BEHIND THE MIRROR LENS WITH SCOTT BARROW

Have you ever wondered about what goes into the team behind the team, and what sort of support goes into helping professional athletes to get the best out of themselves? I have spoken to plenty of interesting people on the pod over the years who have helped to build the behind-the-scenes picture, mostly in the realm of physical support – osteos, soigneurs, and team directors.

They are all super crucial roles in the sport, but something that is often a bit underrated in cycling and in professional sports, is what goes into trying to train the psychological and not just the physical aspect.

Sometimes, people can write athletes off too early in their careers as being physically past their prime, when they are actually just facing mental demons, or are blocked in some way, and when they can overcome this, they have a lot more to give.

That is why I was keen to catch up with my friend, professional coach, and mentor Scott Barrow, to chat about how he gets behind the lens, find out what makes people tick, and get a glimpse into the psyche of the people he helps – and he helps people from all walks of life to get the best out of themselves and reach their potential.

I was at a crossroads in my own career when I first met Scott. He reached out to me when I was on the verge of leaving GreenEDGE, where I had been performing the role of domestique within the team for quite a few years. I knew that the impending change was going to require a lot from me mentally, to go from being a worker to needing to ride for myself and get results.  

Our paths crossed at just the right time, and by working with Scott, I was able to realign my career, I went on to have another four years in the pro peloton, with EF Pro Cycling, where I was able to write a whole new chapter in my pro career to finish it off.

We had a great chat, covering topics like how pressure affects performance, how he helped me to realign things in my own career, and how he handles taking on the pressure of others, without becoming burdened.