Every July I follow le Tour de France: thrilling, heartbreaking stories of individuals working smoothly (or not) in teams, set amongst breathtaking scenery.
My favorite cycling team is Jonathan Vaughters' Slipstream Sports, co-founded with Doug Ellis as a magnet for athletes willing to stay on the legal side of the "performance enhancement" line, or in recovery from having been caught crossing it. This year they're competing as Cannondale-Drapac. In the past I've also purchased Garmin and Chipotle products to support them. (Or as Business Insider recently wrote: "Cannondale-Drapac does not win often, but it has a connection with its fans unlike that of the other American teams, Trek and BMC.") They lack the funding of the world-dominating teams, but they're showing what can be done, racing cleanly on a budget.
Today's amazing news: a Cannondale-Drapac rider is in second place in the general classification. The GC race is closer than it has ever been in the final week; many of us fans are freaking out.
Even if Rigoberto Urán wasn't riding for "my" team, as well as the honor of his native Colombia, he would be the role model I need right now. First of all, he's pragmatic; when asked by journalists what he would like to say to the people of Colombia, he replied, “No pierdan tanto trabajo mirando toda la etapa todos los dias.” [“Don’t miss too much work watching the whole stage every day.”]
But (whether or not he ends up "on the podium" in Paris) Urán is my hero because he's so focused and professional. To quote Urán's directeur sportif, Charlie Wegelius (article links here and here, emphasis mine):
He's really good at just taking things that aren't relevant to him or his performance and he just puts them to the side. Some people may think they put them to the side, but it's still there. If it doesn't contribute to his performance, he just put things aside and goes in a straight line. Just the noise around races, and teams, and media-based things. He does exactly what he has to do. He knows what counts and what doesn't. That's the thing.He know what adds to his performance and what doesn't. He knows what's expected. If he has to go to a team presentation or have his picture taken, he'll do it. If he asks for something and pushes for something, you can be sure it's performance-related. It's not just hot air.
And with all this, Urán has what Dan Pink calls buoyancy. Or as ESPN's Bonnie Ford described that precious quality:
He has a gift for being simultaneously relaxed and vigilant, for taking his work seriously without being self-serious.
With so much going on in my own life already, and so much "noise around ... media-based things," I am going to make this man my role model, focusing on performance in a buoyant way. Thank you so much, Rigo! Wishing you and all of the remaining riders on the Tour a safe ride to the finish line.
Comments