You do today what the others will not… so tomorrow you can achieve what they cannot
BY KENNETH LUNDGREN
Cyclocross is interesting — all disciplines are a challenge, but I find that cyclocross most forces you out of your comfort zone, riding these weirdo bikes on gnarly terrain, testing your physical limits (and the bike’s) all race, not natural, not easy, never easy…
But this is a blessing — great things never come from comfort zones…
I am obsessive about my job — I treat every athlete as if he/she is me, driven for full perfection… And, this is why I love cyclocross so — I can sit back on race day… and watch up close what I helped create, a close intimacy…
I build close relationships with every athlete I coach, and we never discuss winning, we never discuss podiums… Many of them win races, and win a lot, and keep winning, but to me they are no better than a rider who finishes 22nd… All that matters to me is full Dedication to a lifestyle, to have this Discipline, unwavering Desire, sincere Determination… and the most important part: DESPERATION.
I mean, who are you? If I punch you in the face, are you scared, nervous, confused, do you step back? Do you cry? Do you run?
Or… if I punch you in the face, with blood in your mouth, when you look up at me, meet my gaze… do I then have a very, very, very serious problem on my hands…
This ‘skill,’ it cannot be taught… but we defy that — we build smart, we build tough, and through superior training every day, every week, every month, where you are constantly living in an elevated mindspace, on a long enough timeline, you’ve become an entirely different animal, and something more…
You need to take your comfort zone – and step on its throat.
Cultivate discomfort — in training, in preparing to race, in how nervous you will be pre-race, in how you will feel post-race. Tune out the noise in your life, all the (*censored*)(*censored*)(*censored*)(*censored*) around you, and create a thru-line to grab onto — and f*ckin’ go for it.
The best athletes… fear governs nothing. Find DESPERATE courage to follow your instincts in battle, to relentlessly, fearlessly push forward… whether this means fighting for 1st, 10th, finishing on lead lap…
If you do this, this is winning — you are winning. YOU ARE WINNING.
This weekend, we have two epic cyclocross races in north Jersey. I will be at both, full coach, pre-riding with my athletes, going over equipment, tire pressure, warm-ups, pacing, race lines, gearing, tire choice, and then watching, cheering, drinking in this full elixir of athletic intimacy…
Every athlete can pedal hard when they feel good. But when your eyes are crossed, throat raw, lungs pinched, when you’ve been punched in the face… can you do what the others cannot?
Crave this moment — THIS is what it’s all about, living this moment you’ve EARNED. Because you cannot change yesterday, and a better tomorrow will be the direct result of what you do as you breathe in this raw blood — RIGHT NOW, this is when unexpected opportunity becomes your reality.
