For me the mental struggle is the hardest part of cycling. I love riding, and nothing beats a good day under the sun spinning your wheels. But if you ride a bike and live in a mountainous region, climbing is part of the equation. Struggling up a tough hill is almost completely mental. When my lungs are heaving and my breath is short, when my quads are burning and I still have more to climb… Those are the moments I want to stop. Moments I want to quit. In the worst climbs, it is the moment I question whether I am actually cut out to be a cyclist at all. Those minutes of mental weakness can cause you to question everything about the sport you love.
The devil creeps in and whispers foul lies… You’re not good enough. You’re not strong enough. You’re too weak. But when you finally cross that finish line, you remember how hard you fought and you begin to tell yourself you can do it again.
Yesterday’s Tour de France found American Andrew Talansky falling behind. Plagued by crashes and injuries, it was clear he was in pain. He dropped to the back and sat on a guardrail talking to his coaches and team support. I knew what was going through his mind in that moment. Do I stop? Do I give up? Can I physically do this? While nothing I’ve done comes close to comparing to a 23-day tour through rain, cobbles and mountains, I have climbed my own mountains in cycling, and I know the feeling.
Through tears, he got back on his bike and simply kept pedaling. One foot, then the other. It wasn’t known whether he’d finish before the cutoff time, and his coach later said he didn’t relay the clock information to Andrew, but he just kept pedaling knowing crossing the finish was going to be his victory. And he did it. Through tears and with the sweeper van following closely behind, he did it. My words can’t do justice to the moment when he finished. It was a lovely and profound moment in time as people cheered and an American flag waved. What determination and perseverance from this athlete. Not only for his own goals and victories, but for those of his team.
I can imagine knowing how hard his teammates were working motivated him. Knowing how many people support my JDRF rides are the biggest motivator I have on the road. What a glorious victory. I don’t care what place he finishes, Talansky is still an athletic beast and a personal motivator. I don’t know him, but I am so proud of him. His battle was tougher than anyone else’s on that course today. And he won.