Like many of you, I have been glued to the TV of late watching the Tour de France. As I watched the riders take on the mountain stages, I couldn't help but wonder what goes through the mind of the riders as they slug it out trying to get up the mountain. After all, these guys are all professional bike riders and all train as hard as one another. So how does a young rider like Ricardo Ricco (sp?) hang with the big guns of the Tour given all of their experience.
As I pondered this question on the way to work, I was reminded of something that Joe Friel had written in his book, "The Triathletes Training Bible". He wrote about believing in yourself. The example he gave was a bee ..... basaed on NASA calculations of what shape would be the most aerodynamic, the bee should not be as fast as he is..... furthermore, his tiny wings should hardly be able to move him very fast, unyet - we've all seen these little guys zipping around. So where am I going with this? - as Friel points out, obviously nobody ever told the bee that he wasn't supposed to be fast (due to his shape and tiny wings) but he is.
I wonder if that's what is helping Ricardo Ricco - he believes 100% in his ability, he belives he belongs, no matter what the odds might indicate.
When you are standing around at your next race looking at all the seemingly "fast" people and your own self confidence starts to slip away, recall the little bee - he defies physics and is a true speedster. He believes he is fast despite the odds against him.
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