From the Sunday couch, sipping on a lekka coffee, musing and chilling:
These pics from Nicholas Dlamini's social media account (one legendary pic by Alex Broadway at ToB) reflect beautifully the nuanced and complicated life of a talented young man. He had the superb athletic capabilities that may have been the foundations of a very successful career at the highest level. However, there are questions around athlete management matters, psychosocial issues and other private stuff that would be unknown to the fans, the public and the peanut gallery.
Not getting to Paris would've been extremely tough on him as he finished out of time limit in the mountains on Stage 9, I think. Wearing the mountain climbing jersey at Tour Down Under and Tour Of Britain was so cool to follow. Undoubtedly, a life in professional cycling that could have been so much more.
Like most young adults in professional sport, they often lack consistent mentoring, and the sufficient support and guidance that is essential to minimise risks and threats that can potentially avoid the derailing of a young and promising career. This is not my opinion and is drawn from observations and experience in the world of work.
You may be surprised in the lack of the duty of care for young men and women in professional sport, generally speaking of course. It looks glamorous and sensational from the outside, however, there is a tough interior world that requires a level of grit, luck, resilience and self-sacrifice that very few can sustain. That is why so many dream of being a PRO and so few get there. Bottom line, the young mind needs developmental support in both high-performance and in the dynamics of this thing called Life. Athletes are human first.
Geez, the poor judgement I had in my 20s and the crazy risks I took which fortunately did not curb my potential. I would not have wanted to be exposed to the public. I searched for and found a mentor in my late 20s and have found a way through to becoming more self-aware and 'upgrade' my attitude, choices and lifestyle. And, like a plant, I need ongoing maintenance and care to avoid sabotaging my life and fulfilling my unique gift.
A useful and helluva challenging approach for me as I look at others' lives is to 'Be strict with yourself; be tolerant of others'(Stoicism).
If you are reading, Nic’, go make your new opportunities as a brand ambassador count and make your 30s an awesome time for resetting and rebuilding your career arc.
