simonwhitfield
SIMONWHITFIELDI've been a pro since I was 18 which is why I've given myself new challenges, including a half-ironman and pro cycling events, this year
Tim Don in action during the cycling leg of the triathlon at the Olympics in Beijing. Food poisoning meant he failed to complete the race. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/Tom Jenkins
"Who wouldn't want to win an Olympic gold medal in their own back yard?" says Tim Don about the London 2012 triathlon. While the former world champion may still have his head commendably focused on competing in a fourth Olympic games three years from now, he could be forgiven if his heart and body were more reticent about the relentless slog that will be required to make the start line in Hyde Park.
The Londoner's long and successful career has been interspersed with setbacks, none more so than in Beijing last year when, at the peak of his fitness, a world title behind him in 2006 and with realistic prospects of making the podium, he failed to finish the Olympic course after a bout of food poisoning sapped his energy.
After 13 years as a professional athlete, and such literally gut-wrenching setbacks along the way, a loss of heart for the battle would be understandable – but that's not how it works with Don. Speaking this week from his training base in South Africa, he revealed the new training plan and mental approach that he hopes will keep him fresh and help build momentum for a successful 2009 and beyond.
"I had a pretty rough time at the Olympics in Beijing and I just want to find that love and excitement for the sport again," he says. "With my coach Ben Bright we like to break things down into smaller steps and take each year as it comes – and this year we just want to get out there and enjoy it.
"I'm 31 now and I've been a pro since I was 18 when I finished my A-levels, so you need to keep it fresh. This year I've done a half-ironman and also a pro cycling stage race out here [in South Africa] called the Giro del Capo.
"It was 43 degrees on two of the days and we were riding 170km and 150km, so it was pretty gruelling. I learnt so much in the peloton about tactics, positioning, saving energy. I thought, why not learn from the best in the world, and I was lucky enough to get that opportunity. One of the days I finished 26th, another 15th, so I surprised myself.
"It also helps to keep things fresh. I've been doing roughly the same kind of winter training for a fair few years now. You need to keep a fresh mind as much as a fresh body, so we thought we'd try something new."
After a colourful career including various mishaps like broken bones, slipped discs, pulled muscles and an overturned Olympic ban for missed drug tests, were there not times after Beijing when he felt it would have been easier to hang up his elastic laces?
"The couple of months after the Olympics were really hard but that's life," Don admits. "That kind of stuff happens. It's how you deal with it. If you fall off the horse you've got to get back on. I'm lucky that I've got such a great team around me with my coach and manager, my friends and family. They have faith in me to be a fighter for a medal.
"I love the sport and it's my job. When I go to the office I swim in a beautiful open-air pool with mountains in the background, I can ride round the winelands of South Africa, and run through nature reserves. I know I'm just so lucky.
"I really do believe when I'm standing on the start line I've got a chance of winning a medal in any race I compete in, so that is fantastic motivation for me. And the fact that we've got such good youth coming through – the likes of Alistair Brownlee, Will Clarke and Olly Freeman – just makes me want to train harder and stay on top of the game for as long as possible."
A new approach to training is evidently a revelation for the four-times British triathlon champion, his focus on the bike and experiments with longer triathlon disciplines a welcome innovation and distraction, but the thorny issue of London 2012 remains. Can Don really expect to challenge for medals on home territory when he will be 34?
"It's a long road and if we focus on that one race now it would be too much pressure and too much expectation," he says. "Slowly we're going to move towards it and see if it's a realistic goal, like it was last year – if I hadn't got food poisoning.
"It's not something you can get back overnight and it's going to take me time to get back up there, but at the moment I'm loving my training and I've been very consistent this winter. Hopefully everyone will be very surprised this year and, although I didn't race in the Olympics, I was actually in great shape, so if I can build on that I should be in even better shape this year and get a chance to show everyone by winning a race.
Mark Cavendish proved the skeptics wrong yet again. After most experts believed he couldn’t get over the late-race climbs, the Columbia-Highroad rider sprinted to a dramatic victory to win the 100th Milan-San Remo.
Here are excerpts from his post-race press conference:
Question: What does it mean to you to win a classic?
Mark Cavendish: Each race is special, each time you cross the line is important. The different types of races, when you win stages, you prove you’re a great sprinter. When you win a one-day classic, you prove you’re a great rider. I wanted to prove that I am more than a great sprinter, that I am a great rider, and that’s what I did today.
Q: Some sprinters said you couldn’t get over the climbs?
MC: Absolutely, I knew what they were saying after Tirreno. Tom Boonen said I was getting dropped on all the climbs. If you count the times I got dropped in Tirreno, it was one time, no other times. I knew I had to play it easy in Tireno, because I knew I had good form and a good team. One of the sweetest things today was seeing Tom Boonen go past me backwards on the climbs.
Q: How much did your work with Erik Zabel help you?
MC: Without his help I wouldn’t have won today. We did recon twice, I knew exactly where I had to be at each time, when I could go hard where. His knowledge got me through the bike race. The team worked perfectly, they knew that I knew what I had to do. We had 3-4 guys who could have won, but they sacrificed their chances to let me help me win. It’s a real special day for us both.
