.

Streatley Hill.

Video – Paul Jones

• Blog at Cycling Uphill

It was very interesting to return after a gap of one quarter of a century. (And it feels wonderful when you can start counting your life in decades rather than years.) In terms of my all round education, I have to say the school was probably as good as it gets, and am grateful for my time there, even if I don’t think about it too much these days. It was a formative time in my life, especially the sixth form where my outlook on life began to mature, change and develop.

I think my lecture on the economics of austerity was well received, in that I just about managed to keep the students awake and stave off any pre-lunch rebellion. As part of my invitation and introduction, the school had dug into its archive of old cross country races to find the results of a certain young Mr Pettinger. They proudly pointed out I used to beat a certain boy (now the Deputy Head) before the tables were turned and he started beating me. After that date I disappeared from the archive results, never to return.

I found that amusing because I remember that race very well – a defining moment in my sporting life because I actually came dead last and vowed never to do competitive sport again. I reasoned if you come last and got beaten by the likes of Mr Darcy (now deputy head), you obviously don’t have the genes for competitive sport. I slinked away from running through muddy fields and put my trainers in the cupboard.

***

However, that was not quite the end of the story. A few years later with school memories very much receding into the background, I found my Guru and running enthusiast Sri Chinmoy had very different ideas. Retirement at the age of 16 was definitely not for Sri Chinmoy’s Path!

I retook to running with the enthusiasm and evangelism of a true believer. In fact, so much enthusiasm I picked up a bad knee injury. I remember well spending my first two celebrations hobbling around with a bad knee. So much for inspiring running stories.

But, as we know, every cloud can have a silver lining. The experience of the knee injury encouraged me to gently pick up cycling and give that a go instead. That turned out much better than expected and suggested my theories of genetic failings were limited to say the least.

It just show you should be careful what you assume when 16 years of age.

And what about those days of cross-country? I remember well being encouraged by the immortal Selby Brock and Tony Kingham to transcend the slothful impetus of a typical teenager.

It may sound cliche but – if I didn’t always appreciate their enthusiasm for running as a teenager – I look on it with a different light now.

Aged 17, I took part in a school cricket tour based in Matlock. We drank a lot of beer and played a little bit of cricket. I wasn’t very good at playing cricket or drinking beer, so I never went on another cricket tour.

A few years later – after joining the Sri Chinmoy Centre, we had a joy weekend at a youth hostel on Bank Road (and met in the church on the left). Bank Road is a very steep hill and I thought what a great steep hill to cycle up. The funny thing is I took my bike to Matlock, but left my pedals in Oxford – so my thoughts of cycling never got further than that. It made a change from forgetting my front wheel (which I had a habit of doing at that time). Still, I had a good time on the weekend with a bit of meditation and walking in the environment of Matlock.

In 2008, the National hill climb championship was on Bank Road. I hadn’t done much cycling that year, but thought I would give it a go. I finished 14th, which was quite good. I was definitely better at cycling up steep hills than playing cricket or drinking beer. Though I still preferred longer ones to the short steep Bank Road.

Photo Anthony Wood

Eight years later (2016) and the National hill climb championship came back to Bank Road. It hasn’t been a good hill climb season for me. I’ve had an injury and also got a cold two days before the championship. Every logical reason was to withdraw from the race and take it easy at home. But, I like the atmosphere of the national hill climb championship so went along anyway to take part. I knew I wouldn’t do particularly well, but still cycled up the hill and enjoyed meeting a few people and taking some photos.

Photo Anthony Wood

It is great view from Bank Road to the rest of Matlock. Last weekend in October is the height of autumn with trees in colour.

I’ve been to Matlock a few other times. Great place.

Looking back up Bank Road from Matlock town centre.

Looking down the hill

Looking up the hill

Related

• 2016 national hill climb at Sri Chinmoy Races
• 2016 national hill climb at Cycling Uphill

Last weekend I rode my first 12 hour time trial championship. It was the National TT championships. I finished in 2nd place.

This is photo by Vilas, who helped me through the day, passing bottles e.t.c.

It is a different challenge to ride a 12 hour race, compared to short five minute hill climb. You can’t compare. One thing I like about 12 hour time trial is that it is a different kind of self-transcendence where you are riding an unknown distance. The most successful part of the day was when I was able to relax, get into a good rhythm and the feel the ‘flow’ of constant cycling.

