“habits and qualities that the professional possesses that the amateur doesn’t: 1. The professional shows up every day 2. The professional stays on the job all day 3. The professional is committed over the long haul 4. For the professional, the stakes are high and real Further: 5. The professional is patient 6. The professional seeks order 7. The professional demystifies 8. The professional acts in the face of fear 9. The professional accepts no excuses 10. The professional plays it as it lays 11. The professional is prepared 12. The professional does not show off 13. The professional dedicates himself to mastering technique 14. The professional does not hesitate to ask for help 15. The professional does not take failure or success personally 16. The professional does not identify with his or her instrument 17. The professional endures adversity 18. The professional self-validates 19. The professional reinvents herself 20. The professional is recognized by other professionals”
― Steven Pressfield, Turning Pro
Just a quick kudos for the above read, I’m almost through Steven Pressfields’ follow-up to War Of Art, and Turning Pro is a fantastic sequel. When I read War Of Art I probably wasn’t really ready for it( it appeared on tons of book lists 10 years ago) but now that I’m full-time chasing the career I love, the short topics make perfect sense. I’ll be gifting this one to my adult daughter when I’m done with it.
By the way, these links go to a small book store in Bastrop, Texas, owned by Ryan Holiday and his wife. Ryans’s writing has been a huge help to me and countless others, and the least I can do is buy books from him from time to time.
This weekend Jay and I headed to Truckee, where I had a long-rolled-over registration for the Truckee Tahoe Gravel race. It’s been so long since I registered that the name of the race even changed!
A super fun day, I rode my Cannondale Super X which was slightly under biking for the rocky descents, but has a power meter and is blazing fast on the road with Gravel King SK 38s.
I made sure to stop and take a pic of this lovely meadow
And went on to have a fantastic finish battle with another older rider, ending up 4th in the Medio distance on the day. A fun race topped off with a team BBQ, then Jay and I headed to Quincy to ride Mt Hough the next morning.
Unfortunately, we were greeted with drizzle turning to rain as we headed north in the morning, but the skies cleared some and the shuttle van was able to make it up the slick fire road to the totally socked-in summit, with visibility of about 100 feet. This area was completely burned over in the Dixie fire last summer, and it was impressive to see how much work went into trail reconstruction as we passed through acres of blackened trees and salvage lumber. As we got to the bottom, things greened up and warmed up as well, happily.
One more quick thing- Dr. Amy Saltzman is putting together another mental skill work group, likely for the fall off-season. I participated in a group last year and definitely benefitted. Dr. Amy is very familiar with high-end cycling and sports in general. You can find out more HERE
Results And Kudos
Owen Irving- 47P, 17-18 Men XCC, Missoula, Montana
Owen Irving- 29P-UCI Jr Men 17-18 XCO, Missoula, Montana
John Cheetham,4P- Truckee Tahoe Gravel, Medio 50-59
Interesting Studies
This article references an old study, but the whole well-proven concept of a longer vessel being faster in fluid dynamics is something every bike racer should consider. Even if there are three riders sitting on your wheel, you will be faster than solo, and the car creating a “wall” is really powerful. I’m not advocating you ride 3 meters in front of a car at 40 KPH, by the way. Or tow riders around that aren’t working, generally. But it pays to be smart.
Be well,
Coach Johnny