Q: Haussler seemed to surprise everyone in the final sprint, how did you manage to win?
MC: When he went, he took everyone by surprise. There was a small opener on left that I could have followed him, but it was too close to the barriers. I had to wait for gap to open. It was touch and go if could get him. I got on his slipstream and just got him on the line. It was a close call. I’m glad I did it.
Q: You were saying it was not possible that you could win, did you believe that you could win?
MC: I said maybe I cannot win, I never said it was impossible, everything is possible. I knew it would be hard, if I could play a little poker in the last weeks. Play along about what other people thought about me, what they thought my weaknesses were. But when the people that mattered had the faith in me, that was myself and my teammates. Tommy Lövkvist, such a stronger attacker, took me on the second wheel in Cipressa. George Hincapie guided me to the Poggio, and then went full-gas and led me to fourth wheel with 400m, that was perfect
Q: Where do you go next after this victory?
MC: More wins. Every time I put my leg over the bike, I want to be first across the line. Now I’ve achieved this target, I’ve got to set new targets. I have to keep racing aggressively. I have the right environment, the right people around me. I hope to make the most of it.
Q: How important was it to make it over the Maniè?
MC: I was lucky there. I started the climb in top 10, which was perfect. As it happened, it didn’t go too hard up there. I felt really good up that climb, then I knew I was capable of getting over the capi, the Cipressa and the Poggio in good position.
Q: What does this mean to you to win this race?
MC: I just won a monument. It’s my first monument I’ve ever ridden. It’s one of the races you watch growing up. I take a lot of desire to win from the fact that a lot of people write me off. The commentator on British Eurosport was adamant that Haussler got him at the line, because they couldn’t believe he’d won it. That’s how it is, a lot of people cannot believe that I can do what I can do. When the right people put faith in me, it’s so special. The guys put so much faith in me today. It worked.
Q: Tomorrow, will your win knock soccer off the front pages in England?
MC: No chance, it’s only the Olympics and Tour de France in the national news. I don’t care about this, I’m doing because I love to race, love to be with my teammates, and love doing what I’m doing. This is what’s important to me.
Q: Today you climbed better than Armstrong, what do you say about that?
MC: It’s a big surprise, why? I’ve worked hard on my climbing. At San Remo, it’s not about being the best climber. It’s about being positioned on the climbs. I was in best position because of my teammates.
Q: Haussler almost won, how did you manage it?
MC: I was just concentrated on crossing the line first. It doesn’t matter if you win by one kilometer or by one centimeter. When you win, you win.
Q: Mario Cipollini spoke to you, what does that mean?
MC: He congratulated me. He’s a nice guy. After I made a fuck-up last year in California and lost him as a friend forever (ed – when he passed Cipollini in the prologue pedaling with one leg), he’s a real nice guy. I’m glad when someone of that statue in the sport can be happy for me, that makes me really happy also.
Q: You were crying at the finish, is this the most emotional you’ve ever been in a race?
MC: I cried when I won the world championships for first time, at the first stage of Tour de France, and today. These are three big things and big targets of mine. They were realistic goals, but everything had to go right on this day. They were all different. World’s on the track, the stage in the Tour, this is a one-day monument, this are the biggest things you can do in the different disciplines, so it makes me really happy.
Q: You live in Italy, can you tell us something about your life here?
MC: Since 2006, I came and stayed part of the year in Quarrata with Max Sciandri. We’ve became really good friends. I like Italy. I’m not going to be out so much as I like. It makes sense to stay on Isle of Man to prepare for the classics. For the Tour, it makes perfect sense to train in Tuscany. I love the life here. The people down there treat me great. The food, the weather, the people, everything is perfect. If it were up to me, I’d be out here a lot more than I am.
Q: You will race the world championships on the track, why?
MC: The reason is it makes me so fast is the leg speed, for sure I get the leg speed from the track. What people don’t see is the fine details I put into my training and my lifestyle to be able to be here. It made sense a little bit on the track to keep my leg speed. For sure, I am doing 100-200km in training, I am getting stronger in the climbs, but there’s no point to get to the finish and not be able to sprint. I don’t gain financially and I don’t get remembered for racing the track, but if you look at the fact it will benefit my road career, if it will keep my legs fast, it makes perfect sense.
from the Wiki gods.
Self-fulfilling prophecy.
A self-fulfilling prophecy is a prediction that directly or indirectly causes itself to become true, by the very terms of the prophecy itself, due to positive feedback between belief and behavior. Although examples of such prophecies can be found in literature as far back as ancient Greece and ancient India, it is 20th-century sociologist Robert K. Merton who is credited with coining the expression "self-fulfilling prophecy" and formalizing its structure and consequences. In his book Social Theory and Social Structure, Merton gives as a feature of the self-fulfilling prophecy:
| “ | The self-fulfilling prophecy is, in the beginning, a false definition of the situation evoking a new behaviour which makes the original false conception come 'true'. This specious validity of the self-fulfilling prophecy perpetuates a reign of error. For the prophet will cite the actual course of events as proof that he was right from the very beginning.[1] | ” |
In other words, a prophecy declared as truth when it is actually false may sufficiently influence people, either through fear or logical confusion, so that their reactions ultimately fulfill the once-false prophecy.