Sri Chinmoy once said cycling reminds us of evolution – the constant movement to seek progress and transcendence and move into a better cycle. I like that metaphor.

“While we are cycling, we are reminding ourselves of evolution, of how the world is evolving in cycles. When we think of our planet, we think of a wheel turning; our life also is evolving like a wheel. So cycling reminds us of the process of evolution and of how everything goes in cycles.”

• Sri Chinmoy, Significance of cycling

Related

• 12 hour time trial at Sri Chinmoy Races
• Blog at Cycling Uphill

The athlete, Mustafa Mohamed immediately said he was not interested, that he had never doped, and would never get involved in anything of that nature. He declined their offer to sleep on it. He told them he ran “for passion, not for money or fame”.

Mustafa Mohamed is a Somali-Swedish long-distance runner who mainly competes in the 3000 meter steeplechase.

If journalists can help bring real dopers to justice they are doing a favour to the sport. Journalists like David Walsh from the Sunday Times, did a good job in constant questioning of people like Lance Armstrong and trying to uncover the truth.

However, one thing about doping in the media is that it is nearly always the dopers who make the headlines. The people most quoted on the subject of doping are usually the doctors / athletes involved; and they can have a vested interest in trying to allege doping is widespread and ‘everyone is at’ – A form of justification for their own doping.

This can create an impression that ‘Everyone is at it’. If we are not careful, it is possible to become overly cynical and lazily assume everyone is doping or at least become super-suspicious. However, this is unfair on clean athletes and not helpful for promoting a climate of clean sport.

It is as wrong to cover up / ignore doping, it is also wrong to paint everyone with the same brush.

Mustafa Mohamed was interviewed by two undercover journalists, trying to find if an associate of Mo Farah could be implicated in doping.

Mustafa spoke for many clean athletes when he says he ran:

“for passion, not for money or fame”.

This story won’t make the newspaper headlines, but we have to remember that whilst there are athletes who try to cheat and corrupt the ideals of sport, there are also athletes who want to compete in a honest way.

External links

• Mustafa Mohamed story at Daily Herald
• Mustafa Mohamed story at Swedish paper

Related

• Doping and cycling

When I was young, there was a time when I wanted to put on weight and become a rugby player. I was never successful in putting on weight, nor did I make it playing rugby. But, taking up cycling aged 27, made me realise being thin and low weight wasn’t so bad after all.

I’ve already reviewed the book at Cycling Uphill – A Corinthian Endeavour and there are some quotes from the book at: Sri Chinmoy Races

This is the introduction to the chapter 18 on the Stang, which had me laughing at the description of myself.

“Successful hill climbers are thin. Don’t let anyone suggest otherwise… In the jagged ranks of the thin men, Tejvan Pettinger is the tallest, thinnest man I’ve met for quite sometime. In fact, I’m not sure I’ve ever met anyone as thin and tall. His wrists are dwarfed by the thickness of the oversize handlebars; ankles are rounded pieces of dowel. It’s almost impossible to see where the power comes from…” (p.243)

The author Paul Jones did a good job with the book. He has talent to bring an obscure branch of cycle sport to life.

• A Corinthian Endeavour – review at Cycling Uphill

I do most of my training on my own. It’s partly convenience of finding someone willing to go out at similar times and similar training efforts. But, also I quite like the solitary nature of cycling on my own. With all the solitary training, I like the racing season as it is good to meet others. The good thing about time trials is that everyone is doing their own race, so you don’t feel particularly competitive, but you can concentrate on doing your own race and own efforts of self-transcendence.

One of the challenges of racing is being organised – remembering every bit of clothing and bike equipment. Then you need to get ready and have everything organised at the right time. I’m often scrambling around the back of the car making last minute changes, finding a new pair of gloves, changing equipment.

It is a real challenge to be calmly organised and focused in the last minutes before the race. I practise meditation and meditate before a race, but maintaining the inner peace and calm of meditation before and during a race is easier said than done. But, it is a good opportunity to try and make meditation practical. Sri Chinmoy was keen on promoting sport, and perhaps this is one of the reasons. The Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team put on many races and his disciples take part in different kinds of sporting challenges. Some swim the channel or run multi-day races, but I will stick to what I’m good at and enjoy – racing around hilly courses.

