Jim Beer

On Thursday this week the funeral for Jim Beer will be held in Sydney.  Unfortunately due to my training commitments I will be unable to attend the funeral so I wanted to contribute something to a man who actually made the deciding comment to me that made me chose to become a cyclist.

Most people are familiar with how I began riding 8years ago, but few people, if any now the following...

The first day I was 'forced' to try the track was the most influential day in my life to date.  I remember the day clearly as Ken, my step father drove me to the track to give the bike a go.  I was pretty adamant that I wouldn't like the bike and that I was going to be successful as a runner and go to the Olympics as a runner (although my dream was dissipating quickly after a few tough seasons on the running track where I could make the nationals but couldn't even place in a reasonable enough place to get recognition from academies).  

So here I was on Monday afternoon at Sydney's Hurstville Oval, in late January or Early February 2005.  When I arrived at the track I was quite despondent and pretty uninterested, I was given a bright red steel frame, which Jim Beer would lend me indefinitely.  As I rolled off the fence after clipping in rather awkwardly all I can remember for the first 5laps or so was telling myself 'stay away from everyone and KEEP PEDALLING!'

All I was supposed to do was roll around but somehow I was convinced to actually participate in the training session, which ended up being a start session.  This involved doing 2out of the seat starts and 2in the seat starts for 200m followed by a one lap time trial of 400m.

After the first start or two I was actually starting to warm to it and as it turns out the start has ended up being one of strongest attributes to date, although I tried very hard not to listen to my instinct, I was going to be an Olympian in running not in some stupid sport where you ride around in lycra!  I hated the idea of wearing lycra knicks (bike shorts with padding in them) without underwear that for the first 3weeks at least I wore underwear, much to my embarrassment now I must say as this is very much a no-no in the cycling world!

So I lined up to do my 400m time trial which every one did, including all the boys and girls and Jim would record everyones time every week and if you did a PB you would get a small gift and a piece of paper with the time and date of the time you recorded.  I did my time trial and I have no real memories of the ride other than it seemed like such a bloody long way!  I rolled up to the fence afterwards and Jim walked over to me and said the following statement which was the single most influential factor in my decision to become a cyclist...

"If you had ridden that time over 100m more you could be an Olympic Champion like Anna Meares."

I sat on that fence in a kind of stupor.  Thoughts started rolling into my head like a whirlwind, and that was it...I was a fully fledged cyclist from the moment on, there were no ifs or buts or maybes or what ifs.  It was decided in that moment, thanks to Jim, in my thoughts that I would go to the Olympics as a track cyclist - full stop end of story.  Jim reignited a passion within me to represent Australia at the Olympics that I really had thought that maybe I would never achieve - I can't tell you or anyone else for that matter how much that one small comment meant to me.

And so now as I sit here tonight writing this and remembering that day with fond memories and looking back at what I achieved in such a short amount of time and what I hope and dream to achieve in the future I remember Jim Beer.  I remember the man who was with no fail at every Monday afternoons track session, who over the time of that first track season would have to give me 4 small gifts as I continued to improve my time over the 400m - and of which I still have.  I remember a man who gave so much of his time and energy and effort into making sure every kid who passed through the St George club had a bike or equipment or just felt welcome in general.  I remember a man who even when he had half of one leg amputated could still be found with his stopwatch in his hand and holding gruelling ergo sessions at his house in Gymea.  A man who was so passionate and caring and loving.

I send my love to Elaine and all of Jim's family and friends for his funeral on Thursday.  I wish that Jim could have seen me ride at my first Olympic Games, instead I dedicate my first Olympic experience to him and I will be working hard to do something special in his memory.