1, curling is really interesting, I'm being absolutely serious, this Brier is great fun, I feel like going out, getting a Timmies, rolling up the RRRim to win, winning!!!, getting the gang together and playing some curling. Do you "play" curling?3. apparently you can how ever ride with one rider on the left of the white line and one rider to the right. Correct me if I'm wrong.
2. you technically can't ride two abreast while out riding in BC, I did not know this, I'm being completely honest here, I didn't know that.
4. i knew this before last saturday but was reminded that cars win every time and we are VERY lucky that no one was seriously injured.
5. we, cyclists, need to make sure we do a better job of obeying the rules of the road. I will continue my policy of always waving and never shouting or showing obscenities.8. I have a lot of flying coming up. victoria - tucson, tucson - bahamas return, tucson - victoria, victoria - edmonton return, victoria - North Carolina, NC - San Fran, San fran - Victoria, victoria - korea, korea - rome, rome - madrid, madrid - vancouver. with a bunch of connector flights and days on the ground in between. Yikes, i got jet lag just writing that out.
6. Kyle and Lauren continue to be really really focused and it's inspiring to be around. They are working so hard and we're really hoping "r2d2" takes the job and starts ASAP.
* I keep getting emails, "who's r2d2?", it's an inside joke, he's the robot from starwars. The other day I joked "how hard could coaching be, put r2d2 on deck and we'd be fine......"
7. when Pippa gets tired or hungry things go down hill fast, sounds a little like her daddy....
9. my swimming and riding are really coming together. My running is too but my right calf was not ready for a sprint finish.
10. People don't like "spandex wearing hells angels", So when we're riding in a pack lets continue to line up single file when the cars honk (if it's safer) and again lets be polite.
VICKY:
On March 2, 2009, I wrote an email to Simon requesting a short email interview. He accepted with his trademark enthusiasm and I thought I was the luckiest runner in the world. Here is our little chat…
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Blogging:
VR: Why do you blog? (as opposed to just having a website)
SW: I started blogging to keep my grand parents, parents and close friends posted on our adventures, I basically do it for the same reasons now except it’s become a public diary. It acted for a long time as my training log, although I now use trainingpeaks.com. It also gives me a soup box to lecture and rant from. At least until I fall of, become yesterdays news and my blog becomes an obituary to a washed up has been…..
VR: Have you ever gotten in trouble for something you wrote on your blog?
SW: yes, a couple times, recently I said that prop 8 in california, the banning of same sex marriage, was ridiculous and that people needed to get a life and stopped telling other people who they can and can’t love. This prompted someone to say that I should stick to triathlon and stop talking about stuff I don’t know about. I agree with him, because people in robes, with strange hats who hangout in gregarious buildings with stain glass and statues should be left to decide how we should live…….
Training
VR: You have had many opportunities to train and travel around the world. What is your
favourite running location?
SW: Thetis Lake just outside of Victoria, with Jazz, Adam, Kyle, Kelly and Southy, rain or shine, summer or winter, bring your sense of adventure and don’t fall too far behind.
VR: If you could choose one person, living or dead, to go out for a run with, who would it be
and why?
SW: Jennie, with Pippa in her chariot jogging stroller.
VR: My colleague and co-blogger, Grant, once told me that you recommend training your
feet. Is this true? If so, what kind of exercises do you do?
SW: yes. walking barefoot on the treadmill before and after a lot of runs. 5-10mins
Career
VR: If you weren’t a triathlete, what would you be?
SW: a musician. like Hawksley Workman (www.hawksleyworkman.com)
Just for Fun
VR: Where can I get a cardboard cut out of “my boyfriend” Adam Van Kayak?
Seriously, we are working on a little something about Adam for our blog :o)
SW: you can have mine, we had a fight and I made him stay outside in the rain…..
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VICKY:
I have a lot of respect for Simon because he has the courage to share his opinions and his sense of humour both on and off his blog. His views of the world and the various institutions/red tape he must deal with on a daily basis offers us a unique look into the life of a world class athlete. His smile offers us but a small glimpse of the big heart that lies beneath and which shines through at every event he attends. But most of all, I truly believe that he is one of the few Canadians of his generation that has the power to influence and inspire others to do great things and yes Canada, we can do great things when we put our minds to it!
Malcolm: mine is much less then that
Since his silver medal win at the 2008 Olympic games in Beijing, Simon Whitfield has been a very busy man. Speaking engagements, a coaching change, a training camp in Maui and some longer races on the horizon. But he had time to talk to slowtwitch.
SlowTwitch: Simon, how are you doing?
Simon: Great, really enjoying training, watching our daughter grow up and run around the house blurting out new words everyday. I just love training with great people, competing everyday and I continue to feel really fortunate to be doing something I love as a job.
ST: Over the winter you spent quite some time in Hawaii. Why Hawaii and what were your goals?
Simon: I had heard so much about Maui, Ryder Hesjedal of Garmin-Slipstream lives there in the off-season and after a week of holiday there I started back into training and just loved exploring the amazing roads, the cane fields and swimming in the ocean. Maui is a pretty special place with just so many amazing sights to see and places to explore. Beyond that watching our daughter play on the beach and chasing waves was pretty special.