Related

• Buxton Mountain Time Trial 2016 – at Cycling Uphill.com
• Buxton MTT at Sri Chinmoy Races

Prior to 2013, my best placed finish was 4th. In 2011, I had been one of favourites, but only finished 5th.  2013 was the ninth time I had entered the national hill climb championship; I guess it made a good story -ninth time lucky. At 36, I was also probably one of oldest people to win the championship too.

After the race, Cycling Weekly interviewed me quite a bit. They were interested in my cycling team – Sri Chinmoy Cycling Team – which takes its inspiration from spiritual teacher and keen athlete Sri Chinmoy. Also, I try and meditate before a race and get in a good space. On the Championship day, the weather on the Stang was really bad – high winds and rain. Usually I would spend time warming up on the roads, but the weather encouraged me to warm up less and spend more time in the car meditating. It wasn’t a great meditation if I’m honest, but it was still good to do.

Full article

• Cycling Weekly-oct-31-2013

The photo on first page is good. But!

• My woolly socks weren’t very aerodynamic, I intended to take the second pair off, but it was cold. The person in the distance was my ‘minute man’ – the person who started one minute before. He was Sam Ward, who ironically got me to do my first hill climb for Otley CC back in 1993.
• Number not put on properly. Someone accidentally started to take my number off in the HQ, and it didn’t get put back on properly.

I also blogged at:

• Nat Hill climb 2013 – Cycling uphill
• National Hill climb championship 2013 at Cycling Weekly

In 2015, I entered the British Time Trial Championship. It was really expensive and awkward to enter.

Usually I do time trials governed by Cycling Time Trials, a UK body. But, this race came under UCI rules – the International cycling body have strict rules about size and shape of bike parts.

I had to spend £400 on a UCI fork and UCI compliant aerobars, to make my bike “UCI legal”

Then when I travelled north to give some meditation classes a week earlier, I forgot my helmet and racing license. I had to ask a friend to ‘break’ into house and post my racing license first class.

I never usually forget helmet, but the one time I’m on Eurosport and I forget – typical!. Fortunately I was able to borrow one from a local member of my old club Otley CC.

Anyway, I got there plenty of time, but, the UCI rules checker was really vague. I wasn’t sure whether I’d be able to ride or not. 15 minutes before the start, I finally was given an OK. I had passed the vagaries of the UCI regulations

By the time I got to the start line, I was relieved. I felt no pressure because – I knew the standard of competition was very high. It’s not like the hill climb championship, where you always feel there is a chance of winning.

I was joking at the start because there was a clock in front which was confusing. It looked like I had missed the start. I don’t usually joke at the start, but am very serious. But, at that point I felt in the mood for talking.

The relaxed attitude was quite good because at the start, there was a deceptively difficult climb on the motor racing circuit. I took it fairly steady, though quite a few riders overcooked it on this part.

Racing the rest of the circuit was fun. Though, I wish I had done circuit before as it was quite technical. I thought I went down hill quite fast at 45mph, but Alex Dowsett (the winner) went much faster and didn’t brake at all. That’s one difference between an amateur and professional, they are used to racing on closed roads and know the risks to take. By the time I finished, I was a little dehydrated and started to cramp. But, in the end I did very well to finish 7th. It was helped by a few pros not starting (preferring to prepare for Tour de France a few days later.)

Anyway, I didn’t mind that – I finished higher as a result. Given the startsheet, 7th place was really good, and one of the best results of the season.

The interesting thing about the race was that from a mental perspective it wasn’t logical to enter. Why spend all that money and go to all the effort for one race? I spent many times half regretting entering. But, in the end it turned out to be a great experience. Getting on TV an added bonus. I’m glad I just did it. I could have saved £400 towards my pension. But, when I’m 70, I couldn’t have had that experience of getting stressed about whether my bike was UCI legal.

Related

British Time Trial Championship 2015

To later learn that the sport was essentially corrupt and full of doping was hard. The joy of sport diminished, and the result irrelevant.

In 2005, the journalist David Walsh was asked who do you want to win the Tour de France? He replied “I don’t mind. Anyone who is clean”. I agree with that sentiment 100%.

Over the years, I have spent many hours watching the Tour de France (probably too many to be honest!). From 1999-2005 I was just hoping anyone other than Lance Armstrong would win. I didn’t like Armstrong’s attitude to cycling – associating with dodgy doping doctors like Michael Ferrari, and other evidence of doping. I didn’t get a good feeling from him when interviewed; there was a certain arrogance, I didn’t like. I really hoped and prayed the truth would come out (whatever that was), but I also thought you can’t expect justice in this world. At times, the odds seem stacked against the quiet truth, the truth that doesn’t shout and make itself heard about the din of money and power.

