“I needed to reclaim myself. I had lost me somewhere in France and I didn’t know where I was”
Ultra-endurance cyclist Tiffany Winchester returns to Sparta Chicks Radio for the second part of our conversation about her race at the iconic 1,200km Paris-Brest-Paris (PBP) cycling race in 2019.
You can listen to the first half of our conversation here.
This time, Tiff returns to share the aftermath of the race - the physical, mental and emotional trauma it inflicted on her, the depression that followed and how she was able to recover from it and get back on her bike.
In this episode, Tiff shares:
* the anti-climatic finish line,
* her physical recovery from the race including how long it took for her to get a full night’s sleep and for her neck to work properly again,
* how she was ultimately diagnosed with depression as a result of the trauma the ride inflicted on her (or, as Tiff recognises in this conversation, that she inflicted on herself),
* why too much mental toughness can be a bad thing,
* why she committed to another 1,200km ride (called the ‘Geelong Flyer’) only 7 weeks after she arrived home (and while still recovering from the PBP-related depression)
* why she had to learn how to ride her bike again after PBP,
* the moment she realised she was ‘back’ 1,100km into the Geelong Flyer,
* what she learnt from PBP - the race itself and the aftermath,
* how many donuts were consumed during PBP (the answer might surprise you!)
* what’s next for her.
This is a very different conversation from part 1.
It’s a very raw and vulnerable conversation and I truly appreciate Tiff’s honesty in sharing her struggles after PBP, the support she received and how she found her way through.
Click here to listen on iTunes.
Notes and resources:
To find out more about Tiff or to say hello, you can find her on Instagram or via her blog.
And here is me (Jen) taking a donut for the team 😉
