Two types of motivated rider !

[Rik O'Shea]

An interesting snippit from Chris Boardman addressing Cycling Ireland
pre-season meeting:

"There are two types of riders, those that want to win and those who need to win. The first group
want to see how far they can go and are positively motivated. The second group is motivated by the
fear of failure. I fell into this group but don't think it is a particularly healthy drive. In fact,
I would almost say it (that attitude) is almost a form of mental illness."

"A lot of champions come from the second group. They are not necessarily well-rounded people but
that is where their drive comes from. They need to win and this causes them to push themselves to
their limits."

[Flashsteve]

I think Boardman's analysis is very insightful. I have coached many riders, and have seen this same
dichotomy. Some of my best performers have been people (men or women) who just 'had' to win to feel
OK about themselves. They had a certain desperation and fear in their need to succeed. Of course, I
have had winners who had more positive motivations, too. This information can be useful for both the
athlete and the coach, particularly if they are able to stay aware of their motivations and keep
them in perspective.

Steve Scarich