What I'm listening to.........

I've just finished listening to an audio book by Johan Bruyneel, the former team director of Lance Armstrong. It's a fascinating behind the scenes look at what it takes to win the Tour de France, written by a man who has himself won a stage of the tour.

The official synopsis says:
Johan Bruyneel knows what it takes to win. In 1998, the former pro cyclist backed a struggling rider and determined that he would win the world's most famous race. 'If we're going to ride the Tour,' he said, 'we might as well win.' In that moment, a dynasty was born. With Bruyneel as his team director, Lance Armstrong, having recovered from cancer, seized a record seven straight Tour de France victories. Meanwhile, Bruyneel went on to prove he could win without his superstar, winning the Tour de France title in 2007 with a young new team and a of nerve.This is the first time the man closest to Armstrong has unveiled his secrets. We are privy to the many ways he and Armstrong outsmarted their opponents through intense preparation and training, as well as bluff on occasions. Whether mounting a difficult climb, managing a team of 30 riders and 40 support staff from a miniature car hurtling along narrow European roads, or looking a future legend in the eye and willing him to believe, Bruyneel is, and has always been, the consummate winner. This is his story.

It's a great read (or listen), and there were a few sections that struck a cord and stuck in my mind. This one reminds me of the Ironman training and racing that lies ahead of me:

“Gathering the team for our first training camp of the year, is an occasion not of hope but, more accurately, of optimism : the entire season lies before us - ours for the taking if we are willing to work hard enough, and think enough, and sacrifice enough. The loss is in the past, which can not be changed. The win - it still lies up ahead, waiting for us, and it will stay there until we figure out how to take it.”

And this one for other reasons:

And before stage 16 of the 2007 Tour, Johan says to Levi and Alberto, ” ‘We must ride in such a way that if we do not win, we lose. To have a chance at the top step, we have to be willing to never take one step off the podium.’ I was telling them that to take the yellow jersey they had to be willing to ride so hard it would endanger their podium spots. All or nothing. Willing to risk losing to win.”

This is one, above, shows what it takes to win the big races, you must be willing to lose it all to win. You could blow up and end up with nothing! So the question is, do you race like this? Do you push yourself so hard in the middle of the race that you could blow, or conversely you could drop that guy who has been on your shoulder for the last few miles and win? Train (and race) smart all!