ST: Big changes for you in coaching. Why the change from Joel?
Simon: Joel and I had a great run, built a squad together and it was a terrific experience that culminated with a sprint finish for Gold in Beijing. Where do you go from there? It was time for it to be truly his squad and for the younger athletes to step forward and take over. For me, I love "looking for clues", I look at sport as a puzzle and Joel and I did a great job of together. I'm excited to see and learn from another approach.
ST: You could have gone with anybody ranging from Simon Lessing to people like Mark Allen or Dave Scott. Why CTS?
Simon: You just named 3 of my heroes, I really looked up to these guys and having the opportunity to race against "the king" Simon Lessing was a dream come true. I actually approached Dave Scott 4 years ago when I was searching for a new coach and talked at length with him about coaching, in the end I went with someone local. I can't say enough about these three legends and would likely have been really happy with any of them as a coach. The "Simon and Simon" show has a nice ring. I really feel that CTS just has so much knowledge and resources to draw from, so many "clues". From training expertise, to nutrition, to practical experience, wind tunnel expertise, proven results and in Nick White I found someone who is a) an excellent communicator b) incredibly thorough and c) truly passionate about coaching, not to mention an uncommon, in the coaching world, desire to stay behind the scenes. After Hawaii, when Craig won, Nick seemed quietly proud, humble and just put his head down and got back to work, I really felt this said a lot about his character.
Beyond that I'd like to train with Lance Armstrong, I have a signed yellow jersey from years ago when I was briefly managed by his manager Bill Stapleton, I'd put him pretty high on my list of athletes I'd like to get out for some training with. I realize Lance is an incredibly polarizing person/athlete, I seem to be too..... I'd like to ask him how he deals with it.
ST: 70.3 California is almost upon us, are you ready to do battle on that distance?
Simon: Not sure yet. I will tackle some 70.3 races this year. I'm just loving training right now and keen to just put my head down and get fit. The new ITU series is very, very exciting. I'm currently in a panic that I'm too old to compete, which drives me to train harder and prove myself wrong.
ST: What else is on your schedule for 2009?
Simon: May 2nd to Tuscany for a cycling tour then ducking off to Singapore for the first World Series race, back to Italy to finish the tour. Then off to Vigo, Spain to train with Javier for a week with Jennie and Pippa exploring a small Spanish town. Race Madrid on the 30th of May. Come home, race Des Moines and Washington, Lifetime Fitness, Kitzbuehel ITU WS, another race, The Grand Final on the Gold Coast September 13th, a 70.3 race and 70.3 Worlds. BAM!
ST: Your performance at the Olympic Games in Beijing was very inspirational. Where does it rank in your career highlight reel?
Simon: A close second to Sydney. Gold is simply nicer then than Silver.
ST: What kind of drug testing was done in Beijing and how did it compare to other races you have done the last couple years?
Simon: I was tested 3 times, blood and Urine, the ITU series has a lot of testing and I'm tested 15-20 times a year.
ST: When you hear allegations of drug use and positive drug tests of some of your competitors in the 2000 Olympics, what comes to your mind?
Simon: How the hell did I beat them!!!! Ha. Honestly I just don't know, what do you say? My ego hates that people may then question my result but I can't do anything about that, I just had a magic race on a magic day, it just all came together. I can't explain it any other way. As for the allegations, those athletes have to sleep at night, they live with it and will always know in the back of their mind. One thing I won't do is judging them, I can't imagine Dimitri Gaag grew up with much opportunity, sport likely gave him a way out, to provide for his family. He had choices to make and I'm sure coaches justifying it to him... I grew up in Kingston Ontario, in an affluent home, with parents who supported my dreams, a poolsdown the street and an abundance of opportunity. Who am I to judge him? I'm glad they caught him, sport needs to be drug free but I won't judge his reasons.
To go on, there was an American female sprinter (not Marion Jones) who got caught. From what I understand when she got caught she pointed right at a reporter and said "look don't judge me, I grew up on the south side of Chicago with nothing, I was faced with choices and made the choices I felt I had to to get out, to provide for myself and my family, punish me but don't tell me you wouldn't have done the same until you walk a day in my shoes" (I'm completely paraphrasing). Or Marion Jones, at the end of the day she made the choices but who are the men behind the curtain pulling the strings? How much money did these men make from her? Did they go to jail (in one case yes). Marion has paid the ultimate price, she has nothing left, but what about the men behind the curtain making the real money?
ST: If you were in charge of drug testing and drug testing protocols, what changes would you suggest?
Simon: No idea. Kick the admins / bureaucrats and politicians out of the room. Get guys from the trenches, guys in the know, guys like Victor Conti who know how "they" cheat and get out a note pad and then take action.
ST: We already know that you have London 2012 on your mind. What can we expect from Simon Whitfield in 2013?
Simon: Keep racing.
ST: How are things with your family?
Simon: Incredible, simply incredible.
ST: Is there anything else we should know about you?
