The talk last week was all about PBs or “personal bests”. Best of what?
We often make up “catch phrases” – or “модное слово” (modnaye slova). They are not always easy to understand. By “personal best”, we mean “personal best times” or “личный рекорд” (leechni record) in Russian and “асабісты рэкорд” (asabisty record) in Belarusian.
The world track cycling championships took place in Minsk last week. The British track cycling team has been the most successful British team in recent Olympic Games. They dominated the track cycling events in both the Beijing and London Olympics. They also won most medals in Minsk. The top cyclists are now stars in Britain, and track cycling attracts a lot of interest.
But the team weren’t focussed so much on winning. When I met them, the coaches told me that the aim was that the riders should try and achieve PBs – a “personal best”, to beat their previous own best times. Medals would be good, but not everyone would win one.
I found that, when you are in the arena, track cycling is mesmerising. The cyclists pass so quickly, the camera can hardly keep up. But your eyes naturally focus on the cyclists with their legs pumping like pistons in an engine. The arena in the background is just a blur.
Some of the races are “sprints” – a few circuits of the 250 metre track and that’s it. I’m not sure how they assess personal bests in those events. But there is a very fine line between winning and the other places. A few of the sprint races were won by a centimetre or two, just by the rim of a wheel.
Other races are “endurance”, for example the points race of 160 laps, or 40 km. The speed of the cyclists in the longer races didn’t seem much slower to me than in the sprint races. All passed at high speed!
British track cycling success isn’t recent. In fact, UK has the second highest number of winners in the world track cycling championships since they first began in 1893. Track cycling is only one several types of international cycling competition. British cyclists have won other types of cycle races including, for the first time last year, the Tour de France. Many of the riders in Minsk will be taking part in other forms of competition throughout the year.
The British success in competitions has come at a time when international cycle racing has had many scandals over doping. But cycling is much more popular now in Britain. Sales of bicycles have jumped in recent years, as has the growth in commuting to work by bicycle especially in London. British Cycling, the governing body that runs the various national racing teams, also acts as a lobby to improve the conditions for all cyclists in Britain.
A few years ago, the expression “getting on your bike” was a political slogan, an exhortation for workers to go and find a job. Now, we seem literally to be getting on our bikes – for sport, for fitness or just to get to work every day.
Only a few can become world champions. And a career in sport can be very short. A British visitor here last year explained how his promising football career had been ended at 16. He got a stud through his knee cap. But he has a talent for business (and is doing very well out of it). Other sportsmen aren’t so lucky.
Top professionals in contact sports must constantly worry about injury. Even in non-contact sports, when you are pushing your body to the limit – to be faster, higher, stronger – the nightmare of injury must always be at the back of your mind. Of a snapped tendon, a torn ligament or pulled muscle that ends all the effort of hundreds of hours of training. We don’t tend to hear their stories.
So to the lucky, injury-free few – glory. But for all – a personal best is best. The true competition is beating your own records and constantly striving to improve.