What 10,000km of cycling taught me about leadership

In the last few years I have been cycling just for fun. I did not follow a training plan or have a specific goal. Things changed in July 2019 when I attended my first cycling race as a supporter - a 24-hour race on the legendary Formula 1 circuit of the Nürburgring. It was late after midnight when I decided to be part of the 2020 edition. As a cyclist. On the course. For 24 hours. I started working with a personal coach, bought a brand new, super stylish black beauty racing machine, followed a tough training plan, and collected mile after mile for my big day in July 2020. As we all know, this big day didn't come because of the global COVID situation and numerous event cancellations. In September, after being frustrated and off for some weeks, I looked at my Strava stats and found 6,000 km on it. At that moment I decided to re-plan my objectives and set a different goal. A big goal - at least for me. I decided to ride my first 10,000 km on my bike in one year.

Disclaimer: Cycling 10,000 km in a year isn't all fun. Especially when you're working full time while running your own business in parallel, it turned out to be really hard work. But: It also turned out to be a journey full of great lessons and learnings. And mostly it turned out to be the best leadership training I could think of. Why? Here are my top 10 lessons out of cycling 10,000 km in one year.

1) Measure what matters.

The title of John Doerr's book really influenced my cycling journey. In current times, doing endurance sports means you produce a lot of data - which is just great. It also means your data is transparent to others. Not only can I tell you how many kilometers I've ridden, how many vertical meters I've climbed and how many hours I've spent on my bike. I can tell you about my heart rate and the thousands of calories burned. The watt measurements. The correlation between weather conditions and my average speed. And many more. Thanks to modern training platforms and software, my data was completely transparent to my followers. That means all of my objectives - the “I will take part in the 24h cycling race,” followed by the objective, "I will finish my 10,000 km in 2020" were traceable for all interested parties (... and unfortunately there were more people than I expected). This quickly turned my idea into a real commitment with no way out. In keeping with my goal, I've set up my key results strictly according to Doerr's rule: "if a key result doesn't challenge you, it's useless." Especially in the autumn and winter months, when the days got shorter and the weather got colder, an average of 250 to 300 km per week was a real challenge. But making the progress transparent and measurable, challenging myself, and following my mission turned out to be an incredible motivation and a great lesson on how to push my own limits and to grow beyond myself.

2) Dealing with failure and uncertainties.

Following a cycling routine means: Many things are running according to plan. But at the same time, many things aren't. Cycling 10,000 km per year is a masterclass about leading in times of uncertainty - and also about your personal approach to failure. You can prepare for a race and after months of really hard training you receive the news of race cancellation due to COVID-19. You can plan to ride 150 km - and after 50 km you end up with your second flat tire in the middle of nowhere. You can plan to ride 5 days in a row - and have a bike accident on the first day, not being able to ride for the next 2 weeks. But you can also plan an easy 2 hour tour and end up with a 180 km ride on a beautiful summer day with good company, lots of ice cream and laughter. As we all know: life is what happens while you are busy making plans. Accept the things that did not work as planned and take a closer look at the potential for improvement (... e.g. to take at least two replacement tubes for longer rides). No matter what happens - seeing those situations as chances for improvement and growth and to never stop, to get on the bike again and again is a great lesson for dealing with failure in every situation.

3) Follow your values.

One of the most important drivers of great athletes is sportsmanship. This tiny little word stands for a set of values that are often forgotten - especially when it comes to business behavior. For me, above all, sportsmanship means humanity. It means standing up for fairness, honesty and equality. It means following rules and regulations instead of trying to get an unfair advantage. Sportsmanship means loyalty and empathy - helping and empowering each other. It means providing respect to every single person - regardless of their nationality, gender, career level or other factors - instead of rising above them. It means being grateful and appreciating the people around you - whether it's your teammate, your bike mechanic fixing your gear, or your neighbor helping you open the door of your apartment when your fingers are too frozen to be moved. It means living those values. Providing guidance and taking responsibility for yourself - your health, your passion, your team members and everyone around you - and to be a role model in all areas. Day by day.

4) Teamwork makes the dream work.

Teamwork is what turns something good into something great. When you watch professional cycling teams racing, you may recognize a particular racing tactic: the Belgian circle. This tactic is a great lesson as it shows that leadership doesn't always mean staying in the front row all the time. Rather, being a leader means surrounding yourself with people who can push you and at the same time block the wind for you when you need it in order to give you some time to rest while you can ride in their slipstream. Riding in a team is not only more fun and while strengthening your relationships with your teammates; it's even more efficient and makes your cycling sessions longer, more consistent, and more powerful. It also helps you figure out the right position for each individual team member - which usually is not the most comfortable position (for the team / the company), but rather the position in which the team member can unfold their full potential. And in the end it is a great reminder of the most important message: no matter how fast you can push, always watch out for the slowest team member who sets the pace for the whole team.

5) Be visible and communicative.

No matter if you are cycling alone or in company - communication and visibility are key on your cycling journey - for your own safety. Clear hand signals and warnings for obstacles, unexpected stops or turning instructions are the core element for preventing accidents. They are really indispensable when you are riding in a company.

