In Pursuit of Passion
When I look back over my working
career, there are a few instances that stand out where my mindset was
totally different compared to today. While I do admit to being a
rather nostalgic fellow, many of these memories serve as motivation,
inspiration or even justification of my present pursuits.
I was reminded of this the other day
after completing the excellent book "Domestique,"
co-written by Charly
Wegelius and Tom
Southam. "Domestique" documents the life of Wegelius in
his pursuit of a professional cycling career: it is basically a
"warts-and-all" account of his battle to enter the pro
ranks as well as the challenge of staying there. Needless to day that
it is a really entertaining read and gives credence to the cliche of
"a book that you cannot put down."
It is perhaps interesting and telling
how Wegelius' mindset and attitude to his professional evolves over
his time in the paid ranks. Starting out big at the legendary Team
Mapei (where no expense is spared), he then experiences a few years
of seeming purgatory riding for a small, insular and rather haphazard
outfit where daily survival and self-sufficiency are the recurring
themes. After a few hard-knocks in the form of irregular blood values
and intra-team politics, he gradually finds peace and his place in a respectable Italian outfit where he is valued and respected. The fact
that he ends his career off with another big-budgeted team where he
endures ill health and poor health is rather telling as his mindset
appears to have changed completely; he is thinking of things beyond
cycling and his true place in the world.
I can vividly remember many a slothful
weekday at one of my less-than-inspiring jobs where myself and a
former colleague would chat about our dream jobs. Whilst my mind was
definitely elsewhere during those particular three years, the
stifling environment did actually sow the seed for many of my future
adventures – I just didn't realise it at the time. Most of my buddy and my own
"moonlighting" at that stage involved odd jobs within the
same and/or related industries. That seemed logical at the time given
we both aspired to earn enough money to buy our own small properties;
rather the industry you know than the one you don't if you want to
succeed. But I couldn't help but admire the various entrepreneurs that
I came into contact with who seemingly had "fingers in several
pies" so to speak. Variety intrigued me and I often wondered just how
I could emulate these individuals in my own unique way.
After changing jobs and gradually
getting into the realm of cycling team assistance in a part-time/hobby
capacity, I realised that there was a whole world of opportunity out
there; I just needed to find the right sort of template that would
fulfil my personal ambitions. It has taken several years to realise
and implement, but I can honestly say that I am truly living my dream
in the sense that the variety I had aspired to almost a decade ago is
now a reality. It just took time.
One of these extra-curricular
"variations" is this blog. After suffering a cycling
accident in mid-2011 and suffering some broken bones, I decided to
pursue my love of writing in a more public domain. I had been writing
athlete interviews in a Q&A form for a local cycling blog but
wanted to expand my horizons into a platform of my own. Over the past
few years, this blog has gradually evolved from the initial goal of
personal training site into a more of an esoteric and essay-driven
mouthpiece of all things athletic. If I had to describe the content of
this blog in a phrase, it could be a database of training information
and advice crafted into story-like essays peppered with a healthy
dose of personal experience and anecdotes. Definitely a departure
from the usual "how-to" and news sites that are part and
parcel of the modern day. More useful "raconteuring" as opposed to facts, facts and more facts.
I recently read a great interview
with one of the more unusual members of the peleton, the Australian
Adam Hansen. Incidentally, Hansen rides for the same World Tour team that Wegelius
rode for pre-retirement. The article profiles the articulate
Antipodean who embarked on a cycling career after many years working
as a computer programmer. Whilst he finished all three Grand Tours in
2013, Hansen maintains an interest in a couple of business ventures,
one of which involves the construction of his own unique carbon
cycling shoe. Added to the fact that he is well known for publishing
entertaining photo diaries of his teammates and he chooses to live in
the Balkans (not exactly a hotbed for pro-riders), you have a true
individualist who pursues his passions however diverse they may seem. A
case of living the dream and having a balance amid the backdrop
of one of the hardest and all-consuming sporting professions around.
Charly Wegelius is has moved on from
being a rider to that of successful
sporting director, and one of the youngest in the sport of cycling at that. It
seems that he has found his true metier and is applying his decades
of cycling experience into innovative and winning tactics for his riders on
the road. Now married with a child, he seems content with his place
in the world, as is illustrated in one of the images that adorn
"Domestique." I guess it just takes a while to work it all out.
