I chuckled when I read the following passage regarding Robert Millar's brutal dedication to his goals when he left his native Scotland to pursue a cycling career in France. The year was 1979, and disco was the craze. He was an amateur. In 1980, he turned pro and became a British cycling legend.
Quote
In France Millar’s dedication was frightening. Another Scottish amateur who raced there in the late seventies tells of going to visit the monosyllabic Millar in his apartment, and being taken aback by the severity of his haircut. The haircut was brutal, and so was the explanation. "It’s in case I weaken and want to go to a disco," said Millar, with a look of grim determination.
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From:
http://sport.scotsman.com/other.cfm?id=1342062003
I think Ullrich needs to adopt a similar mind set to avoid putting on that spare tire over the winter.