WAIS Talent Search | Cycling no Sacrifice, it is Who I Am – Luke Durbridge
At 28 years of age, professional road cyclist Luke Durbridge is living the dream. Where others see sacrifice, he sees opportunity. His skill, is not confusing the two.
The Mitchelton-Scott star grew up in Bassendean with a passion for rugby, harbouring aspirations of one day running out for the Wallabies, rather than riding the cobblestones.
That he can now look back on those days as a world champion and repeat Grand Tour rider, firmly ensconced within the multicolour pelotons of world cycling’s elite, owes as much to circumstance as it does design.
A free pass to ride the boards of the Midvale SpeedDome in Perth’s outer east on Monday nights way back in 2006, led to something of a sliding doors moment for a then teenage Durbridge.
A WAIS cycling coach saw something in him and offered him a spot in a Talent ID program, despite all allocations having already been filled.
As Durbridge recalls, he had to weigh up whether his promise in other sports could provide the same lure as a chance to test his limits inside a high performance environment.
“I was playing quite high level rugby and had also gone to represent WA in triathlon earlier in the year.
“But as soon as I found out I could wear a WAIS track suit and train at the biggest and best sports centre in the state, I quit rugby and triathlon, ending my Dad and I’s dream of becoming a Wallaby and I never looked back,” he said.
It was certainly a leap of faith. From his own recollections, it was hardly a case of natural selection.
“I was a big man child of a thing, riding around like a fridge on a bike,” he joked of his early efforts on the boards.
“But I think the first time I thought maybe I could do this as a sport was during one off-season.
“Cameron and Travis Meyer took me under their wing and showed me how to train and work, and how to commit to your dream. After this, I started winning a lot of races nationally and from there you get picked up through the Australian cycling system which is one of the best programs in the world in terms of producing world champions on the track and developing top level road pros.”
With WAIS preparing to launch a new Talent Search in September, which aims to uncover further potential stars across cycling, canoeing and rowing, Durbridge admitted that his journey had been an incredible, if unexpected rise.
“It’s a question you don’t ask yourself enough really,” he said on his current career reflection. “As an athlete, you are always looking forward to the next goal and always wanting to do better.
“But I can be nothing but proud and happy of my career so far. I’ve travelled the world, been world champion on the track, ridden all the biggest races in the world and have had occasional victories of which I’m proud.
“There is still so much more I plan on doing before it ends, so the biggest win is round the corner which keeps you striving for more.”
But perhaps the best endorsement of Durbridge’s approach is the passionate advice he offers to those that would follow in his wheel?
“Don’t make it a sacrifice. Make it who you are.
“I’m a bike rider. I train hard, not because it’s a sacrifice but because it’s who I am.
“I will ride my bike even after my career ends. It’s what I love.
“I often see young guys come onto the scene and it’s a sacrifice to go training, to be an athlete. And this is short lived, as it’s not true to yourself,” Durbridge said.
There’s a famous old line that hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.
Yet perhaps in Luke Durbridge’s example, you could make the case that when talent works hard and is powered by passion, reward is its own success.
If you’re born from 2001 to 2005 (inclusive) or know someone else who is and would like to see if you have what it takes to be an elite athlete, sign up for the WAIS Talent Search Day on Sunday, September 29.
Details and bookings here.