This evening I have been watching the under 23 cycling World Time Trials being held in Montreal Canada. The race has been great and what was interesting is seeing the famous cycling names with their offspring now following in their foot steps.
A time trial is exactly what this race is with each rider setting off individually with equal time gaps which are 90 seconds apart in the World Time trial events. The riders set off in reverse order of their world rankings so the best are saved for last when the finish times are coming down all the time unless there is an exceptional performance form one rider who is not highly ranked.
Ryan Gal of the Netherlands being somewhat of an unknown won the race having set off with 29 riders still to start so he was an upset and now the new World Under 23 TT Champion. What this performance will do is not only escalate him up the world rankings, but also guarantee a professional team contract for next year. Performing on the world stage executing a fantastic performance under pressure is how champions careers are born as family names mean absolutely nothing unless you perform. He admitted his aim for this race was to perform well and finish in the top 10. Ryan should have a World Tour contract before he leaves Montreal.
One rider however stood out for all the wrong reasons with some shocking behavior which tells you all you need to know about their upbringing as it is a direct reflection. Actually the behavior was so bad it was embarrassing and left the commentary team speechless. The one good thing they did was to address these actions as unacceptable and has definitely sent warning signs to this young lads future employers. These were red flags and if I was an owner of a team he would not be employed.
This young cyclist comes from an Australian cycling family with his uncle being one of the top grand tour riders in the world for many years. The incident started when out on course the cyclist had a mechanical breakdown and should have just pulled over allowing his team to assist him. The ream follows their rider in a car so they are seconds behind each rider in case of any mechanical issues.
The cyclist pulled over and rattled off expletives at his mechanic whilst the mechanic was adjusting his gears. What happened next was nothing short of a tantrum on the bike as he rode away slamming the handle bars with his hands and making the bike bounce around like a hopping rabbit. Sponsors would not be happy as this is not the image anyone should be portraying and was just a complete meltdown. l
This was the revealing part and a definite warning to his employers as this is how this individual reacts under pressure. Firstly you do not act in this way treating your support team with disdain and is something to discuss after the race and not in public.
One could say he is young so he has so much to learn yet he is nearly 22 and is a grown man so there is no excuse. Not only are you representing your country you are also representing your family name and yourself. Not everything in life pans out as expected and in most cases it does not so disappointments will be part of your career if you are an elite cyclist.
Cycling is one sport that is an individual event that is also a team sport so being a team player is important and the reactions shown on world television tonight were not a great showing.
Other riders crashed out and instead of showing their disappointment through tantrums continued finishing the time trial using this as a practice ride before the road race later this week. This is how a professional cyclist would react and what any team principal would want to see as it shows you are a fighter and do not give up.