Simon: I'm learning Guitar and I'm terrible. No prodigy here.
simonwhitfield
SIMONWHITFIELD
I've been a pro since I was 18 which is why I've given myself new challenges, including a half-ironman and pro cycling events, this year
Tim Don in action during the cycling leg of the triathlon at the Olympics in Beijing. Food poisoning meant he failed to complete the race. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/Tom Jenkins
"Who wouldn't want to win an Olympic gold medal in their own back yard?" says Tim Don about the London 2012 triathlon. While the former world champion may still have his head commendably focused on competing in a fourth Olympic games three years from now, he could be forgiven if his heart and body were more reticent about the relentless slog that will be required to make the start line in Hyde Park.
The Londoner's long and successful career has been interspersed with setbacks, none more so than in Beijing last year when, at the peak of his fitness, a world title behind him in 2006 and with realistic prospects of making the podium, he failed to finish the Olympic course after a bout of food poisoning sapped his energy.
After 13 years as a professional athlete, and such literally gut-wrenching setbacks along the way, a loss of heart for the battle would be understandable – but that's not how it works with Don. Speaking this week from his training base in South Africa, he revealed the new training plan and mental approach that he hopes will keep him fresh and help build momentum for a successful 2009 and beyond.
"I had a pretty rough time at the Olympics in Beijing and I just want to find that love and excitement for the sport again," he says. "With my coach Ben Bright we like to break things down into smaller steps and take each year as it comes – and this year we just want to get out there and enjoy it.
"I'm 31 now and I've been a pro since I was 18 when I finished my A-levels, so you need to keep it fresh. This year I've done a half-ironman and also a pro cycling stage race out here [in South Africa] called the Giro del Capo.
"It was 43 degrees on two of the days and we were riding 170km and 150km, so it was pretty gruelling. I learnt so much in the peloton about tactics, positioning, saving energy. I thought, why not learn from the best in the world, and I was lucky enough to get that opportunity. One of the days I finished 26th, another 15th, so I surprised myself.
"It also helps to keep things fresh. I've been doing roughly the same kind of winter training for a fair few years now. You need to keep a fresh mind as much as a fresh body, so we thought we'd try something new."
After a colourful career including various mishaps like broken bones, slipped discs, pulled muscles and an overturned Olympic ban for missed drug tests, were there not times after Beijing when he felt it would have been easier to hang up his elastic laces?
"The couple of months after the Olympics were really hard but that's life," Don admits. "That kind of stuff happens. It's how you deal with it. If you fall off the horse you've got to get back on. I'm lucky that I've got such a great team around me with my coach and manager, my friends and family. They have faith in me to be a fighter for a medal.
"I love the sport and it's my job. When I go to the office I swim in a beautiful open-air pool with mountains in the background, I can ride round the winelands of South Africa, and run through nature reserves. I know I'm just so lucky.
"I really do believe when I'm standing on the start line I've got a chance of winning a medal in any race I compete in, so that is fantastic motivation for me. And the fact that we've got such good youth coming through – the likes of Alistair Brownlee, Will Clarke and Olly Freeman – just makes me want to train harder and stay on top of the game for as long as possible."
A new approach to training is evidently a revelation for the four-times British triathlon champion, his focus on the bike and experiments with longer triathlon disciplines a welcome innovation and distraction, but the thorny issue of London 2012 remains. Can Don really expect to challenge for medals on home territory when he will be 34?
"It's a long road and if we focus on that one race now it would be too much pressure and too much expectation," he says. "Slowly we're going to move towards it and see if it's a realistic goal, like it was last year – if I hadn't got food poisoning.
"It's not something you can get back overnight and it's going to take me time to get back up there, but at the moment I'm loving my training and I've been very consistent this winter. Hopefully everyone will be very surprised this year and, although I didn't race in the Olympics, I was actually in great shape, so if I can build on that I should be in even better shape this year and get a chance to show everyone by winning a race.
Mark Cavendish proved the skeptics wrong yet again. After most experts believed he couldn’t get over the late-race climbs, the Columbia-Highroad rider sprinted to a dramatic victory to win the 100th Milan-San Remo.
Here are excerpts from his post-race press conference:
Question: What does it mean to you to win a classic?
Mark Cavendish: Each race is special, each time you cross the line is important. The different types of races, when you win stages, you prove you’re a great sprinter. When you win a one-day classic, you prove you’re a great rider. I wanted to prove that I am more than a great sprinter, that I am a great rider, and that’s what I did today.
Q: Some sprinters said you couldn’t get over the climbs?
MC: Absolutely, I knew what they were saying after Tirreno. Tom Boonen said I was getting dropped on all the climbs. If you count the times I got dropped in Tirreno, it was one time, no other times. I knew I had to play it easy in Tireno, because I knew I had good form and a good team. One of the sweetest things today was seeing Tom Boonen go past me backwards on the climbs.
Q: How much did your work with Erik Zabel help you?
MC: Without his help I wouldn’t have won today. We did recon twice, I knew exactly where I had to be at each time, when I could go hard where. His knowledge got me through the bike race. The team worked perfectly, they knew that I knew what I had to do. We had 3-4 guys who could have won, but they sacrificed their chances to let me help me win. It’s a real special day for us both.
