From on top of the world to dashed Olympic dreams with velocity and veg: learning from success and setback.
Wisdom is defined as the quality of having experience, knowledge, and good judgment. Experience is underpinned by duration and the usual embodiment of this human trait is the quintessential elder, often with wizened features. Perhaps the best image can be distilled from Hollywood: that of Yoda from Star Wars. So far so good but can such a rule be challenged? Is there any validity that acumen can be possessed by anyone who has yet to reach a maturity associated with greying or even thinning hair? I was convinced – as someone north of their 50s – that this was a ridiculous rendition. Then I met a bunch of elite athletes with an average age of twenty four: Great Britain’s Speedway of Nations squad Robert Lambert, Dan Bewley and Tom Brennan along with world champion cyclist Will Tidball. Collectively they blew this hitherto resolute assumption to smithereens at the National Speedway Stadium in Manchester during a rain ridden week in July.
First to share his insight into the field of human achievement was 25 year old Dan Bewley, primed with a question that sought to examine perseverance: My son Adam never inherited my love of speedway but my 5-year old grandson Arthur loves it! He’s just ditched his stabilisers and he’s off like a rocket! What would you recommend as the next stage of his speedway evolution as he aims to emulate you?
A pragmatic Dan was clear on the practical path ahead: “Keep on doing what he’s doing and it’s great to see that he has got off the stabilisers. Any time you can have on a bike is a huge benefit.” In terms of the important emotional aspect, he was equally persuasive: “Keep having fun on two wheels and don’t look too far ahead – just enjoy it!”
Twenty-six year old Robert Lambert was faced with the following test of his reflective prowess: Like any professional sport it takes dedication, stickability and skill. What one piece of advice would you give a young kid who wishes to follow in your illustrious footsteps?
“Enjoy it. For me it all started as a hobby. Keep working hard at it and keep the dream in mind.” But any success story is rarely a solitary achievement as Robert was quick to acknowledge: “Never lose sight of the importance of your family and the close friends around you on whatever endeavour you embark upon.”
Twenty-three year old Tom Brennan was quizzed about the magic of mental fortitude: Positivity in any life endeavour is vital but it is incredibly fragile. How do you manage to maintain your wonderful overt optimism – I don’t think I’ve ever seen your face without a smile!
A grinning Tom replied, “Well obviously I don’t smile all of the time but I do focus on trying my best to enjoy every opportunity like participating in the Speedway of Nations. It wasn’t kind of what I was expecting so soon and consequently I have to grab it with open arms and if I get a win great, but if I don’t all I can do is try my best.”
“It was a bit of a whirlwind. I used to ride cycle speedway from the age of six to sixteen. Recently – as an elite cyclist – I rode in the champions league and the mutual television rights holders (Warner Brothers Discovery Sports) invited me along.” Cycle speedway isn’t for the feint hearted and Will was accurate in his descriptor – “a war on wheels!” As for his motorcycle speedway experience this was nurtured by his grandad at Exeter – the former home of the famous Falcons – then latterly at Plymouth and the now defunct raceway at Highbridge in Somerset.
His Olympic dreams would not be fulfilled this time around and I wondered how he processed this huge setback. “I was very disappointed although I could see it coming as I contracted the Epstein-Barr virus that caused chronic fatigue. At the same time, I flipped this situation on its head. Firstly, if I’d not won a world championship last year would anyone have been talking about me going to Paris? Secondly, I couldn’t control what was happening to my body. As a team we have strength in depth and the squad won’t miss me.” If this level of pragmatism was exceptional what followed was even more unexpected. When I asked what advice he would give to someone who was facing their own despondency and if any positives can be gleaned from such an experience Will was palpably profound. “Definitely. I had a lot of free time on my hands that I wanted to fill. I caught up on all of the speedway grand prix rounds on the TV then got into growing vegetables.” Yes you heard that correctly – Will went all-action with agriculture.
“It helped to take my mind off the frustration.” But how could such a pursuit replace the excitement of professional cycling?
It could not, but that wasn’t the point – “I couldn’t really do much physical activity but I wanted to maintain routine (a significant attribute for any champion) and growing veg filled this void. I was also able to be a bit more me” This made me reflect. Swapping the speed and agility of any demanding human endeavour may occasionally need a counterbalance: a polar opposite experience. And time in the slow lane may be just the tonic.
Admitting that I still didn’t know what I really wanted to be when I eventually grew up I was nonetheless keen to discuss ambition. “I’ve always been ambitious. As a child peddling my bike around my grandads yard I pretended that I was a world champion speedway rider.” Laser like with a dollop of levity he added, “Ambition is what gets you out of bed. Never be scared to dream big. If I can be a world champion than anyone can!”
Bringing our intriguing conversation to a conclusion I was fascinated to understand his professional take on the speedway riders he would be witnessing, careering around a tight dirt track at around 80mph with no brakes. His response will take some beating as the youthful philosopher observed, “I think that anyone who’s successful has a screw loose! At least they have a throttle – I have to do it all by myself!”
If things couldn’t get any more refreshingly reflective the global speedway event reached its climax with a deserved yet decidedly heart stopping moment when Robert Lambert and Dan Bewley beat Australia in the final heat to clinch the World Cup for Great Britain!
Title image: From left to right: Dan Bewley, Will Tidball, Robert Lambert & Tom Brennan – reproduced by kind permission of Warner Brothers Discovery Sport / Taylor Lanning.
All other images reproduced by kind permission of Steve Hone.
@ianjkirke