I only took comfort from a belief in karma and reincarnation – the concept that no one can escape the consequences of their actions – even if it doesn’t happen until a future lifetime.

But the truth did come out.

When the report by USADA came out in October 2012, I was very happy (and proud of America for taking action against one of its biggest stars). It was a very thorough investigation and you felt the truth had finally come out. Many thought it was bad for cycling, but I thought it was the best thing to happen. Sometimes to get a thorn out of your skin, you need to use another thorn. There is pain, but it is worth it in the long run.

I never liked Armstrong, but I felt his fall from grace was the best thing that ever happened to him. I’m not saying overnight he became a good person; his humility and repentance felt partial. But, at least, it was some humility where previously there was none. Rather than creating more bad karma, he was finally realising the consequences of his actions. I wonder if he thinks it was a good thing he got caught or whether he still wishes he had just got away with it all?

In the highest meditation, you can feel a deep sense of connection with other people. If you have peace, you want to share that with everyone – to the exclusion of none. That is the nature of meditation. But, when you’re not in the highest consciousness, we see people as separate and it’s harder to be sympathetic to actions which cause suffering. Above all, we want people to learn from their actions. When karma rebounds in this life, there is a sense of justice – and yes we can have faith in the universe again. I know the Supreme has a plan – but, as humans stuck in time, we would like the triumph of truth as soon as possible, please. One day can feel a long time, let alone a whole incarnation.

Suspicion and the consequences of doping

My joy in seeing the truth come out about the previous doping episodes was tempered by the realisation of how much damage decades of doping, lying and cheating had done to people’s faith in sport.

Understandably, by 2012, many cycling fans had become cynical, suspicious and fed up with the endless doping scandals and the seeming inability of the sport to clean up its actions.

I always knew doping was wrong – bad for health, immoral, against the law e.t.c. But, I never realised how bad it was. Perhaps the worse legacy of doping and lying is the atmosphere of mistrust and cynicism amongst people who follow the sport – suspicion that casts a shadow over everyone. One hundred clean athletes go relatively unnoticed, yet one high profile doper who lied for many years has a much more powerful impact. To create a climate of suspicion requires only a small number to behave in the wrong way. By contrast, you can spend a whole career carefully and patiently doing the right thing, but this doesn’t make the headlines, it doesn’t make a best-seller. The best-selling cycling books in recent decades have often been written by dopers who get to tell their story. They make money from winning races doped, then make money telling they regret doping. Clean athletes who never had a chance to win  are left to enjoy their honesty and clean-conscience.

Suspicion

There was a time when top cyclists were treated as untouchable heroes. Awkward questions like – why do you have pills in your back pocket? were not always asked – lest we didn’t like the answer. In this atmosphere of untouchability it is not surprising cyclists took liberties.

However, post 2012, and the atmosphere has seemed to swing to the other extreme. At times, it felt anyone with the temerity to win a cycling race,  had to be suspected of doping. Any performance close to that of previous dopers taken as proof of guilt. Online commentators and even journalists set themselves up as judge, jury and executioner.

This presumed guilt is not on the base of reliable sworn testimonies and scientific tests, like in the case of USADA but purely on the basis of
‘suspicious’ performance – a suitably elastic concept to be stretched in whichever direction you like. To some, anyone who produces power above a certain figure, by definition is doping. By this standard, if you want to prove you are clean, make sure you don’t finish in the top 10%. It’s a strange way to run a sport, where you endeavour to strive to be your best.

Part of the problem is that in the doping era, training methods were not necessarily the best. The riders who doped, were not necessarily the best physiologically – they were just the best at doping. It’s hard to make comparisons between different eras.

It all gave a very uneasy feeling. It is one thing to be on guard and rigorously pursue clean cycling. It is another thing to assume guilt – and demand the kind of proof, which can’t really be given. How do you prove a negative?

Chris Froome

Photo by DAVID ILIFF. License: CC-BY-SA 3.0

I am interested in Chris Froome, for quite a few reasons.
We are similar genetically. As a cyclist, my speciality is being skinny and a good long-distance climber. There is, of course, a big difference in standard between us, but because of a shared DNA of skinny arms, I have empathised more with Froome than other kinds of riders.