Q: Haussler seemed to surprise everyone in the final sprint, how did you manage to win?
MC: When he went, he took everyone by surprise. There was a small opener on left that I could have followed him, but it was too close to the barriers. I had to wait for gap to open. It was touch and go if could get him. I got on his slipstream and just got him on the line. It was a close call. I’m glad I did it.
Q: You were saying it was not possible that you could win, did you believe that you could win?
MC: I said maybe I cannot win, I never said it was impossible, everything is possible. I knew it would be hard, if I could play a little poker in the last weeks. Play along about what other people thought about me, what they thought my weaknesses were. But when the people that mattered had the faith in me, that was myself and my teammates. Tommy Lövkvist, such a stronger attacker, took me on the second wheel in Cipressa. George Hincapie guided me to the Poggio, and then went full-gas and led me to fourth wheel with 400m, that was perfect
Q: Where do you go next after this victory?
MC: More wins. Every time I put my leg over the bike, I want to be first across the line. Now I’ve achieved this target, I’ve got to set new targets. I have to keep racing aggressively. I have the right environment, the right people around me. I hope to make the most of it.
Q: How important was it to make it over the Maniè?
MC: I was lucky there. I started the climb in top 10, which was perfect. As it happened, it didn’t go too hard up there. I felt really good up that climb, then I knew I was capable of getting over the capi, the Cipressa and the Poggio in good position.
Q: What does this mean to you to win this race?
MC: I just won a monument. It’s my first monument I’ve ever ridden. It’s one of the races you watch growing up. I take a lot of desire to win from the fact that a lot of people write me off. The commentator on British Eurosport was adamant that Haussler got him at the line, because they couldn’t believe he’d won it. That’s how it is, a lot of people cannot believe that I can do what I can do. When the right people put faith in me, it’s so special. The guys put so much faith in me today. It worked.
Q: Tomorrow, will your win knock soccer off the front pages in England?
MC: No chance, it’s only the Olympics and Tour de France in the national news. I don’t care about this, I’m doing because I love to race, love to be with my teammates, and love doing what I’m doing. This is what’s important to me.
Q: Today you climbed better than Armstrong, what do you say about that?
MC: It’s a big surprise, why? I’ve worked hard on my climbing. At San Remo, it’s not about being the best climber. It’s about being positioned on the climbs. I was in best position because of my teammates.
Q: Haussler almost won, how did you manage it?
MC: I was just concentrated on crossing the line first. It doesn’t matter if you win by one kilometer or by one centimeter. When you win, you win.
Q: Mario Cipollini spoke to you, what does that mean?
MC: He congratulated me. He’s a nice guy. After I made a fuck-up last year in California and lost him as a friend forever (ed – when he passed Cipollini in the prologue pedaling with one leg), he’s a real nice guy. I’m glad when someone of that statue in the sport can be happy for me, that makes me really happy also.
Q: You were crying at the finish, is this the most emotional you’ve ever been in a race?
MC: I cried when I won the world championships for first time, at the first stage of Tour de France, and today. These are three big things and big targets of mine. They were realistic goals, but everything had to go right on this day. They were all different. World’s on the track, the stage in the Tour, this is a one-day monument, this are the biggest things you can do in the different disciplines, so it makes me really happy.
Q: You live in Italy, can you tell us something about your life here?
MC: Since 2006, I came and stayed part of the year in Quarrata with Max Sciandri. We’ve became really good friends. I like Italy. I’m not going to be out so much as I like. It makes sense to stay on Isle of Man to prepare for the classics. For the Tour, it makes perfect sense to train in Tuscany. I love the life here. The people down there treat me great. The food, the weather, the people, everything is perfect. If it were up to me, I’d be out here a lot more than I am.
Q: You will race the world championships on the track, why?
MC: The reason is it makes me so fast is the leg speed, for sure I get the leg speed from the track. What people don’t see is the fine details I put into my training and my lifestyle to be able to be here. It made sense a little bit on the track to keep my leg speed. For sure, I am doing 100-200km in training, I am getting stronger in the climbs, but there’s no point to get to the finish and not be able to sprint. I don’t gain financially and I don’t get remembered for racing the track, but if you look at the fact it will benefit my road career, if it will keep my legs fast, it makes perfect sense.
from the Wiki gods.
Self-fulfilling prophecy.
A self-fulfilling prophecy is a prediction that directly or indirectly causes itself to become true, by the very terms of the prophecy itself, due to positive feedback between belief and behavior. Although examples of such prophecies can be found in literature as far back as ancient Greece and ancient India, it is 20th-century sociologist Robert K. Merton who is credited with coining the expression "self-fulfilling prophecy" and formalizing its structure and consequences. In his book Social Theory and Social Structure, Merton gives as a feature of the self-fulfilling prophecy:
| “ | The self-fulfilling prophecy is, in the beginning, a false definition of the situation evoking a new behaviour which makes the original false conception come 'true'. This specious validity of the self-fulfilling prophecy perpetuates a reign of error. For the prophet will cite the actual course of events as proof that he was right from the very beginning.[1] | ” |
In other words, a prophecy declared as truth when it is actually false may sufficiently influence people, either through fear or logical confusion, so that their reactions ultimately fulfill the once-false prophecy.