Furthermore, I am sure you have already experienced this dangerous situation of cyclists who are riding on the street without lightning on their bike late at night. Also, I am sure you know what I am talking about when I mention cyclists who are passing walkers in high-speeds without ringing their bicycle bell. Being visible and giving clear signals is one of the most important elements for everybody around you - walkers, car drivers, and other cyclists on the cycling journey. You can 100% adopt this on all stakeholders on your business journey. People often underestimate and do not realize that clear communication, trackability and visability reduce the risk of unpleasant surprises. The bigger your team, the louder and clearer your signals and communication must be. So don’t forget to be visible and ring your bell regularly - whether on the street or in the board room. 

6) Dig in the mud.

The moment you set up your OKRs is also the moment you take responsibility for achieving them. This goes hand in hand with hours of hard work, many unpleasant and uncomfortable situations and lots of extra miles. In the end, the majority of people will not reflect how many hours you really have spent achieving your goals. How often you got up early in the morning or stayed up late in the evening. They can't imagine what it feels like to be stuck 40 km away from home in the pouring rain, soaked to the skin with an outside temperature of five degrees Celsius. How an easy bike ride can turn into a tough, wet and dirty battle against weather conditions. They also missed this unique feeling of a muddy shower from a passing truck, or the feeling of running out of energy because your body does not match your nutrition calculations. They won't feel your tired and sore legs after many days of constant exercise or after climbing some really hard mountain passes. Most people will just see your numbers and rarely will they ask how you got there. But the core message is: Leading is about knowing how to dig in the mud. About rolling up your sleeves and getting your hands dirty. About knowing how it feels like when others try to reach similar goals - and the ability to acknowledge their achievements. About knowing how those things really work that you are talking about when people ask you for advice. And mainly about the awareness that even the greatest leader has to pedal for his own - because nobody should and will step on the pedals for him.

7) Find your own mentors and leaders.

Both leadership and cycling are about people who make you grow. Even if you have to cover the majority of your kilometers by yourself, keep an eye on the people who are part of your network. Make sure you socialize, exercise and talk to people who are better than you. And important to note: being better does not necessarily mean having a higher level than you. No matter if they have a better technical knowledge, a broader experience in tactical decisions when it comes to racing, or if they have some skills that you do not have - make sure to build a cross functional team of experts who have reached top level in their individual discipline. Be aware that you cannot be best in class at all levels. Sometimes you are the CEO, sometimes the trainee. You might be brilliant at long-distance sessions and ride longer than most of the people around you - but at the same time, many riders might overtake you while climbing a mountain pass. You might have a great knowledge about the cycling jersey summer collection of all brands - but at the same time, you might have no idea how to change the chainring of your bike. Always try to connect to people who can mentor and guide you. Who can help you to work on your weaknesses and to improve your skills. Remember: sportsmanship does not mean to compete. It means to help.

8) Always be the COO.

The COO - the Chief Optimism Officer - could be the most important role ever. One single person has the incredible power to influence the mood of the entire team - in both: a negative and a positive way. Imagine that you are on a group ride with your team and suddenly, in the middle of nature with no shelter, you are surprised by some heavy weather conditions - storm, rain, hail and all those things you do not have on your mind when you think about an easy coffee ride with nice people - which option works best? A) Moaning and complaining about something you cannot change right now, with the result that the mood of every single rider is getting worse and the whole tour becomes even more uncomfortable for everyone around you? or B) keep your spirits up, focus on the positive things (riding through those weather condition usually results in peak performance from every single rider - what a great training effect!) and use your COO role on the fact that one single person can have the superpower to provide a smile to their face even under the most difficult circumstances? 

9) Think outside the box.

Picking the same cycling route day by day for sure is easy and reduces the risk of getting lost to a minimum. But at the same time: riding the same route day by day, sticking to what feels most comfortable and familiar to you, is really boring and does not offer you any added value. Routines don't make you grow. They do not push you. Of course - cycling on new and unknown routes goes along with many surprises. You can plan to do a - according to google - beautiful round course in the Netherlands - and end up in front of a demolished bridge, not able to cross the river, no plan B nearby. You can plan to take a ride in the mountains and completely get lost with a crashed bicycle computer and no idea where you are or where to go. Leaving familiar tracks always means one thing: learn how to navigate and re-navigate. How to quickly turn Plan A into a Plan B or Plan C without losing sight of your goals. Learn to be creative and think outside the box. Explore and enjoy the unexpected. Be curious about lessons learned. Look around every corner. Because in the end, cycling- as well as leadership - is about the journey.

10) Stay up to date.

Of course, existing, traditional and outdated materials and equipment also enable us to reach our goals. Often, they really challenge us to be creative, find workarounds, and to push harder than others to be able to compete at the same level. But to be honest, things are so much easier and better when your technical environment and your equipment are up to date. When you are cycling on a superlight carbon racing machine instead of a 30year old steel bike. Those investments are worthwhile. Always. Staying up to date also means to regularly spend some time off-topic. To research trends and innovations. To test new materials and gear. To watch the scene and the competitors. To analyze their strengths and weak points. To know about those tiny, little things that in the end can make the difference - and to develop the skills to use those innovations and inventions in order to achieve excellence at all levels.

Photo credit: Marcel Hilger