Accepting limitations

Now, you wouldn’t necessarily make Tiger Woods the head of sales at a global golf club brand, simply because he’s won a few events. Don’t get me wrong; I’ve been watching him play golf since his amateur days and he’s a legend at golf… but still not very inspiring for me, albeit I admire him as a golfer. Admiration and inspiration or seperate things – we need to learn that. Ability in one area of life and sport does not automatically translate into God-given abilities across the whole spectrum of our sport and the associated industry.

That truly inspirational moment, may be when a quite ordinary person steps across a bike for the very first time in later life, purely because they want to get healthier and do their utmost to live longer. We’ve forgotten about the meaning of cycling, as we’ve become drunk on false fame and apps such as Zwift. And yet, those truly fine people at Zwift – and yes, they are – simply wanted to create an app that could help all cyclists to be their very best version, and to be able to develop enough to take on any challenge. To ride the Silk Road; to ride the Stelvio 2 days in succession, or  to simply ride that local cycling pathway with your family.

At a pro cycling level, that inspirational rider may be somebody riding in the shadows, such as Alex Sabin, who spends his working days guiding youngsters in the mountains, and trying hard to fit his training in, between work and having a family life too. Or Kristi Kuldkepp, who again like Nadezhda, took to cycling late in her sporting life and after a super-serious accident that would have stopped most of us in our tracks. And yet, both Alex and Kristi dedicate their time to simply having fun and challenging themselves, and supporting others. Their passion is in being at one with the world and in enjoying an active life, as they inspire others through simply riding with the same sense of adventure and fighting spirit that carries them through life.