Battle Scars Page 22
In Bannan’s view, Stuart’s doping in 1998 does not undo his lifetime of work. ‘I knew Stuart before that period. His involvement with the national program and the last two years with GreenEDGE—his commitment and responsibility was 100 per cent first class. From that point of view he was certainly part of a solution not part of a problem.
‘To be stripped of all recognition because of a mistake in 1998 would be unfair. What he went through once he came out with the admission was pretty tough, and I know Stuart has a lot of work to do to regain trust in people, which I feel he will do in time.’
Orica-GreenEDGE owner Gerry Ryan says despite what happened, this won’t be the last the sport will see of Stuart. ‘I look forward to Stuart returning to Australia and to a position in cycling as he has a lot to offer, especially to young cyclists. I’m sure Australian cycling will be in a better place with him being involved,’ Ryan says.
Days went by, I looked at my bike and decided I wasn’t ready to get back on. After so many years my bike had become a symbol of pain, suffering and hurting. Eventually I went for a couple of rides with Dad and Seth, and to have three generations riding along together woke me up again. Despite what had happened, riding with my dad and my son was one of the proudest moments of my life.
It also helped me realise that I still wanted cycling to be part of my future. Hopefully time will heal the hurt I’ve inflicted on myself and others, and while it’s hard to see a bright, rosy future right now, I’m already thinking of ways I can help others and be of guidance. I can use my experiences to help people, and it may not just be cyclists, it could be people of all walks of life who find themselves facing difficult decisions.
I want my children to one day read this book and be proud of what I achieved rather than ashamed of a bad decision I made. I want to teach them that you have to go through life’s good and bad experiences and, importantly, you have to learn from them.
In life, we’re confronted with many choices. I didn’t always make the correct decision, but if I can at least steer my children in the right direction and be there to support them, that’s more important than anything I have ever accomplished on a bike.
My final message to you is: don’t be afraid to aim high and don’t be afraid to fail. You can be whatever you want in life. Every single person on this planet can achieve the most ambitious goals if they want it badly enough. Do you think Sir Donald Bradman, Dawn Fraser, Ron Barassi, Mick Doohan, Cathy Freeman, Greg Norman, Mat Rogers, Sir Hubert Opperman and so many more never faced challenges? People would have told them to stop dreaming.
It doesn’t matter how tall you are, how much you weigh, what your background is or where you went to school. Go after your dream, and if you don’t achieve it the first time, then try again. Get advice and listen to the people around you. Most importantly, respect all the people in your life, not only those who are above you. Respect is something that no amount of money in the world can buy, and it will last forever.
Be sure to play the game fair and square. Be true to yourself, to your values and what you know is right. Don’t do anything you may later regret. Life is short, but it is also long and, as I’ve experienced the hard way, the truth always comes out.
Make the most of life and don’t be afraid to go all-in. Failure should only make you even more determined. You could be that guy or girl screaming and clapping at the person in front of you. Or you could be the person standing on the field, the pitch, the velodrome or anywhere in the world, reaping the rewards of dedication, commitment and sacrifice.
I’ve always said that pain is temporary and memories are forever, so have a go.
1992
Silver, Team Pursuit, Barcelona Olympics
1993
Gold, Team Pursuit, World Championships, Vikingskipet
1994
Gold, Team Pursuit, Commonwealth Games, Victoria
Gold, Scratch Race, Commonwealth Games, Victoria
Silver, Points Race, Commonwealth Games, Victoria
Bronze, Individual Pursuit, Commonwealth Games, Victoria
Bronze, Team Pursuit, World Championships, Palermo
1995
Gold, Team Pursuit, World Championships, Bogota
Bronze, Individual Pursuit, World Championships, Bogota
1996
Bronze, Team Pursuit, Atlanta Olympics
Bronze, Points Race, Atlanta Olympics
1997
7th, Gent Wevelgem
1998
1st, Stage 14, Tour de France
2nd, Points Classification, Tour de France
Wore the Tour de France yellow jersey for three days
1st, Tour of Britain
Silver, time trial, Commonwealth Games, Kuala Lumpur
6th, Het Volk
1999
1st, Tour Down Under
2nd, Points Classification, Tour de France
2000
2nd, Tour Down Under
10th, Points Race, Sydney Olympics
2001
1st, Stage 5, Team Time Trial, Tour de France
2nd, Points Classification, Tour de France
Wore the Tour de France yellow jersey for six days
1st, Tour Down Under
2nd, GP de Villers–Cotterets
2002
Gold, Road Race, Commonwealth Games, Manchester
3rd, Points Classification, Tour de France
13th, Road Race, World Championships, Limburg
7th, Tour Down Under
2003
1st, Road Race, National Championships
1st, Centenary Classification, Tour de France
3rd, Tour of Flanders
3rd, Paris–Tours
3rd, Tour Down Under
2004
Gold, Madison, Athens Olympics
1st, Stage 5, Tour de France
4th, Points Classification, Tour de France
1st, Stage 5, Stage 7, Points Classification, Criterium du Dauphine
1st, HEW Cyclassics
3rd, Milan–San Remo
4th, Road Race, World Championships, Verona
1st GP de Villers–Cotterets
2005
2nd, Volta ao Algarve
2nd, Points Classification, Tour de France
3rd, Tour Down Under
4th, Milan–San Remo
10th, Gent–Wevelgem
2006
2nd, Grand Prix Zurich
3rd, Paris–Tours
6th, Road Race, World Championships, Salzburg
2007
1st, Paris–Roubaix
5th, Milan–San Remo
5th, Tour of California
4th, Milano–Torrino
10th, Tour of Flanders
2008
5th, Paris–Roubaix
8th, Gent–Wevelgem
10th, Tour Down Under
1st, Teams Classification, Tour de France
2009
2nd, Tour Down Under
2011
1st, Team Prologue, Stage 1, Vuelta a Espana,
10th, Milan–San Remo
9th, E3 Prijs Vlaanderen
2012
6th, Road Race, London Olympics
1st, Team Time Trial, Stage 1, Tirreno-Adriatico
2013
1st, Team Time Trial, Stage 4, Tour de France
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Thank you to everyone who made this book possible: to those interviewed, whether their names appear in these pages or not; to photographers, especially Graham Watson and Tim De Waele, and the family and friends – and fans – who have supported me in so many ways over the years.
An SBS Book
Published in 2014 by Hardie Grant Books
Hardie Grant Books (Australia)
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658 Church Street
Richmond, Victoria 3121
www.hardiegrant.com.au
Hardie Grant Books (UK)
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ampton Street
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www.hardiegrant.co.uk
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publishers and copyright holders.
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Copyright © Stuart O’Grady 2014
Cataloguing in publication data available from the National Library of Australia
Battle Scars
eISBN 9781743581193
Designed by Peter Daniel
Cover image © Richard Baybutt