This episode is brought to you by www.thebikeaffair.com
If you are in search of a one-stop destination that caters to all your cycling needs, our today's sponsor, The Bike Affair, is the perfect place to check out! With over 14 years of experience, The Bike Affair has established itself as a trusted source offering honest advice and exceptional service. They are offering a special treat for the listeners of this podcast. You can enjoy a 10% discount on your first order by using the code 'BIKEYVENKY' on their website. Visit their bike store in Hyderabad or shop online by using the link www.thebikeaffair.com
In this episode I talk to Indian Cycling National champion, Naveen John. In this episode we talk about a frame work that NJ uses to plan and execute a well rounded season and keep him motivated. While talking of Johari window framework, we touch upon his Nandi KOM, Belgium trip, Nationals and National games outings and his recent track block in the UK and his learnings from there. 30mins into the conversation we talk about how he dealt with a setback last year. While we did not name it, I thought mentioning what we were talking about will give a better context. At Nationals in 2024 he finished about 40 seconds ahead of everyone else but he was disqualified for unprofessional conduct(urinating in a bottle before the start). That was supposed to be his 10th Nationals title that ended up being not. A couple of months following that he went about winning the National games ITT. The way he dealt with it was applying, "Never Complain, Never Explain". What a classy guy. Like always there are so many take aways from any conversation with him and this time was no different. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did.
0:00:00 Intro
0:04:10 Johari window for building a wholistic season
0:15:00 Nandi KOM attempt and bettering it, working with a new coach
0:21:50 Belgium block and making gains there over the years
0:31:20 HCL Race, Nationals - dealing with a DQ after a win
0:36:20 Never Complain, Never Explain! Focus forward, Shit sharpens you
0:44:40 Strong contenders at Nationals and Nationals games, respecting them by bringing your A-game
0:52:20 Track block in the UK, going into the unknown, trying to go under 4:33; getting over the fear; learning
1:04:30 Track training - A Black Art?
1:08:40 "Keep the main thing - the main thing!"
1:09:20 Closing
About the Podcast
The working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. The goal is to provide inspiration, training tips, mental hacks, time management and life-style advice through conversations with some of the best in sport, from athletes to coaches. If you think you can benefit from this, please consider subscribing so that you don't miss the weekly episodes in future.
Who is a working athlete? Someone working fulltime/part-time, entrepreneur or anyone who has to work to make ends meet and doesn't let being busy to stop him/her from pursuing an active lifestyle is a working athlete. I consider stay at home moms/dads who pursue a sport, as working athletes because homemaking is a full-time job.
If you like this, share with friends who could be interested.
For the visually inclined, a video version of the podcast can be found here: YouTube
Other Places you'll find the podcast on:
Anchor | RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | Breaker
A bit about myself:
I'm Venkat/Venkateswara Rao in my work avatar, working as a Chief Data Analyst in the IT industry in Bangalore. I'm Venky/Bikeyvenky for my friends in the cycling community.