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05-18-07, 11:18 AM
Hello all
There are a number of threads in this forum and others on this site about "who cheated, how and when..." in connection with competitive cycling.
My take is, anyone who will dedicate their life to enduring pain in order to gain a soon forgotten prize is a bit barmy.
I studied with an American wise chap (Professor David McClelland) who studied "Motivation." Apologies to those who know more about this---
My summary of his writing is
We all have a varying combination of
Achievement Drive - the drive to set and achieve personal goals
Affiliation Drive - the drive to create and maintain close personal connections
Influence Drive - the drive to understand and influence those who can help or hinder you
With this construct in mind:
To be a competitive cyclist (and any other sport), you need an Achievement Drive greater than others. Quote from Lance - " People ask me what I'm on. I'm on my bike. In the snow, on Christmas Day". Or Floyd, training at midnight
All of this is underpinning the genetic profile to put you way beyond any normal competitor.
So, what's the problem?
McClelland's view of strong Achievement Drive people is that they are soloist, personal driven. and view rules and regulations as interference from people who don't really understand. They view rules as interference, and will cut corners that they don't respect.
(a pal of mine applied this to an examination of the Kennedy/ Nixon debate way back when)
So -
McClelland's view is that your drives are influencenced, by the age of about 8, for good or bad by what your parents encourage. If they say ' be nice, wait your turn' , then that's what you do. If they say 'dog eats dog, devil takes the hindmost' then you're likely to be an uncompromising pusher. If you don't have a supportive dad, you say "look at me". (Adolf Hitler, Osama Bin Laden and the appalling fellow who drove an aeroplane into the towers all had fathers who told them that they'd never amouint to anything.)
The chap who wrote a book about Lance and TDF 2004 (Daniel Coyne) pointed out that few competitive cyclists had a supportive family. Most had either critical, absent or dysfunctional Dads, Most had a drive to prove themselves against critical family circumstances.
As\a world class athlete, those who have she smarts and a bit of Influence Motive, might realise that the job requires dealing with the regulatory authotities. Otherwise, the most inspitational, wonderful heroes ( mine are Robert Millar and Marco Pantani) might be overlooked by history.
!
There are a number of threads in this forum and others on this site about "who cheated, how and when..." in connection with competitive cycling.
My take is, anyone who will dedicate their life to enduring pain in order to gain a soon forgotten prize is a bit barmy.
I studied with an American wise chap (Professor David McClelland) who studied "Motivation." Apologies to those who know more about this---
My summary of his writing is
We all have a varying combination of
Achievement Drive - the drive to set and achieve personal goals
Affiliation Drive - the drive to create and maintain close personal connections
Influence Drive - the drive to understand and influence those who can help or hinder you
With this construct in mind:
To be a competitive cyclist (and any other sport), you need an Achievement Drive greater than others. Quote from Lance - " People ask me what I'm on. I'm on my bike. In the snow, on Christmas Day". Or Floyd, training at midnight
All of this is underpinning the genetic profile to put you way beyond any normal competitor.
So, what's the problem?
McClelland's view of strong Achievement Drive people is that they are soloist, personal driven. and view rules and regulations as interference from people who don't really understand. They view rules as interference, and will cut corners that they don't respect.
(a pal of mine applied this to an examination of the Kennedy/ Nixon debate way back when)
So -
McClelland's view is that your drives are influencenced, by the age of about 8, for good or bad by what your parents encourage. If they say ' be nice, wait your turn' , then that's what you do. If they say 'dog eats dog, devil takes the hindmost' then you're likely to be an uncompromising pusher. If you don't have a supportive dad, you say "look at me". (Adolf Hitler, Osama Bin Laden and the appalling fellow who drove an aeroplane into the towers all had fathers who told them that they'd never amouint to anything.)
The chap who wrote a book about Lance and TDF 2004 (Daniel Coyne) pointed out that few competitive cyclists had a supportive family. Most had either critical, absent or dysfunctional Dads, Most had a drive to prove themselves against critical family circumstances.
As\a world class athlete, those who have she smarts and a bit of Influence Motive, might realise that the job requires dealing with the regulatory authotities. Otherwise, the most inspitational, wonderful heroes ( mine are Robert Millar and Marco Pantani) might be overlooked by history.
!