Is Bigger Really Better?
I read the following article
with great interest and some dismay about Jonathan
Tiernan-Locke’s first season with Team
Sky. What with all of media hype and interest surrounding Team Sky’s
success over the past few years, it was indeed interesting the see the team’s
scientific approach in a different light.
Jonathan Tiernan-Locke’s rise up the ranks of elite cycling
has been nothing short of phenomenal. After a stellar Continental amateur
career was cut short by a bout of Epstein-Barr virus, he
took a three year sabbatical from cycling to pursue a university degree. After
returning to racing in 2008, he quickly rose up the ranks once again, culminating
with a phenomenal 2012 that included overall wins in three or four UCI-ranked
stage races, including the Tour of Britain against many Pro Tour teams.
Whilst obviously possessing talent and physiology par
excellence, it is perhaps important to note that Jonathan’s 2012 successes were
achieved on a small yet ambitious Continental team, Team Endura, managed by
ex-pro Brian
Smith. Smith’s ability to nurture the young Tiernan-Locke shone through
during the whole of last season, as reflected by his and the team’s achievements as
a whole. Those results ultimately saw the squad merging with a German outfit to
form Team NetApp-Endura, which in turn elevated
the newly formed combine to Pro Continental status.
In turn, Tiernan-Locke was offered a two-year contract by
Team Sky, which would seem like the logical move given his 2012 palmares and
nationality. Picture the scenario: upcoming British rider with extremely promising
results taken on by British super team who can transform him into a Grand Tour
contender with their sky-high budget, slew of coaching staff and physiologists,
and a marginal-gains-through-science approach. This is certainly great in
theory but has not been the case with a talent as raw and precocious as Jon Tiernan-Locke.
I’m not sure if he even fits the mold of an obedient Team
Sky rider either - maybe he would have been better off staying with his previous
employer. It is more likely that he would have been allowed to revel in his seemingly
self-directed traits,
all the while benefiting from the wisdom of Smith and co in their collective
attempt to step up a level. Let’s hope he doesn’t get lost in the system.
I can vividly remember a conversation I had with a
landscaper who had at the time expanded his specialist nursery from a small, yet
profitable “backyard-business” to a larger enterprise involving more staff,
bigger premises and a nice bright logo. To cut a long story short, he told me
that bigger is not always better and that, while he was certainly happy with
the expansion of his business, he did sometimes wonder whether had done the
right thing. He went on to relate that he might have indeed been better off
staying small and concentrating on providing exceptional service with limited
resources. Sometimes it is better to stay with what you know - it is just
knowing if and when I suppose.
This sort of analogy seems to be the case with Tiernan-Locke,
who reveals that he has had difficulty in handling the increased training load
enforced on him by the coaching staff of his new employer. In fact, he goes on
to state that he is now training according to what Cycling Peaks says, which is in stark
contrast to his “by feel” approach pre-2013! If he felt tired, he took a day
off and he clearly recognizes that he has a unique physiology. To compound
matters further, he is now down as a reserve to ride in this year’s Tour of
Britain, an event that he dominated last year! If you read the whole interview on
VeloNation, you will be left with the
impressions of a young man with innate talent who truly understands his body
and where his strengths lie. He just needs to find the kind of guidance and mentor-ship
from an individual like Brian Smith, which he was reveling in less than a year
ago.
There have been countless examples of talented athletes
across many different sporting codes who, after flourishing in a small yet
growing environment, fail to deliver the potential expected of them once
signing that seemingly magical contract for a “top-of-the-game” outfit. They
often get lost in the system instead of reaching the next level. In their
previous environment, these sport people often have had more freedom to forge
their own path. In pro cycling for instance, a rider like Tiernan-Locke was
growing with Team Endura, sharing the journey in their collective pursuit of
elevated status. In this example, both rider and team have succeeded in
reaching the next level, but at what cost? Team Endura had perhaps taken the
wiser of the two paths, reaching the next step in their journey all the while
proceeding with caution; they are fielding a team in their maiden Vuelta
a Espana. They certainly haven’t “run-before-they-can-walk” so to speak,
rather fielding squads for a racing program that they see as manageable for riders,
staff and budget alike.
I really hope that Jonathan can regain his health and
subsequent form that he showed in 2012. It was great seeing such a plucky young
rider resplendent in the leader’s yellow jersey flying with the pro peleton down
to Dartmouth during last year’s Tour of Britain. All he seemingly needs a little a
freedom and a guiding voice for him to reach the next level. The guy has Liege-Batogne-Liege
champion written all over him. Let us hope that the Team Sky management sees
this potential before it is too late.