The problem is that, to many, Froome came out of nowhere to finish 2nd in the 2011 Vuelta, before winning the Tour de France in 2013.

This emergence from nowhere is not entirely true. Froome did had a very unorthodox career path – learning to cycle in the backwaters of Kenya on a mountain bike bought from a supermarket; his journey to the top of pro cycling is certainly unique and interesting. But, for those sceptical about cycling, Froome was an easy target. The sudden break-through and high power to weigh ratio – enough for some to presume guilt.

Yet, I got a very different feeling from Froome to Armstrong. The things he said were different, he spoke in a different way. When I listen to Froome speak and see what he does, I don’t get the feeling this is someone living a grand lie of deception. From the available evidence and my gut feeling, I feel Froome is a clean athlete. People may say I will be proved wrong in ten years time. But, that is the feeling I get; it is certainly very different to what I felt with Lance Armstrong.

Dealing with suspicion and accusation

When Bradley Wiggins won the Tour de France 2012, he was also witness to online gossip and suspicion of doping. When it was voiced at a press conference, he just swore very loudly, accusing his critics of being  *****!

I thought – well, that’s not how I would deal with questions – but it felt it was said with sincerity, if nothing else.

Chris Froome has been subject to much more sustained criticism and suspicion, with journalists claiming his power outputs are not normal and evidence of doping. The climate of mistrust led to spectators spitting, insulting and throwing urine over him at the 2015 Tour de France. Commentators on French TV all but accused him of doping.

Despite this difficult situation and awkward questions, Froome has generally been patient, calm and detached in answering questions and speaking for clean cycling.

To me this is a strong spiritual quality, to be patient and not get flustered by these accusations – instead merely to go on with the belief in doing the right thing. It is said that the millionaire sportsmen of today live a pampered lifestyle, but the post-race questioning and constant online sniping is as tough as the physical challenge of racing for 20 consecutive days. To race for six hours and patiently answer suspicions of doping, is not an easy task.

What is a cyclist and cycling fan to learn from all this?

The most important thing about sport is to compete honestly. It is not about winning, but to learn to get joy from the endeavour of self-transcendence.

“We compete not for the sake of defeating others, but in order to bring forward our own capacity. Our best capacity comes forward only when there are other people around us. They inspire us to bring forward our utmost capacity, and we inspire them to bring forward their utmost capacity”

– Sri Chinmoy

Any attempt to win by false means, will ultimately backfire; at best it will only give a temporary and false happiness.

Secondly, it is a fine line between unquestioning loyalty and misguided cynicism. But, on balance I would rather be let down by a cyclist taking dope than to live in a world where my thoughts were dominated by suspicion and mistrust.

I feel meditation, and endeavouring to be a truthful person yourself, does give a certain intuition about whether people are telling lies or truth. It’s certainly not an infallibility, but sometimes your inner feeling is very close to the truth. I use both reliable evidence and intuition. If I’m not sure, I give the benefit of doubt to innocence until otherwise proven.

Presumption of innocence before guilt

A very important precept in justice is the idea of presuming a person is innocent until proved guilty. In the world of sport, unfortunately, it has felt this has recently been flipped on it side with people assuming a strong sense of guilt as a starting reference. To me this is a dangerous development, leaving a deep sense of unease.

The truth is, I often empathise with the idea of being that supremely gifted athlete, riding the tour and winning 100% clean, but then being subject to accusations of cheating.

You don’t have to be following a particular spiritual path to believe in the golden rule of all spiritual paths and religions –

“Treat others as you would wish to be treated yourself”

If you really believe in this, you would never dope, you would never do something you wouldn’t do in front of fans and competitors; you would also treat top cyclists in the way you would want to be treated, if you happened to be in their shoes.

A better future

If nothing else the past two decades has shown that people really do want and demand clean sport / clean cycling. This passion for sport without drugs wasn’t always there in the past. Hopefully, the instinctive smears are just a passing fad, and people will once again be able to enjoy sport for the Corinthian ideals and joy that sport can offer.

Tejvan Pettinger, 4 December, 2015

Related articles on cycling uphill

• Doping and suspicion – written 2015 Tour de France
• Amateur cycling – the joys of the amateur ideal
• Chris Froome – The Climb review