Sports
In his award-winning book Range -Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World, author David Epstein examines the world’s most successful athletes, artists, musicians, inventors, forecasters and scientists. He discovered that in most fields–especially those that are complex and unpredictable–generalists, not specialists, are primed to excel. Generalists often find their path late, and they juggle many interests rather than focusing on one. They’re also more creative, more agile, and able to make connections their more specialized peers can’t see. Contrary to the commonly held belief that early specialisation is the key to success, Epstein argues that early specialisation is the exception, not the rule. This argument supports my own intuition and it reflects the RoadStarz philosophy: although some cyclists start training at a very young age, most of the successful riders are late to the sport. In fact, I could list a lot of riders who arrived late to the sport and who have become very strong riders and, in some cases, have become world class. But the key point here is that late comers to cycling BENEFIT from their experience of doing other sports. It is because of their exposure to a range of sports and experiences that these riders excel, not despite it. In this special episode of the RoadStarz podcast I interviewed two performers who have yet to focus on cycling but who have backgrounds in completely different sports. Tom Smith is currently playing football for Bath City FC and Alex Gaiger is a former national standard tennis player who still plays recreationally. At one point in the show, they both commit to racing, so in subsequent episodes, we will be checking in with them to see how they’re getting on..