Let’s not for a moment pretend it is
easy. They will have sacrificed many things the rest of us take for granted.
How many parties, end of school festivities, family events and coming of age
celebrations did they miss due to the demand to be disciplined to a level
beyond their age?
Injuries, illness, rehabilitation,
training regimes, dietary requirements, recovery are challenges first faced as
teenagers.
For many would be professionals, if not
the majority, there is little or no return on the investment they made of their
youth. The competition for success on the world stage is intense and the
competition is brutal. The dream of success and the accompanying riches and
fame fall to the few who are both talented and committed. Most are one or the
other.
Despite this, the professional sporting
life remains the obsession of tens, if not hundreds of thousands of young Men
and Women. They work and compete for the chance to train incredibly hard,
follow a pre-determined strict diet and a lifestyle of training, competing,
recovery and rest to the exclusion of normality. They do this knowing the end
is only as far away as the expiry of their current contract or a sponsor’s
decision to withdraw support for any number of reasons.
During the journey, they may experience
the latest technology and access to the best equipment, clothing, medical
science and support structures.
At least the aspiring road cycling professional has a work place of exceptional beauty. For example, the French Alpes, Italy’s Dolomites, the Fields of Flanders and the beauty that is Spain, Switzerland, Austria, Poland, Norway. In the northern winter, they “endure” the delights of Adelaide and the ruggedness of the Great Ocean Road.
They get to perspire and suffer
surrounded by beauty.
Stand on the side of the road as the
peloton goes by and be mesmerised by the colour and beauty of their movement
and energy. Be enthralled by the movement within the constantly moving bunch as
the peloton as a whole continues its forward momentum, all self-propelled.
And there is danger too. In both women’s
and men’s Ride London races last week, we witnessed bone breaking, carbon
splintering crashes. Wheels touch, skin is left on the unforgiving road surface,
bones break and heads try and penetrate bitumen. Team support staff and race
Doctors pick up the pieces, bikes and people and we move on to the next race.
Life quickly returns to normal. The good
life in the beautiful regions of the world starts all over again and the next
race is not far away and with it, the mesmerising, colourful race peloton
reforms and traces the roads for our fascination, enthusiasm and admiration.
But not always
22 year
old Belgium professional Bjorg Lambrecht won’t be returning to the peloton. He
will no longer experience the beauty and pain of professional cycling. Two
years ago he moved to the top tier of professional cycling joining Pro Tour
Team Lotto Soudal. He achieved his dream and got to live out his passion to the
very end.
With some
50 kilometres to go in Monday’s 3rd stage of the Tour de Pologne, Bjorg Lambrecht
crashed losing consciousness.
Reports
suggest he was briefly resuscitated and rushed to hospital for emergency
surgery. He passed away during surgery.
We admire
from the road side, the grand stand or on our televisions the deeds of our
professional sporting heroes. We pass comment, praise and critique them. We may
even express via various media often uniformed opinions on their performance,
tactics and character, some positive, more often not.
It’s
generally only at times when a death occurs that we take a deep breath and
remember just how dangerous many sports and activities are, no matter how much we cheer, idolise, criticise and critique.
Unfortunately,
we are clearly reminded now.
Enjoy your
sport, enjoy your cycling, spare a thought for our heroes and take care.
