“I don't think I can deal with another lockdown”: junior champions open up about COVID setbacks

For young Australian cyclists, the Under-19 years are usually filled with excitement and opportunity.

They race alongside the Elites at RoadNats for the first time. Some join the senior peloton in the National Road Series. And for a select few, it’s their first chance to represent Australia in the green and gold.

That hasn’t quite been the case for the classes of ’20 and ’21. The Junior National Road Team has been stuck behind closed borders, unable to attend the Road World Championships as they normally would.

They’ve enjoyed some domestic racing, including RoadNats, but it’s been disrupted by cancellations. Even training camps have been forestalled by lockdowns.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a test of patience and fortitude for team members. Many have simultaneously been subject to the stress of Year 12 studies.

Last month, AusCycling sat down with two team members, national road race champions Dylan George (NSW) and Alyssa Polites (VIC), to discover how our young talents have unlocked the mental resilience to cope.

How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected your cycling over the last two years?

Dylan: Honestly, last year, it was almost a good thing. I found I really stepped up my training and focused on some things that I probably wouldn't have normally focused on. I started riding by myself a lot. That probably helped me develop a lot coming into this year and the national championships.

Then, I was thinking this year would be a bit better. It was, for the first few months, and then everything started getting cancelled again.

It was pretty tough when a race gets cancelled, because you spend a lot of time and energy focusing on one thing for so long. It's pretty tough to have that multiple times, because you build up for so long and then you get there, and to have it cancelled is pretty crushing. That was really tough to deal with.

I think I was at the point where everyone was sick of lockdown, but like we learned from last year, you've just got to deal with it. There's nothing you can do about that. There's no use feeling sorry for yourself.

Alyssa: In Victoria, we copped it pretty hard, especially in Melbourne. That meant a lot of events were postponed or cancelled.

At the moment, training-wise I’ve just been building a good base, because I haven’t been able to peak for any specific events.

My main focus is Buninyong in January. I haven’t been able to see the Australian Junior squad for our planned camps throughout the year, which has been a bit sad, but there’s more to look forward to next year.

How have you coped with the lockdowns?

Dylan: One of the best things about lockdown originally was quiet roads, especially being from the city. I love riding in the country just because of the quiet roads, but in lockdown, it was so nice to just with no one around, no cars.

I was training for a long time, and I had the motivation to keep training. Then, especially this year’s lockdown, which was pretty long, it got to the point where I didn't quite know what I wanted to do. Like, did I want to keep training?

I ended up finding something else I enjoyed, because I just got a bit sick of cycling. What I enjoy about cycling, personally, is the process of training for a race and then going and doing my best. But without racing, I couldn't do that.

So, especially on the Northern Beaches here, I've been going down to the beach with mates a lot more than I normally would. It's nice to give yourself a mental break, relax and do something you wouldn't normally be able to do.

I don't think I can deal with another lockdown, to be honest. It takes a lot of mental effort and persistence, a bit of grit, to be honest, just to get through it.

Alyssa: I adapted early on by having a “go-with-the-flow” mindset.

You can’t really control all the uncontrollables. I learnt that pretty quickly during Year 12 last year.

I’ve been really trying to prioritise all the extra time with my studies. I’ve picked up a few little hobbies. I can now call myself a part-time reader. I’m not very avid, but I’m trying to get into that.

We’ve also moved area. We’re in Mount Eliza at the moment, just near the Mornington Peninsula. That’s been pretty cool, to explore and freshen up from my old 5k, 10k radius back at the old house.

We’ve also got a few chickens, so I have a new morning routine to feed the chickens, get the eggs. That’s how I’ve kept myself sane.

I’ve also been getting into podcasts as well. That’s kept me motivated. Listened to interviews with Australian cyclists and other professional cyclists. There’s a comedy podcast I listen to as well, so I’m trying to get into that space as well.

What has motivated you to keep riding?

Dylan: One is just the fun of it. I love riding bikes and racing bikes. It’s almost an addiction to that adrenaline rush you get from racing and sprinting at the finish.

Also, my teammates, the BridgeLane guys, they got to spend a couple of months in Europe. It was pretty awesome to just look at that.

It’s two years of development we haven't been able to go and race in Europe. I'm just hoping that I have opportunities in the future like Under-23, Tour de l’Avenir, stuff like that, to just go develop and learn racing in Europe. It's tough sometimes, when you look at guys like Luke Plapp who went to race in Europe as juniors and got the experience and exposure.

It's easy to get yourself down over it because I’m disappointed that I'm not over there. But at the same time, it's best to use stuff like that as fuel. I can be doing that next year, so I'll keep training for now, and that'll pay off eventually.

Alyssa: I guess all the unknown and uncertainty. I’ve tried to look at it from a different angle.

Not knowing how I actually rank up against the other women from the other nations, that motivates me. It excites me to push further, to make sure that when I do eventually get to race them, I might be, hopefully, in contention.

Also, I’m looking forward to learning and having all those new experiences. Now, coming out of the junior ranks and into the Under-23 category, being able to race against some new faces and a different crowd, that’s pretty daunting and exciting.

Another motivating factor would be my family and support system. Seeing them being proud and happy for whatever result I get, the effort I put in, that’s most rewarding to me. So that keeps me going as well.

What are your goals and ambitions outside cycling?

Dylan: Despite having goals in cycling, with lockdown you can't really aim towards those all the time. So, I think one of the biggest things was having goals and things to work towards, because I always find I’m a bit lost without goals.

I've got my own goals with school this year, finishing off my year 12 and hopefully starting tertiary studies next year [ed: George plans to study Engineering at university].

And then the balance is with cycling, school and social life. I think everyone who's done it at some point understands that it's a bit of a juggling act, but it's good to fit all of them in.

Alyssa: Hopefully finishing my uni degree and, I think, trying to find myself [ed: Polites is in her first year of a Bachelor of Exercise and Sports Science and Bachelor of Business (Sports Management)].

Being 18, I’ve gotten my licence and there’s a few other things coming up next year that I have to look forward to.

So yeah, I’m trying to go with the flow and see where it takes me.