The Long Shot

The theory of evolution states that only the strong will survive, but the theory of competition says just because they are the “best” does not mean that they can’t get their asses kicked. What every long shot, come from behind underdog will say is that the results of competition don’t always add up. Sometimes passion and determination has a way of beating logic. Once the race starts it doesn’t matter what the experts say or what the odds are against you are there is always a way to overcome any and all doubt against, you or your team. What if the likes of Muhammad Ali who was the biggest underdog in boxing history in his first fight against Sonny Liston for the Heavyweight Championship of the World. Or even Tom Brady who was the 206^th pick in the NFL Draft and so many more. What if they listened to the critics and said to themselves “They are right I can't do it.” The world would be a much different place now. That’s what gets me up in the morning and on that bike. In the rain, snow, heat, injured. Every morning when I wake up I read all the emails I got from teams that said I wasn’t good enough or didn’t have enough experience for the pro races etc etc. It’s that feeling of “maybe no one wants me.” That’s what gets me fired up and up in the morning. Thats what keeps me motivated and driven, No matter what! There is one person that can say I am not good enough, it’s not the team directors or coaches…it’s ME and trust me that day is not even close.  

Passion and Glory

There are many traits that people can have that make their dreams come true. For me Passion is that trait. To have passion means that you are deeply committed and also highly motivated to make something that seems impossible made possible over time.

          I have this passion for riding my bike everyday for as long as I can no matter if it is scorching hot, freezing cold or just raining all day long. Sometimes goals are not easy to obtain and you need that drive or passion to get to that end goal. You have to have that need to get to that end goal. There are very few people who see my races and see me succeed, but even those people who do watch me race don’t know the kind of effort that I put in to get to that point. During training I am 100% committed to the task at hand and nothing or nobody is going to tell me that I can’t get to that end goal. My coach will tell me to do two hours on the bike and I end up doing three and a half to four hours. Or if I have a gym workout I will do extra core workouts or a few extra reps in a set. You need to have that “chip” on your shoulder that very few people have. I think that you need to be doubted for a long time to get that chip on your shoulder. People like Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, and Muhammad Ali all were doubted and they have shown us and proved us wrong time and time again. Its people like that have shown us that you can’t measure the will of the man and the heart of a man off of statistics or physical features.

          For me Glory drives me. I remember qualifying for Collegiate Nationals last year and I was so excited, happy and nervous to be there and I worked my ass off to get to that point and I was in the perfect position going up the first climb and then BOOM my legs just felt empty…and I remember thinking there is no way I can feel like this now…It was an emptiness I have never felt since or after that race. I believe it was nerves and every time I went to the feed zone I felt embarrassed for myself, my team and my family. Before I dropped out I told myself that I am going to show everybody who is going to win next year and as I saw the winner go through the finish line what I said to myself earlier was just eating at me and eating at me and to this day still motivates me to be better than I was. It is Glory that drives me.