1, curling is really interesting, I'm being absolutely serious, this Brier is great fun, I feel like going out, getting a Timmies, rolling up the RRRim to win, winning!!!, getting the gang together and playing some curling. Do you "play" curling?3. apparently you can how ever ride with one rider on the left of the white line and one rider to the right. Correct me if I'm wrong.
2. you technically can't ride two abreast while out riding in BC, I did not know this, I'm being completely honest here, I didn't know that.
4. i knew this before last saturday but was reminded that cars win every time and we are VERY lucky that no one was seriously injured.
5. we, cyclists, need to make sure we do a better job of obeying the rules of the road. I will continue my policy of always waving and never shouting or showing obscenities.8. I have a lot of flying coming up. victoria - tucson, tucson - bahamas return, tucson - victoria, victoria - edmonton return, victoria - North Carolina, NC - San Fran, San fran - Victoria, victoria - korea, korea - rome, rome - madrid, madrid - vancouver. with a bunch of connector flights and days on the ground in between. Yikes, i got jet lag just writing that out.
6. Kyle and Lauren continue to be really really focused and it's inspiring to be around. They are working so hard and we're really hoping "r2d2" takes the job and starts ASAP.
* I keep getting emails, "who's r2d2?", it's an inside joke, he's the robot from starwars. The other day I joked "how hard could coaching be, put r2d2 on deck and we'd be fine......"
7. when Pippa gets tired or hungry things go down hill fast, sounds a little like her daddy....
9. my swimming and riding are really coming together. My running is too but my right calf was not ready for a sprint finish.
10. People don't like "spandex wearing hells angels", So when we're riding in a pack lets continue to line up single file when the cars honk (if it's safer) and again lets be polite.
VICKY:
On March 2, 2009, I wrote an email to Simon requesting a short email interview. He accepted with his trademark enthusiasm and I thought I was the luckiest runner in the world. Here is our little chat…
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Blogging:
VR: Why do you blog? (as opposed to just having a website)
SW: I started blogging to keep my grand parents, parents and close friends posted on our adventures, I basically do it for the same reasons now except it’s become a public diary. It acted for a long time as my training log, although I now use trainingpeaks.com. It also gives me a soup box to lecture and rant from. At least until I fall of, become yesterdays news and my blog becomes an obituary to a washed up has been…..
VR: Have you ever gotten in trouble for something you wrote on your blog?
SW: yes, a couple times, recently I said that prop 8 in california, the banning of same sex marriage, was ridiculous and that people needed to get a life and stopped telling other people who they can and can’t love. This prompted someone to say that I should stick to triathlon and stop talking about stuff I don’t know about. I agree with him, because people in robes, with strange hats who hangout in gregarious buildings with stain glass and statues should be left to decide how we should live…….
Training
VR: You have had many opportunities to train and travel around the world. What is your
favourite running location?
SW: Thetis Lake just outside of Victoria, with Jazz, Adam, Kyle, Kelly and Southy, rain or shine, summer or winter, bring your sense of adventure and don’t fall too far behind.
VR: If you could choose one person, living or dead, to go out for a run with, who would it be
and why?
SW: Jennie, with Pippa in her chariot jogging stroller.
VR: My colleague and co-blogger, Grant, once told me that you recommend training your
feet. Is this true? If so, what kind of exercises do you do?
SW: yes. walking barefoot on the treadmill before and after a lot of runs. 5-10mins
Career
VR: If you weren’t a triathlete, what would you be?
SW: a musician. like Hawksley Workman (www.hawksleyworkman.com)
Just for Fun
VR: Where can I get a cardboard cut out of “my boyfriend” Adam Van Kayak?
Seriously, we are working on a little something about Adam for our blog :o)
SW: you can have mine, we had a fight and I made him stay outside in the rain…..
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VICKY:
I have a lot of respect for Simon because he has the courage to share his opinions and his sense of humour both on and off his blog. His views of the world and the various institutions/red tape he must deal with on a daily basis offers us a unique look into the life of a world class athlete. His smile offers us but a small glimpse of the big heart that lies beneath and which shines through at every event he attends. But most of all, I truly believe that he is one of the few Canadians of his generation that has the power to influence and inspire others to do great things and yes Canada, we can do great things when we put our minds to it!
Malcolm: mine is much less then that
Since his silver medal win at the 2008 Olympic games in Beijing, Simon Whitfield has been a very busy man. Speaking engagements, a coaching change, a training camp in Maui and some longer races on the horizon. But he had time to talk to slowtwitch.
SlowTwitch: Simon, how are you doing?
Simon: Great, really enjoying training, watching our daughter grow up and run around the house blurting out new words everyday. I just love training with great people, competing everyday and I continue to feel really fortunate to be doing something I love as a job.
ST: Over the winter you spent quite some time in Hawaii. Why Hawaii and what were your goals?
Simon: I had heard so much about Maui, Ryder Hesjedal of Garmin-Slipstream lives there in the off-season and after a week of holiday there I started back into training and just loved exploring the amazing roads, the cane fields and swimming in the ocean. Maui is a pretty special place with just so many amazing sights to see and places to explore. Beyond that watching our daughter play on the beach and chasing waves was pretty special.
