and drive to push harder and move forward. This is an attribute that I grapple with often. I know I have skills. I sometimes though overlook them because I like to believe that anyone can set goals and achieve them. But I suppose the difference is that for some, their skills are a limiter. For me, well I have a big engine, the ability to push myself and ignore that ache in my legs, and well I’m developing some pretty good technical skills as well. All elite athletes need to refine their skills as the goals and dreams get higher. This is a good thing. Skill.

Tenacity. Lets be honest, there are lots of setbacks and lows on the road to achieving elite athlete goals and dreams. There are naysayers. There are doubters. There are injuries. There is sickness. There are lots and lots of reasons to not pursue athletic dreams. I know. I’ve run through them more times than I like to admit. But darn it, I’ve set goals and I’m going to accomplish them. There is no quit. There are times when my head falls off. But I’m a different athlete now. I’ve got confidence. I’ve got the inner fire to keep me floating about the obstacles. Tenacity.

Support. No elite athlete has made it alone. This simply is not possible. From the parents who drove to hockey games. To the coach who spent the extra time. To the sponsors who believe in the athlete enough to provide product, money, and assistance. I for one could not do this alone. My biggest supporter is Marc. He is my number one fan. He motivates me to better – everyday. He spends his days at an office so I can focus on my training and work only part-time. He makes it possible. Of course I have an overwhelming number of sponsors who really make the dreams come true. I’m so well supported with bikes, clothing, helmets, glasses, nutrition, money, coaching, shoes, wheels – you name it – it is covered. So overwhelming. Support.

Luck. Yes, luck. It takes a little bit and sometimes a lot of luck to get to an elite level. The pieces have to fall into place just perfectly. Training has to go well. Sickness and injury have to be avoided. Races and competitions have to work out just the way you picture them. You have to meet the correct people who can help out and believe in you. This has been my situation. I’ve been so very lucky to have such an amazing confluence of events/circumstances and people in my life. Without these, I wouldn’t be able to train, race, and recover at such a high level. I always say I’m super lucky. And I truly believe it. Luck.

What Makes an Elite Athlete?
Passion. Drive. Skill. Tenacity. Support. Luck.

Going for it. Can’t stop me now. Look Mom – no brakes!. Ulcerative Colitis be damned. Marc and my Sponsors. Thank-you So Very Much.

What a great day of riding I had today. Today was a recovery day for me, after three days of intensity. I kicked off the day with a smooth ‘cross skills training session.

It was me, the park, my flags, my PVC tubing barrier, and some kids playing tag. I did a simple 45 minute focused session – barriers were the focus. My barrier technique is pretty solid. But it still needs work. I tend to slow down as soon as my feet hit the ground and I can be slow to clip-in. Not to mention I seem to miss the pedal more times than I like. So after some pointers from Marc a couple of weeks ago, I was at it this morning to try and improve on my technique.

Some might wonder why I spend time working on mounts/dismounts – well if I can get myself a second or two each time I have to dismount at a barrier/stairs/run-up, then this will go along way in saving me overall time in a 40 minute race. Today I tried to keep my feet from “sticking to the ground”, or in other words, trying to stay light on my feet. I also practiced taking a peak at where my pedal is before remounting. Last thing I added into the mix was really drilling my right leg down and onto the pedal – trying to minimize that delay or “lazy leg”. At times, everything came together nicely and at other times – I was a mess. But this is why I’m practicing – small improvements each session will result in a big payoff.

I also set up the flags on the face of the little hill and worked on smooth cornering. I tried to always be looking ahead and purposely focusing on where I wanted my front wheel to go. At times I find it is super easy to get sucked into the front wheel and then all of a sudden I’m looking at the ground in front of me, instead of where I want to go. I also worked on getting used to letting the bike fall onto its line when descending and cornering. This requires (for me) a great deal of trust in my tires, my abilities, and the slope of the incline. I’m happy to say that I’m getting much better at this. I’m more willing to take risk and to see how far I can push my bike and comfort levels. This is what it is all about.

Filled the rest of the morning and early afternoon with some work. Some writing projects for KingsBridge and research for a couple of other potential opportunities. Then soon enough it was time for my second ride of the day.

All summer I’ve been trying to connect with young Timothy A. for a road ride. Well, today was my lucky day – everything came together and Timothy and I got out for a great ride. We set our sights on the Richmond Bakery and had a great little spin. Chatting all the way about bike racing, training, ski racing, hopes, dreams, cyclo-cross and our favorite pro riders. I have to say it was a great ride. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Thanks Timothy for such an awesome ride. Quick stop at the Richmond Bakery for an apple turnover for Timothy and a Diet Coke for me – we chilled in the little park and then decided to take the long route home. Great ride. Not too hot, not too windy and no rain. No complaints here. It was super refreshing to ride with such an enthusiastic and passionate bike racer.

Tomorrow is looking good. Morning ‘cross skills and the Tuesday evening training crit. Should be another solid day on the bike. I’m 100 per cent hooked on riding to the crit, racing the crit and then riding home. Makes for a good long session on the bike.

