Battle Scars

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Battle Scars Page 22

by Stuart O'Grady


  In Bannan’s view, Stuart’s doping in 1998 does not undo his lifetime of work. ‘I knew Stuart before that period. His involvement with the national program and the last two years with GreenEDGE—his commitment and responsibility was 100 per cent first class. From that point of view he was certainly part of a solution not part of a problem.

  ‘To be stripped of all recognition because of a mistake in 1998 would be unfair. What he went through once he came out with the admission was pretty tough, and I know Stuart has a lot of work to do to regain trust in people, which I feel he will do in time.’

  Orica-GreenEDGE owner Gerry Ryan says despite what happened, this won’t be the last the sport will see of Stuart. ‘I look forward to Stuart returning to Australia and to a position in cycling as he has a lot to offer, especially to young cyclists. I’m sure Australian cycling will be in a better place with him being involved,’ Ryan says.

  Days went by, I looked at my bike and decided I wasn’t ready to get back on. After so many years my bike had become a symbol of pain, suffering and hurting. Eventually I went for a couple of rides with Dad and Seth, and to have three generations riding along together woke me up again. Despite what had happened, riding with my dad and my son was one of the proudest moments of my life.

  It also helped me realise that I still wanted cycling to be part of my future. Hopefully time will heal the hurt I’ve inflicted on myself and others, and while it’s hard to see a bright, rosy future right now, I’m already thinking of ways I can help others and be of guidance. I can use my experiences to help people, and it may not just be cyclists, it could be people of all walks of life who find themselves facing difficult decisions.

  I want my children to one day read this book and be proud of what I achieved rather than ashamed of a bad decision I made. I want to teach them that you have to go through life’s good and bad experiences and, importantly, you have to learn from them.

  In life, we’re confronted with many choices. I didn’t always make the correct decision, but if I can at least steer my children in the right direction and be there to support them, that’s more important than anything I have ever accomplished on a bike.

  My final message to you is: don’t be afraid to aim high and don’t be afraid to fail. You can be whatever you want in life. Every single person on this planet can achieve the most ambitious goals if they want it badly enough. Do you think Sir Donald Bradman, Dawn Fraser, Ron Barassi, Mick Doohan, Cathy Freeman, Greg Norman, Mat Rogers, Sir Hubert Opperman and so many more never faced challenges? People would have told them to stop dreaming.

  It doesn’t matter how tall you are, how much you weigh, what your background is or where you went to school. Go after your dream, and if you don’t achieve it the first time, then try again. Get advice and listen to the people around you. Most importantly, respect all the people in your life, not only those who are above you. Respect is something that no amount of money in the world can buy, and it will last forever.

  Be sure to play the game fair and square. Be true to yourself, to your values and what you know is right. Don’t do anything you may later regret. Life is short, but it is also long and, as I’ve experienced the hard way, the truth always comes out.

  Make the most of life and don’t be afraid to go all-in. Failure should only make you even more determined. You could be that guy or girl screaming and clapping at the person in front of you. Or you could be the person standing on the field, the pitch, the velodrome or anywhere in the world, reaping the rewards of dedication, commitment and sacrifice.

  I’ve always said that pain is temporary and memories are forever, so have a go.

  1992

  Silver, Team Pursuit, Barcelona Olympics

  1993

  Gold, Team Pursuit, World Championships, Vikingskipet

  1994

  Gold, Team Pursuit, Commonwealth Games, Victoria

  Gold, Scratch Race, Commonwealth Games, Victoria

  Silver, Points Race, Commonwealth Games, Victoria

  Bronze, Individual Pursuit, Commonwealth Games, Victoria

  Bronze, Team Pursuit, World Championships, Palermo

  1995

  Gold, Team Pursuit, World Championships, Bogota

  Bronze, Individual Pursuit, World Championships, Bogota

  1996

  Bronze, Team Pursuit, Atlanta Olympics

  Bronze, Points Race, Atlanta Olympics

  1997

  7th, Gent Wevelgem

  1998

  1st, Stage 14, Tour de France

  2nd, Points Classification, Tour de France

  Wore the Tour de France yellow jersey for three days

  1st, Tour of Britain

  Silver, time trial, Commonwealth Games, Kuala Lumpur

  6th, Het Volk

  1999

  1st, Tour Down Under

  2nd, Points Classification, Tour de France

  2000

  2nd, Tour Down Under

  10th, Points Race, Sydney Olympics

  2001

  1st, Stage 5, Team Time Trial, Tour de France

  2nd, Points Classification, Tour de France

  Wore the Tour de France yellow jersey for six days

  1st, Tour Down Under

  2nd, GP de Villers–Cotterets

  2002

  Gold, Road Race, Commonwealth Games, Manchester

  3rd, Points Classification, Tour de France

  13th, Road Race, World Championships, Limburg

  7th, Tour Down Under

  2003

  1st, Road Race, National Championships

  1st, Centenary Classification, Tour de France

  3rd, Tour of Flanders

  3rd, Paris–Tours

  3rd, Tour Down Under

  2004

  Gold, Madison, Athens Olympics

  1st, Stage 5, Tour de France

  4th, Points Classification, Tour de France

  1st, Stage 5, Stage 7, Points Classification, Criterium du Dauphine

  1st, HEW Cyclassics

  3rd, Milan–San Remo

  4th, Road Race, World Championships, Verona

  1st GP de Villers–Cotterets

  2005

  2nd, Volta ao Algarve

  2nd, Points Classification, Tour de France

  3rd, Tour Down Under

  4th, Milan–San Remo

  10th, Gent–Wevelgem

  2006

  2nd, Grand Prix Zurich

  3rd, Paris–Tours

  6th, Road Race, World Championships, Salzburg

  2007

  1st, Paris–Roubaix

  5th, Milan–San Remo

  5th, Tour of California

  4th, Milano–Torrino

  10th, Tour of Flanders

  2008

  5th, Paris–Roubaix

  8th, Gent–Wevelgem

  10th, Tour Down Under

  1st, Teams Classification, Tour de France

  2009

  2nd, Tour Down Under

  2011

  1st, Team Prologue, Stage 1, Vuelta a Espana,

  10th, Milan–San Remo

  9th, E3 Prijs Vlaanderen

  2012

  6th, Road Race, London Olympics

  1st, Team Time Trial, Stage 1, Tirreno-Adriatico

  2013

  1st, Team Time Trial, Stage 4, Tour de France

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  Thank you to everyone who made this book possible: to those interviewed, whether their names appear in these pages or not; to photographers, especially Graham Watson and Tim De Waele, and the family and friends – and fans – who have supported me in so many ways over the years.

  An SBS Book

  Published in 2014 by Hardie Grant Books

  Hardie Grant Books (Australia)

  Ground Floor, Building 1

  658 Church Street

  Richmond, Victoria 3121

  www.hardiegrant.com.au

  Hardie Grant Books (UK)

  Dudley House, North Suite

  34–35 South
ampton Street

  London WC2E 7HF

  www.hardiegrant.co.uk

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publishers and copyright holders.

  The moral rights of the author have been asserted.

  Copyright © Stuart O’Grady 2014

  Cataloguing in publication data available from the National Library of Australia

  Battle Scars

  eISBN 9781743581193

  Designed by Peter Daniel

  Cover image © Richard Baybutt

 

 

 


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