ST: Big changes for you in coaching. Why the change from Joel?
Simon: Joel and I had a great run, built a squad together and it was a terrific experience that culminated with a sprint finish for Gold in Beijing. Where do you go from there? It was time for it to be truly his squad and for the younger athletes to step forward and take over. For me, I love "looking for clues", I look at sport as a puzzle and Joel and I did a great job of together. I'm excited to see and learn from another approach.ST: You could have gone with anybody ranging from Simon Lessing to people like Mark Allen or Dave Scott. Why CTS?
Simon: You just named 3 of my heroes, I really looked up to these guys and having the opportunity to race against "the king" Simon Lessing was a dream come true. I actually approached Dave Scott 4 years ago when I was searching for a new coach and talked at length with him about coaching, in the end I went with someone local. I can't say enough about these three legends and would likely have been really happy with any of them as a coach. The "Simon and Simon" show has a nice ring. I really feel that CTS just has so much knowledge and resources to draw from, so many "clues". From training expertise, to nutrition, to practical experience, wind tunnel expertise, proven results and in Nick White I found someone who is a) an excellent communicator b) incredibly thorough and c) truly passionate about coaching, not to mention an uncommon, in the coaching world, desire to stay behind the scenes. After Hawaii, when Craig won, Nick seemed quietly proud, humble and just put his head down and got back to work, I really felt this said a lot about his character.
Beyond that I'd like to train with Lance Armstrong, I have a signed yellow jersey from years ago when I was briefly managed by his manager Bill Stapleton, I'd put him pretty high on my list of athletes I'd like to get out for some training with. I realize Lance is an incredibly polarizing person/athlete, I seem to be too..... I'd like to ask him how he deals with it.
ST: 70.3 California is almost upon us, are you ready to do battle on that distance?
Simon: Not sure yet. I will tackle some 70.3 races this year. I'm just loving training right now and keen to just put my head down and get fit. The new ITU series is very, very exciting. I'm currently in a panic that I'm too old to compete, which drives me to train harder and prove myself wrong.
ST: What else is on your schedule for 2009?
Simon: May 2nd to Tuscany for a cycling tour then ducking off to Singapore for the first World Series race, back to Italy to finish the tour. Then off to Vigo, Spain to train with Javier for a week with Jennie and Pippa exploring a small Spanish town. Race Madrid on the 30th of May. Come home, race Des Moines and Washington, Lifetime Fitness, Kitzbuehel ITU WS, another race, The Grand Final on the Gold Coast September 13th, a 70.3 race and 70.3 Worlds. BAM!ST: Your performance at the Olympic Games in Beijing was very inspirational. Where does it rank in your career highlight reel?
Simon: A close second to Sydney. Gold is simply nicer then than Silver.
ST: What kind of drug testing was done in Beijing and how did it compare to other races you have done the last couple years?
Simon: I was tested 3 times, blood and Urine, the ITU series has a lot of testing and I'm tested 15-20 times a year.
ST: When you hear allegations of drug use and positive drug tests of some of your competitors in the 2000 Olympics, what comes to your mind?
Simon: How the hell did I beat them!!!! Ha. Honestly I just don't know, what do you say? My ego hates that people may then question my result but I can't do anything about that, I just had a magic race on a magic day, it just all came together. I can't explain it any other way. As for the allegations, those athletes have to sleep at night, they live with it and will always know in the back of their mind. One thing I won't do is judging them, I can't imagine Dimitri Gaag grew up with much opportunity, sport likely gave him a way out, to provide for his family. He had choices to make and I'm sure coaches justifying it to him... I grew up in Kingston Ontario, in an affluent home, with parents who supported my dreams, a poolsdown the street and an abundance of opportunity. Who am I to judge him? I'm glad they caught him, sport needs to be drug free but I won't judge his reasons.
To go on, there was an American female sprinter (not Marion Jones) who got caught. From what I understand when she got caught she pointed right at a reporter and said "look don't judge me, I grew up on the south side of Chicago with nothing, I was faced with choices and made the choices I felt I had to to get out, to provide for myself and my family, punish me but don't tell me you wouldn't have done the same until you walk a day in my shoes" (I'm completely paraphrasing). Or Marion Jones, at the end of the day she made the choices but who are the men behind the curtain pulling the strings? How much money did these men make from her? Did they go to jail (in one case yes). Marion has paid the ultimate price, she has nothing left, but what about the men behind the curtain making the real money?ST: If you were in charge of drug testing and drug testing protocols, what changes would you suggest?
Simon: No idea. Kick the admins / bureaucrats and politicians out of the room. Get guys from the trenches, guys in the know, guys like Victor Conti who know how "they" cheat and get out a note pad and then take action.
ST: We already know that you have London 2012 on your mind. What can we expect from Simon Whitfield in 2013?
Simon: Keep racing.
ST: How are things with your family?
Simon: Incredible, simply incredible.
ST: Is there anything else we should know about you?
Simon: I'm learning Guitar and I'm terrible. No prodigy here.