So there you have it – lots of fun times had on the bikes. Pretty darn solid Monday. Hope you had a good one as well.

Okay, maybe not exactly in the air, since it is incredibly humid and muggy in these parts. But the feeling is in the air. I feel like I’m surrounded by it. Maybe because we are getting into the last gasps of summer that everyone seems a bit more focused on squeezing the most out of their days and getting things “done” before September. Just like us ‘cross racers, there are things to be done – training rides, equipment tweaking, clothing ordering, schedule planning, and smiling. It seems that every year, these feelings of anticipation and desire set in a bit earlier and with a bit more passion.

This is a good thing. A really good thing. In my opinion, the more people bitten by the cyclo-cross but the better. Kids, grown-ups, old grown-ups – everyone should get a taste of cyclo-cross. The speed. The thrills. The community. The spirit. The ups. The downs. It all makes it worth ripping through August and just getting to September as fast as we can.

With this in mind, my fingers have been busy working over this keyboard – looking into flights, booking flights, reserving RVs, creating my race calendar, registering for races, finalizing clothing, getting my bikes sorted. All in all, some busy and exciting times are being had at Ottawa Cross world headquarters (also known as my front porch…).

The World Cup plans have really fallen into place perfectly. I’ve got a travel partner, driver, and supporter for this two week racing trip that will see me race in Aigle, Switzerland and Plzen, Czech Republic. My dad are meeting up in Frankfurt, Germany where we’ll pick up our RV and make our way to the races. I’m really looking forward to this time with my dad. It is not often that as an adult we get to share big moments in our lives with our parents. Luckily for me, my dad is retired, has a stack of Air Miles to use up, and is always up for adventure. We’re getting a pretty deluxe RV since it will be our home for the duration of the trip. We’ll be off to Aigle right away and then take a couple of days to make our way to Plzen and then after this race we have a couple of days left to do some exploring. Maybe we’ll visit Prague. Maybe we’ll hang out in Frankfurt. Maybe we’ll just stop at the first interesting place we see.

All I know is that I get to race my bike with the fastest women in the sport, travel to Europe, and have my dad along for the ride. Can’t ask for much more. (Okay, well it would be perfect if Marc, my mom, and my brother were there as well – maybe next time….)

Truth be told, I’m happy to have this leg of my season sorted out so early. The travel logistics were starting to get a bit overwhelming and I was starting to feel a bit stressed. Worst case, I was prepared to rent a small RV and do the trip alone – but I really didn’t want to do this. So it is such a great feeling to have everything come together so perfectly.

On the bike things are rolling along very well. I’m coming off three days of active rest. I just finished a big block of training so a few days of recovery were in order. The action starts tomorrow and on Friday is the big day with a power/zone test. Time to put the pedal to the ground and see what my pistons have in them. In a twisted sense, I’m looking forward to testing day – yes it will be hard, but I’m stoked to see how hard I can push myself.

Got out for a great ride on the ‘cross bike today. Made my way over to my favorite training grounds and zipped around the single and double track. Had fun with the slippery routes and heavy ground. Focused on keeping my cadence high and not over-gripping the bars. To top it off, I had a camera strapped to my helmet. So, I shot some video of a new training loop that I put together. I’ve downloaded the video and as soon as I’ve got it posted to Youtube, I’ll post the link here. Now this isn’t fancy video with a cool music track or crazy descents – just me out ripping it up on my ‘cross bike. Anyway, hopefully in a couple of days you’ll be able to see it for yourself. Thanks to Skip for the camera. I’m trying to figure out what other riding to film… Any suggestions? Thinking maybe my warm-up laps at ‘Cross Vegas and the World Cups? Maybe I’ll even strap the camera on for a race? What do you think?

Maybe love is too strong of a word? I don’t know. All I know is that I awoke this morning with a great and deep appreciation for the bike. For some reason this morning, the enormity of what the bike means to me, hit me hard. I can’t really explain it, and I don’t know why it happened this morning. Regardless, all this to say that I “heart” the bike.

For some reason that I can’t explain, I just feel so grateful to have the bike in my life. Probably these feelings come from having a pretty darn good week of riding, training, and life. I had some excellent training rides. I had a blast at the local training crit. I connected with friends over the bike. I escaped from my day-to-day worries thanks to my bike. I talked travel plans that will take me to San Diego, Las Vegas, Switzerland, Czech Republic and Belgium – all these destinations thanks to the bike. I spent time simply pedaling and smiling alongside my best friend and favorite guy. The bike has brought a young lad into our home – a young guy who has the chance to see the world and discover life – all thanks to the bike.

I’ve had time this morning to think about all the things the bike has done for me over my short life so far. From starting as a toy, then growing to be a method of escape with rides around the block, to transportation to school and park, to a method of escape from the troubles of teenagehood, to helping me discover this my new city, to introducing to my husband and favorite guy, to bringing fantastic people into my life, to taking me all over the world, to helping me escape my life troubles, and to now – giving me a chance to be a kid again – racing around the park, around the block, and getting to know you.

Thanks bike. I’m really glad you’re in my life. I really do think it is love. Thanks for being in my life. I owe you one.