Tiffany Cromwell has been a firm feature at the top of women's cycling for the best part of a decade. The Canyon-SRAM rider turned 30 this year, and while that's still considered young in the grand scheme of things, there comes a time in every rider's career when they start to think about what comes next.
At times, retirement can feel like a dirty word in cycling. Riders often brush the idea aside as if it might bring them bad fortune, but Cromwell is not afraid to discuss it. The Australian doesn't know when she will hang up her wheels. It could be in two years or 10, but what she does know is that she wants it to be on her own terms.
"I don't want to be one of these riders that keeps going and then just fizzles out," she tells Cyclingnews. "I want to say, 'This is it and I put all the energy into that,' and then draw the line because you do see riders who eventually stop, but it is past the point of when they’ve stopped enjoying it. I just don’t want to be in that position."
ADVERTISEMENT
Cromwell is still enjoying cycling, racing for a top team and helping her teammates. However, she's been in this game for a while and finding the motivation doesn't always come as easily. At the moment, her plans are geared around preparing for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo and she'll decide her next steps after that. Going to the Games is a huge goal for Cromwell, who's never taken part in the Olympics before.
"I've been in the sport for a long time. Part of me feels like I'm on the younger side because you can go well into your 30s, but eventually I do want to do something else," she explains. "We usually target things like the Olympics, and 2020 is the next Olympics and it's still one thing that's missing from what I've done in my cycling career.
"I've got some boxes that I want to tick along the way still as well, but the further you get along in your career, the more your motivation changes. When you're younger, you just want to race and impress, but then the pressure gets higher and it's more about the winning. Don't get me wrong, I have a fantastic team. I've changed my style of riding and this year I've played a bit more of a support role. I enjoy that aspect a lot of the time, but you still want that winning feeling as well. I go through my phases, I guess you could say."
Planning for the future and the Flanders World Championships
You can read more at Cyclingnews.com
via Cyclingnews Latest Interviews and Features http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/cromwell-i-dont-want-to-be-one-of-those-riders-that-keeps-going-and-fizzles-out
No comments:
Post a Comment