Do Lions need energy bars?
Fr Bernard (with tongue in cheek!)
Since our last expedition the cycling world has been turned upside-down. We’ve had a
couple of Brits performing exceptionally well in the Tour de France – remarkable, as I thought we
specialised at being good losers (or proclaiming ourselves winners during the preliminary rounds
and failing miserably as the final approaches). The other revolution on 2-wheels has been the
Armstrong affair: years of strongly defended victories eventually (and reluctantly) admitted to be
based on pharmaceutical prowess.
How does this affect us? As Lions (being kings of the jungle) we do not compete with one
another – as Antonio keeps reminding us. Our adventures emphasise teamwork. We have no heats
or finals; success and failure are irrelevant. We only celebrate (and look forward to?) survival.
There is no individual title to defend or prize to win.
Wonderful! Let the world of professional cycling go its way: we Lions remain above those
twisted ways. At least that’s what I thought – till my eyes were opened by reading “Racing through
the dark. The fall and rise of David Millar”. Wow! How naïve I was: forgetful of the ever-present
risk we run.
In this book Millar describes his professional cycling career up to the present. A true Brit:
not outstanding – but a good domestique for the bigger names and with sufficient shine to engender
hopes that he might someday come to be a great champion. However, as his career develops we
learn how things start going wrong. It is a tale revealing more about human nature than about the
drugs business itself.
So, Lions beware! At least any Lion admitting a share in human nature.
Why beware?
Our Dave tells us how as a young professional he knew nothing of drugs. Only gradually does
he wake up to the truth that some of his heroes have a little supplement with their porridge… and
that at the higher levels of the game there is a marked laisser faire and “head in the sand” attitude
towards getting a bit (or even a lot) of unusual assistance from modern medical science. The more
his eyes are opened, the more he rejects that path: he is going to prove them all wrong – and like a
good Scot will have nothing more than salt and water with his porridge. This is when his weakness
is uncovered – his price is met. His bosses need more wins – otherwise they will lose sponsors. And
he needs to please his bosses – otherwise he’ll have to go to art school afterall. That was his fall-
back option if things didn’t work out with his cycling dream.
And his weakness? The achilles heel we all share. Yes, good old human nature. No more,
no less. Not the idealised humanity of dreams, but the real thing – with all its limitations. It’s not
always easy to see where those limits might be. We know that on January 1st each year the email
from Antonio will arrive: sign up and reach for the sky! Then the regular encouragement to do
better: prepare well, train hard, etc. Good old Lions! Where would we be without that relentless
stimulus to do better? And helped by truly remarkable leonine camaraderie I’m sure all of us have
been surprised by what we can in fact achieve. But, beware: that New Year message could be our
undoing.
The “preparation” that tends to the obsessive. Neglecting the family stroll in the park
because it’s too gentle … This is where we can meet our Millar moment. Losing our balance under
pressure. Yes, even the desire to improve can lead to harm. We must ask ourselves: Am I constantly
conscious of my finitude? Do I remind myself that I carry within me a burden of frailty? We speak
of a pride of lions – but we must fear like the plague the pride of lions!
A sobering thought. Keep fit. Train within reason: family, profession and other things come
first. Learn humility. Let’s share the Pyrenean experience together. But let’s not, whatever we do,
allow the physical ambitions to take over! That’s the culture of drugs – the hubris of self.