As a passionate track rider, I knew of Kelly as a member of the USA Women’s Pursuit Team which eventually won Silver at the 2016 Summer Olympics. However, I did not realize how exceptional she was until I listened to an interview with her following the Olympics on the Cycling Podcast where she played Violin and told of her academic pursuits. Her ability to conquer so many huge tasks led me to believe she was super human and invincible. Only a machine without flaws could do so much. But Kelly was not a machine, she was a human and we need to remember that.
In the days following her passing, the family made themselves available to the media in the most selfless way and I learned much from what they had to say. Where most families might choose to withdraw, they did the opposite in order to both celebrate Kelly and to educate others about the circumstances surrounding Kelly’s death and some of the things they wish they had done differently. I feel for her family dealing with this unspeakable tragedy, but I also praise them for their openness. I want make it clear that in my view, no one should be blamed or second guessed.
The lessons for me from Kelly’s story are many and involve both the physical and the mental. The physical may be the easiest to explain: the most important lesson is that we cannot always depend on the athlete to self-diagnose. When it comes to concussions, promoters, officials, coaches, parents and even fellow riders should keep a close eye on crash victims. It could be because of ego, the drive to compete or just plain old denial that causes competitors to continue to race or train when what they really need is to rest and recover. Riders have a tendency to view pulling back as a defeat or a sign of weakness. But I have learned it is a sign of strength and maturity. Maybe it’s up to the coaches, parents etc. to help the competitor understand this. I realize that my suggestion that fellow competitors take some responsibility for other riders may not be a very popular view. It’s the right thing to do for the injured rider, and may actually keep everyone safer: remember, competitors in a mass start race can also be in danger by an impaired rider.
The mental health component to the tragedy is the hardest for most of us to comprehend. I see the occasional commercial on television or shared posts on Facebook letting people know they are not alone and providing information where they can seek help. However, I believe that the personality trait that enables an athlete like Kelly to do so much may be the very same trait that makes it difficult for athletes like her to recognize they are in crisis and ask for help. I also believe a person in a deep emotional state may not able to summon the strength it takes to ask for help. So, it was either Kelly’s fearsome independence or her emotional state or both together that might have prevented her from seeking help. Perhaps it’s just as simple as a person in their early 20’s may lack the self-awareness to cope with their situation alone.
As parents and coaches, we have a responsibility to track our children/athletes’ mental health. Endurance sports put tremendous pressures on the mind and body. It not only weakens our immune systems, but also our mental steady state. Clinical depression can be confused for fatigue or for acute reactions to bad performance, but the problems may be more systemic and require intervention and counseling. In addition to depression, mental health issues can include eating disorders. Retired Professional Women’s Cyclist Mara Abbot, whose impressive palmaris included two National Championships, two overall wins at the Giro Rosa and narrowly missing the podium in 2016 Summer Olympic Road Race, had her career sidelined in 2011 due to anorexia. A February 2004 study in the Clinical Journal of Sports Medicinepointed out that eating disorders are 2-3 times more common in competitive athletes than the general population, particularly in endurance sports. Although I mentioned Mara’s story, eating disorders happen to male athletes as well. We don’t think of male athletes as having the potential for eating disorders, possibly because it does not get the same media attention. But it’s very real.
I hope we in the cycling community can learn from this sad story. Athletes, whether professional or junior, are vulnerable to the intense stress they experience. These athletes may not be in a position to recognize the severity of their own mental or physical health issues and it’s up to the support system around them to intervene when it becomes apparent that the athlete is not taking care of themselves. We need to take a more active role in creating and supporting these support systems.