scottebales

[scottebales]

Learning to Race

I’ve caught the bug. Every time I get on my bike I want to go faster, or more efficient, or out skill my opponents. It’s a mindset that has crept in, altering the way I look at the road, my road and my body. 

To get started in cycling the barriers to entry are fairly low. All you need is a bike. Most of us experienced the freedom of two wheels at a young age, as the bicycle become your way to explore the world beyond logistical dependency on Mum or Dad.

Now for the large majority of people, the bicycle remains a utility. A means to get around from A to B, or means for social activity. I’d argue that most of the people in cycling clubs today are their for social reasons, just like the tens of millions that go to gyms just to talk to people. But there is a subgroup that has a different aspiration, one that tests the performance of the marriage between man and machine. I’m talking about bike racing.

I’ve started racing my bike, and I love it. It’s become the focus point for my goals, my training and my equipment. But racing isn’t as easy to get into. Firstly, you need to find a race, something dependent on race organisers.

Once you have an event booked in the calendar, you start to enter an entirely new world within cycling. A place where awareness of strategy, preparation and tactics, where not only your body is tested, but also your mind.

Last weekend, I did my first race in over a decade. The hot and humid Tour de Barelang. A popular event on the Singapore race calendar. Despite my training and preparation. A last month need to drop back to Fuel Efficiency training forced my ego to drop from Cat 2 to Cat 3.

Racing is all about experience and skills. The fittest guy on the morning ride maybe terrible in race conditions, as the wisdom and handling skills of those around him prove strong.

My race experience wasn’t ideal. Although I was top 20 at the 80th kilometre of 135kms, four mechanical issues (dropped chain) in the space of one kilometre saw me drop far off the back of the pack. Of course, in the heat of the moment my ego took control and I chased... oops, I missed the drink station. 25kms later, with the pack insight, my reality come crashing down as my dehydrated body started to bonk. Which the water bikes out of reach, all I could do was look for a local drink vendor, which I found in a small family shop. My secret sauce was a can of Coke, bottle of Pocari, and two bottles of water. 

Back on the bike and fuelled, well almost, I had to wait for it to be absorbed. But despite my desires, my body was going nowhere, as cramps started to haunt me. The final 20kms become a battle of survival.

My goal at the start of the day was race experience. I wasn’t aiming for the podium or to break records. It’s fair to say I got experience, but what did I learn?

1. Have a plan: A plan for the race acts as your self control. When the field is moving slower than you’d like, take the rest. Especially if your inexperienced. Having a plan and sticking to it also heaps gauge your skill and fitness understanding.

2. Plan your feeding: No matter want the length of the race, know how often, how much and what you’ll be feeding on. In 135km I had one bar, and two gel shots, each an hour apart. I learnt a trick from a mentor. In a race with bottle service, start with small bottles. It means you’ll finish your water first, and as a result you’ll always be first to call for water. Avoiding lengthy delays to get the bike riders attention.

3. Ride with people you know or trust: Racing can get hairy, so you are best to surround yourself with people you have ridden with, or trust. During my race I got stuck behind to non-English speaking riders, not great when your dependant on them to call the holes in the road.

4. Soak it up: Unless your at an elite level, try to enjoy the race. Yes its a test of your performance, but enjoying the race, the scenery and the experience will help boost your confidence and motivation. Both are positive influences on performance.

5. Learn; the more you race, the more you learn. At your first race you are short on skill and experience, so make every effort to learn from the more experienced riders around you. Everyone was a first time racer at some point

My next race will be the bike leg of the Singapore International Triathlon. My next chance to learn.

[scottebales]

Entering the world of size Medium. @rapha #cycling

[scottebales]

Race day #Batam6bridges @cycosports #cycling (at HarbourFront Ferry Terminal)

[scottebales]

Out #cycling, Which direction? #singapore or #malaysia (at Singapore Custom)

[scottebales]

Nine Hammer evening. #cycling #thesufferfest #laborday (at Orange Grove Road Singapore)

[scottebales]

A small reminder on the bike to suffer for the good of tomorrow

[scottebales]

Awesome climb. Beautiful Challenge #Bromo100 #jawapos

[scottebales]

2015 Tour of Sufferlandria. Most intense week of indoor training. Check out SufferFest (www.sufferfest.com)

[scottebales]

Connected life becoming an addiction. Globe trotting now on global unlimited roaming. Expensive, but worth every cent

[scottebales]

The 3 Phases to Bank Annihilation

The 3 Phases to Bank Annihilation

I love the Next Bankcommunity; its members push each other for healthy debate EVERYDAY. What started as an attempt to create ‘non-boring’ banking conferences has grown into one of the most influential communities in the industries. Its debates not only capture the attention of an industry on its knees in the face of multiple evolution fronts, but it also acts as the most brilliant sharpening tool…

[scottebales]

The Most Important Innovation for Banks Today

The Most Important Innovation for Banks Today

Everyday we use money, its the central blood stream of every economy. Whether you like it or not, money is the universal mechanism for value exchange in all walks of life. Although money has moved into the digital era, its current utility is hampered by one of most simple, but also the most complicated part of the money ecosystem. A problem that if banks refuse to unlock, could spell the end of…

[scottebales]

Innovate like a startup

Innovate like a startup

Scott Bales: Hi. I’m, Scott Bales. Welcome to the digital shift. One of the things that’s been puzzling me and my clients over the last few years has been how to build the capability to innovate like a start up. A number of industries and for the past half decade of seeing innovators like Amazon or Instagram completely disrupt a…

[scottebales]

Innovation is Like Teenage Sex

Innovation is Like Teenage Sex

Hey, I’m Scott Bales and welcome to The Digital Shift. This week, a quirky little statement which I saw a good friend of mine actually quote on stage or at least a tweet on it. It was actually from Dana Riley who originally spoke about big data and I’ll give you the innovation version of it. Innovation is like teenage sex. Everybody…

[scottebales]

Apple Payments Expose Ambitions in Banking

Apple Payments Expose Ambitions in Banking

The Apple fanboy population is still soaking up the fruits of recent announcements, that included the iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iWatch, Apple Pay and the upcoming iOS 8. What more could the loyal fan base want from their spiritual leader? Or did the September 9th announcements give us a peek into the future potential of a company that has risen to popularity by challenging the status quo. Like any…

[scottebales]

What's the Future of Mobile Commerce?

What’s the Future of Mobile Commerce?

Hey, I’m Scott Bales and welcome to The Digital Shift. Over my career, I’m continually engaging with clients and brands that are challenged with the new shifts in the ecosystem, the shifts in physicality, modality, the shifts in consumer behaviors and psychology, the shifts in brand conversations and dialogue in a world that’s at…

[scottebales]

Connecting with Mobile Enthralled Customers

Connecting with Mobile Enthralled Customers

Recently I sat down with Mike Cassidy, the storyteller at BloomReach in Silicon Valley. We had a great conversation about Mobile Ready, the shifting of the consumer mindset, and how you can use it to your advantage… Here’s a look at our conversation. Enjoy, and don’t forget to leave a comment and let me know what you think!

Mike: To…

[scottebales]

Serving Customers in a Digital Era

Serving Customers in a Digital Era

In Accenture’s 2013 Global Consumer Pulse survey we started to see the consequence of thinking traditional in a digital world. A massive 66% of respondents said they have switched brands in the past twelve months purely do to poor customer service. A numbers that continues to grow year on year. Is this due to a competency gap on behalf of the brands or a switch in consumer loyalty?

For those of…