The Friday Thing #811

The last Friday Thing for a couple of weeks as vacation is here!

?

The Friday Thing #811?shamelessly sticks with cycling this week. I had surgery on my collarbone last week and am on the mend – but also eager to get back on my bike. It’s going to be a while before I am back on the road but this weekend, I gingerly got back on my Peloton indoor bike and spun the pedals for a bit – it felt good, and I was able to ride without putting any real stress on the shoulder. So, I’ve been back on the bike each day, albeit not pushing too hard and avoiding my usual FTP classes. I did a few of the scenic rides and then noticed a new feature (to me) on Peloton which is you can watch Netflix while riding. Perfect timing as on Wednesday, a new cycling documentary was released titled Mark Cavendish: Never Enough .

Close followers of cycling will know who Cavendish is but for those less familiar, this guy is a legend. From the Isle of Man (not far from where I grew up) he became the greatest sprinter cycling has ever seen and maybe ever will. He holds the joint record for most stage wins at the Tour de France with the great Eddy Merckx – who is generally regarded as the greatest cyclist ever. "Cav", as he is known, is a bit of a character – to call him mercurial would be an understatement. He’s a complicated fellow who I got to meet last year on a ride in Ibiza. I found him to be shy and seemingly very skeptical of people he didn’t know – but nonetheless very friendly, and generous with his time. A signed cycling jersey from him is a prized possession.

Back to the documentary though. It was no doubt timed to coincide with what the producer hoped would be Cav's 35th Tour win this year to surpass Merckx. Alas, it was not meant to be as Cavendish crashed out on stage 8 – breaking his clavicle (It’s the only thing I have in common with him). I found the documentary an extraordinary insight into two things.

The first being the dangers of pro cycling. As viewers we often only remember the winner crossing the line or winning the Grand Tour. This documentary shows you the dangers and the pain of pro cycling. Watching Cavendish hit a large bollard in the 2018 Milan-San Remo race and somersaulting over his handlebars to land on his back in the middle of the road is an image that will stay with me for a long time. This level of riding is brutal and unforgiving. It’s not for the faint of heart.

The second thing I took away from this documentary is a newfound reverence for the word “vulnerability”? I will confess when I first started to hear a few years ago about the merits of vulnerability at work and in leaders, I was skeptical. I'm a bit embarrassed to admit that now. Like Cavendish, I grew up in a country, and an era, where vulnerability would be seen as weakness. Britain is known for a ‘stiff upper lip’ and stoicism. Yet, through this documentary, you see Cavendish go on that journey – of being broken down by the Epstein-Barr virus and spiraling into a perilous mental and physical state. With the support of family, physicians, and friends, you see Cavendish shed his armour and become vulnerable. You see him rebuild mentally and physically. And then you see him come back in the most glorious way possible. He wasn’t riding the 2021 Tour de France….and then he was as a late replacement for an injured to a teammate. On stage 4 at Fougeres he won again. It was breathtaking to watch back in 2021 and spine tingling watching it again this week. At this point on my Peloton ride I was sweating but it was not sweat in my eyes when I watched him cross the line.

I didn’t plan for this edition to be a “movie review” but if it was, I’d give ‘Never Enough’ 9 out of 10. Emotional, educational, inspirational. The only thing missing for me was commentary from some of Cav’s British former teammates, but I am sure they’ll appear in the inevitable book. I’ll watch this documentary over and over as there is so much to learn – about cycling, and about ourselves. Watching someone deal with such adversity and personal demons and come out the other side even stronger was remarkable. Most of all, watching your invincible heroes take on and talk about mental health was inspirational.

Me, I came away with 3 things:

1. A determination to get back on my bike and train harder.
2. A commitment to embrace vulnerability.
3. A reflection that nothing in life happens alone. It’s the product of teamwork/family/friends.

That’s all for this week. I’m off to ride my stationary bike and enjoy a few weeks of downtime.

Oh, and music this week is Tour de France, by Kraftwerk.

Cheers,

Steve