S1E43 - How Wisdom and Experience Are Earned with Professional Cyclist Brad White

Pursuit of Gold with Laura Wilkinson

Professional cyclist, Brad White, joins Laura on the podcast this week. While working as a teacher, Brad discovered professional cycling somewhat later than most, but enjoyed great success in a very short amount of time. Eventually leaving teaching behind, he went on to compete internationally full time, and, upon retirement from the sport, has found a way to continue to make his passion his livelihood. Filled with wisdom and experience both within the sport and beyond, Brad has much to share with listeners today. He starts off by recounting his rather unique beginnings in his sport, his transition to becoming a professional rider, and the type of cycling in which he competed. Brad goes on to share details regarding the team aspect of the sport, his preparation for races, the importance of patience in sports, and some of his most memorable moments. His training focus, special awards, definition of success, and transition out of professional cycling are also explored. Brad finishes up with a description of the work he does these days which keeps him connected to the world of cycling. As Laura notes, Brad’s wisdom and experience is ‘hard earned’, and today he demonstrates once again that so much of what is learned through sport is remarkably valuable in so many aspects of life in general.

Episode Highlights:

• How Brad found cycling
• His transition to becoming a professional
• Tours and road racing
• Team selection, training, and roles
• Preparing for races physically and mentally
• Developing patience
• Brad’s most memorable moments
• Where his nickname came from
• Brad’s training program focus
• Some of his special awards
• His definitions of success when he was racing and now
• Brad’s transition out of professional cycling
• Moms in Tow
• Velo Kids
• Velo City Cycles

Quotes:

• “The next thing I knew…I was not teaching anymore, I was racing.”
• “It's really important that you know your role, you can execute your job, but also that you show up ready.”
• “The preparation for each course is going to be different, but kind of the same, and then you're just going to react differently.”
• “The overall time is what matters to some riders, but then, to other riders, winning a stage is a big deal.”
• “If I need to suffer this that little bit longer, you know, they may give up.”
• “I think one of the biggest motivators for me was just not wanting to let down my team, my fans.”
• “Patience is a huge part of, I think, all sports.”
• “We were just riding so well together all the time, having fun on and off the bike.”
• “I think there's definitely something about, even with a training plan, listening to your body and being able to react to what your body is dealing with, and get the most out of your training.”
• “Kind of racing stupid made me stronger, made me a little smarter later, but it also got my name out there a little bit.”
• “Being able to achieve what you set out to achieve that day is a success.”
• “I think the biggest thing for people transitioning out of sports is you don’t need to find the thing right away.”
• “The bike has done so much for me within my career but also, you know, mentally, physically, spiritually, it's connected me with people…and it's amazing what I've seen it do for people.”
• “With COVID, bikes have been a big hit.”
• “The programs we have are to give back to our community and to create experiences for people to use the products that we’re selling them.”
• “You can make your sport very much a part of your life and still have that love for it and just bring it out in different ways.”

Links: The Pursuit of Gold homepage 5 Smart Strategies to Confidence Conquer Your Fear in 5 Days Laura’s Social Media: Laura's Instagram Laura's Facebook page Connect with Brad: Velo City Cycles Homepage Velo City Cycles Facebook Velo City Cycles Instagram Velo Kids Moms in Tow Homepage