My daughter will never be a cyclist.
I have always known the outside view of elite sport to be remarkably idealistic, and at complete odds with my own experience of it. I'd guess most athletes would agree it is not all sunshine and rainbows, as the media might have you believe. I’ve only recently, though, understood just how flawed the internal view of sport can be. Cycling NZ - and many of those who held powerful positions over my career – constructed and encouraged a distorted version of reality where one’s worth was measured only in medals and world records. There was no attempt to restore any realistic perspective, to provide any meaningful guidance or tools to cope with the immense pressure of high-performance sport. There was no real regard for mental or emotional wellbeing. Mental illness was not only ignored, but considered a liability. There was no acknowledgement, let alone encouragement, of goals and aspirations beyond the narrow confines of sport. It is difficult to avoid being consumed by this chroni...