Maybe You're
Not Done Yet.

Every July, I'm reminded why I fell in love with cycling.

The Tour de France arrives on television, the days blur into mountain stages, and for three weeks the sport takes over my evenings.

It always brings me back to the same feeling I had as a young fan. That sense of watching something bigger than a bike race.

But cycling fans have a habit I've noticed over the years. Whenever someone dominates, we start searching for a villain.

The sport has a difficult history with doping. I understand why people are cautious. That scepticism is earned.

But extraordinary performances don't automatically erase the years of dedication required to reach that level.

Rather than spending my energy trying to tear greatness down, I'd rather appreciate witnessing one of the greatest riders the sport has ever seen.

Let me tell you a story.

Years ago I worked for Champion System Australia. Champion System produced the clothing for Lampre, an Italian team on the WorldTour.

When UAE investors entered cycling, Lampre became UAE Team Emirates.

I had the opportunity to attend the Australian launch of the new team.

Among the riders that day was one young Slovenian. Only seventeen. Quiet. Unknown. Nobody in the room knew what the future held for him.

His name was Tadej Pogačar.

Things changed quickly.

Within only a few years that teenager became a Tour de France champion.

Now, every July, the cycling world debates him. Some celebrate him. Some question him.

History has made cycling fans naturally sceptical. That's understandable.

But don't let suspicion stop you appreciating greatness while you're lucky enough to witness it.

Growing up, my favourite riders were Marco Pantani, Lance Armstrong, Jan Ullrich and Alberto Contador.

Every generation has its heroes. And every generation eventually questions those heroes.

But what inspired me wasn't perfection. It was watching people discover what they were capable of.

Maybe you're
not done yet.

This is why endurance sports fascinate me.

They reveal something about ourselves.

Our brains are designed to protect us. When training becomes uncomfortable, the brain sends signals telling us we're finished.

But often we're nowhere near our actual limit.

“

When your mind says you're done,
maybe you're not.

There's an idea in endurance called the 40% Rule. Not as absolute science. But as a useful mental model.

When you think you've reached your limit, you've often only used a fraction of what you're capable of.

Your brain acts as a survival mechanism. Fatigue is often protective rather than absolute.

When you feel like quitting, you've usually got more to give.

Growth comes from learning to stay with discomfort just a little longer.

This applies to endurance sport.

It applies to life.

It applies to coaching.

I'm less interested in making athletes faster than helping them discover they're capable of more than they believed.

The confidence built through that discovery doesn't stay in the training session. It follows you into the rest of your life.

Looking back, it's funny how life works.

I didn't know that young rider would become one of the greatest cyclists of his generation.

I didn't know those jerseys would one day be worn by my son.

I didn't know I'd eventually be coaching endurance athletes myself.

Sometimes the most important moments don't feel important when they're happening.

They're only given meaning years later.

And maybe that's the real lesson.

When you think you're done.

Maybe you're not done yet.