On Giving it a Crack - Nathan Haas / Cycling Central (Sat 18 Jul 2015)

Descent - Ultimo (Mon 20 Jul 2015)

Nathan Haas on Competing:

I was feeling terrible so I thought sometimes when you feel terrible, everyone must, so I thought I’d give it a crack and see where they were,

I was away for a little bit, but then they started working so it was unfortunate. They were on good days too.

via Haas shows class but can't hold on by Cycling Central.

You have to keep these kind of thoughts in your head when competing. So if you are feeling tired (or terrible as Nathan puts it), you have to remember those you are competing against, will most likely be feeling the same. This then is your big chance to give it a crack and test yourself and the others out. One day it will work for you. He added that while he was disappointed, he confidently felt his first win at the TdF will be even an sweeter experience. Love the attitude and confidence. Go Nathan.

On A Moment - Tony Martin / Cycling News / Cycling Central (Tue 07 Jul2015)

Untitled - Ultimo (Wed 08 Jul 2015)

Tony Martin on a Moment:

It was just the right moment for me to try my chance.

Adding:

I don’t know what happened in the back but I was so nervous, I was just pulling. I don’t know how many watts I pulled but it was more than I ever did. Now I am so happy, and a thousand thanks to my team for supporting me the whole week.

via GC stalemate on the cobbles as Martin strikes it fourth time lucky by Cycling Central and Tour de France quotes: Martin digs deep for yellow jersey by Cycling News.

Watched this live – it was 1:15am this morning on the coldest night we have had this winter. Warmed my heart to see him make that break with 3.2km to go and just take it home like he did. You just knew he was going to do “it” and it was not even his own bike, at 20km to go he punctured and swapped bikes with his team mate (as my 3 year old nephew told me 15 years ago - a team is a powerful thing). As Tony Martin said - I actually was [on my limit] when I launched in that moment .. It was just the right moment for me to try my chance. And he found something in himself that he did not know he had - I was so nervous, I was just pulling. I don’t know how many watts I pulled but it was more than I ever did. Often your best is not good enough and the first 3 days of the Tour showed this to Tony Martin and those watching. You have to go Beyond Yourself to find the Happiness he displayed on a life-time Dream come true last night. Just brilliant to watch his performance and his post-race interview. Congrats to Tony Martin.

[Fond memories of Sandy Casar doing the same kind of break in Stage 18 of the 2007 TdF, after crashing with a dog at 27km.]

On Beyond Yourself - Rohan Dennis / Cycling Central (Sun 05 Jul 2015)

Sunrise - never wanted to go back, but there I was waiting to build for a Moment way off into the future - and when it was done, it was exhilarating.. - Kurnell (Sun 05 Jul 2015)

Rohan Dennis on Beyond Yourself:

I went off harder than what I thought I should have and I came back harder than what I thought I could.

via Dennis smashes a Tour record to claim the yellow jersey by Cycling Central.

I was reminded this week about a race from my past (eljeiffel: Once Upon A Time). And I have been fortunate enough to have experienced this more than once. To achieve a dream, you have to go out and get it. You have to prepare for the known, More importantly you have to be prepared to face the unknown, but you can't prepare for that really - all you can hope for is that you are doing the right thing. When you have reached that Moment where it is within your grasp, you don't think about the dream, you just go out and do it. It?. What is it? I don't really know what "it" is. You can't define it before or after that Moment. It is defined within those unquantifiable moments that makes a dream come true. Rohan Dennis went out and did it last night and it just might be captured in his words above. Congrats Rohan.

Of course all of this makes no sense. That's what moments like this are meant to be .. that's what happens when you go Beyond Yourself

On Self Belief - Scott McGory (Wed 23 Jul 2014)

Water - Lac Nere / Haute-Pyrenees (*) / France (Tue 22 Sep 2009)
Scott McGory (*) writes On Self-Belief (*):

The greatest performance (*) enhancer is self-belief (*).

He expands

Wiping away those doubts (*) of uncertainty (*), of losing, the fear (*) of getting beaten. Gone - GONE! - are those limiting thoughts (*), replaced by the phrase made famous by the first black president of the United States: 'Yes We Can' (*).

The unstoppable force of self-belief (*) is so often the missing ingredient in an athlete's journey (*) along the road to success (*). [..] The strongest weapon in any sporting endeavor is the mind (*).

via Guest blog: The greatest performance enhancer is... (*) by Scott McGory (*).

On Belief - Mick Rogers (Tue 22 Jul 2014)

A new day - Somewhere between Lourdes and Col de Portet d'Aspet / France (Wed 23 Sep 2009)
Mick Rogers (*) on Believing (*):

I used to be afraid of failure (*), but once you believe (*), and you’re not scared (*) of the outcome, things become clearer (*), and opportunities (*) arise.

via Rogers makes it two for Tinkoff (*) by Matthew Beaudin (*).

Congrats Mick. An amazing stage win. Thanks for sharing so much of your victory and what you have learnt about yourself this year. I started my journey (*) on learning many of the same lessons (*) on the very roads (*) you cycled last night.

At Fabio Casartelli's Memorial - "we stumbled upon it by complete accident" – Col de Portet d'Aspet (Wed 23 Sep 2009)