I witnessed a landmark in a young athletes career this past Sunday in Portland, Oregon.
Nick Weighal placed 8th overall in the pro men’s field and won the overall U 23 classification at the last stop in the USGP Cyclocross series. The next stop for Nick is the nationals in Kansas next weekend and after that he departs for Europe to represent the US at the World Championships.
This is the second time that I have written about Nick but his performance this past weekend made me want to write some more. After taking a long look at the above pic I tried to imagine what he must have been thinking when he crossed the line. I ‘ve been lucky enough to have a few of those days over the course of my career and I can’t remember a thing other than that it never lasted long enough! Nick couldn’t stop smiling after the race and when I talked to him later in the evening, I could actually hear him still smiling. Based on what I saw out there in the MUDDY fields that the race was run on, it won’t be the last time Nick scores big in a big event. His bike handling skills were un real and his engine is BIG. A few years from now, it’s quite possible that you will see Nick’s name at the top the pro men’s results. And that just doesn’t happen because you keep racing and racing- though experience is part of it. You have to be willing to work harder than everyone else and you have to be willing to make sacrifices – and I don’t mean skipping desert a few times per week. Having some natural ability goes a long way and Nick certainly has that, but that will only get you so far in cycling. You have to be adaptable and you have to be personable. You can’t wait around for handouts and you certainly can’t expect them. You have to go out and ride your bike. Is that a rant? I hope not. Nick has impressed me as a person and as an athlete since the day we started working together. As I told him yesterday, I feel lucky to be a part of this time in his life. And that may sound corny and overly dramatic and so what if it is? Look at that picture again and imagine what he must have felt like. That’s pretty cool.
Good for you Nick. Keep flowing.
Best,
TH
