Its something in the face...!

Training and racing is a constant learning curve and that's what's great about it, what's dawned on me is simple to some but not always simple unless you know.

Nic Soden has a hidden talent and that is drawing. She has drawn several pictures of us riders from photographs and it was because of her drawings that I realised something about one of my performances (thankfully she hasn't started doing caricatures but I'm sure she could).

The face of defeat v.s the face of fighting. We all have good days, bad days, good rides, bad rides and good and bad races or performances.

Lou up Jackson Bridge

When I studied these two pictures below, something hit me like a boomerang on the back of the head.

Nic at Ronde Van Haspengouw

Firstly this fine drawing from a photo taken at 2015’s national hill climb, the fighting face of our own Lou Bates a face that was defeating the climb up Jacksons bridge - a face that was not going to be beaten........... 

Also the of Nic Soden in Belgium riding the Time Trial stage of Ronde Van Haspengouw showing true fight and determination.

Me up Jackson Bridge

And then there was this face. A face of despair. A face showing signs of defeat. The performance was just that, as it was at most of the hill climbs last season.

When I compared it to last year’s Hill climb up Pea Royd, I studied all the faces and the face above is showing fight, and it is beating the climb unlike the face up Jacksons Bridge.

Me up Pea Royd

This I have taken into training with me, it's a memory, when things get tough the tongue comes out the feeling of despair starts to come through, but then I think of the expression I am feeling on my face and if I turn that expression to a fighting one. It isn't rocket science, but the feeling of the efforts ahead of me become the efforts I am winning instead of the efforts beating me, I also fight to get onto the wheels in front of me in a race and not let them roll into the distance.