In today’s episode, Ed and Phil sit down with Laura Kenny, the most successful female Great Britain Olympic athlete in history. In this really down to earth discussion, Laura talks about her cycling career, her plans for the future, and most importantly, her family. If you are looking to laugh and get inspired at the same time, this is the podcast episode for you!
Show Notes
How Laura has cultivated her resilience and ‘positive stubbornness’
- You just need to chase your dreams and desires. You figure out the rest on the way. You may fail, but if you never try you never know.
- When Laura fails she just goes on to the next thing. Laura remembers breaking her shoulder in 2021, and even on the way to the hospital she was planning her next steps in cycling.
- Laura does get nervous before races, but she doesn’t let this stop her. She feels the same about doing talks on stage, it makes her feel physically sick beforehand.
- Laura can be assertive when she wants something. Ed believes this makes her a good leader as it inspires other people and keeps momentum going. She just gets things done.
- Stay true to yourself. You need to do things for yourself and not for other people. That’s the only way you can make sure you love what you do.
Ed and Laura’s shared cycling experience
- Ed talks about how he knows Laura and her husband, Jason Kenny. They met whilst cycling for Britain, but didn’t have too much interaction due to the means and women's training teams being separate.
- Ed and Laura both now have experience from the “other side” of the coach-athlete relationship, which has given them perspective on the matter.
- Laura talks about how she has looked up to Ed since Beijing. She related to him, and he inspired her to one day also become a professional cyclist.
- Without a team, cycling can be a lonely sport. Ed would take a bullet for anyone he cycled with. Laura thinks they wouldn’t have won the 2012 Olympics if it hadn't been for the connection they made as a team. These bonds carry you through the tough times.
Laura and Jason - Power Couple
- Laura has a family, a dog, a husband, and also manages to still be a professional athlete. Ed finds this incredible, and asks her how she does it.
- Laura thinks it may be because she is a bit mental. She thinks it’s quite crazy that she decided to have a baby and go back to being an athlete after. But she can’t help it. If she really wants something, she rarely gives up until she has it.
- She gets a lot of help. Her and Jason’s parents help a lot when things get too hard.
- Laura and Jason are opposites. Jason ums and ers about things, whereas Laura gets things done. Jason doesn’t like talking to people whereas Laura loves it. Because of this, they play to each other's strengths.
- Laura considers her child Albert to be her greatest achievement. He has come out as an amazing kid, even though Laura feels her and Jason don’t put that much effort into parenthood.
Laura’s Future Plans
- Laura is preparing for the Paris Olympics. Her coaches think she is in the best form she has ever been.
- Laura doesn’t think she could be a coach in the future. She is too harsh, and just tells people to get on with it when they are in pain. Phil thinks that’s just a certain type of coaching style that is actually lacking a bit more in modern coaching.
References:
What is Pursuit Line Podcast?
The Pursuit Line Podcast talks about all things performance. Olympic Gold-medalist Ed Clancy and Ex-military Performance Coach Phil Kelly join heads with other elite performers to get insights into what it takes to be the best. Motivating yet ever humbling; Ed and Phil teach us how to achieve a more balanced, fulfilling version of success.