How to write & the role it plays in my ultra cycling journey

Writing is a skill I’m deeply passionate about. It helps me process races, training, and strategy.

In high school, I was fascinated by modern languages and developed a unique passion for French and German. Reorganising words to make sense of linguistic systems captured my intellect.

German is a brilliant example of a language built on mechanics. There are 16 ways of saying “the”, depending on the gender, preposition and case at play. Add the unusual sentence construction, you have just a split second to make sense of the pieces.

I pursued linguistic studies at the University of St. Andrews where I learned how to write. Dr. White - the former head of German Linguistics - was the first to critically shape my writing.

Essays came back shredded with comments:“You’re not having a chat with your neighbour over the fence. Sharpen your language.” A good mentor is there to develop you - not to be your friend.

After university, I landed my first job at a Dutch scale-up in the marketing team. My writing accelerated thanks to some outstanding mentors. I learned to write in different formats and understand how marketing campaigns connect to revenue generation.

2 years into my career, Artificial Intelligence emerged. This is how I see its impact on the skill of writing.

The bad news is that everybody now has the same proficiency. The good news is that it has never been easier to stand out. When you combine technical writing skills with technology, you can raise your level.

Writing is extremely important in my development and journey as an ultra cyclist. Here’s how I approach it and the role it plays in my life.

Why learn how to write

We rarely explain why writing is so important.

When you write, there’s no hiding. In verbal speech, you can soften unclear thinking: “You know what I mean?”. Writing removes that safety net and exposes the conciseness of your thoughts.

There is no second chance to explain. Once you’ve disrupted your audience’s reading flow, you’ve lost them. You have to articulate precisely what you mean.

This is why I don’t create short-form content on Instagram. The audience is much larger and sponsorship opportunities are plentiful, but dancing in front of a camera for 30 seconds doesn’t appeal. Substack allows for a much deeper, critical level of thought through the medium of writing.

How to avoid the AI trap when writing

AI has a recognisable style that appears in many people’s writing. This is the pattern:

It’s not x. It’s y.

Here’s an example of a short abstract I asked ChatGPT to rewrite from my previous article:

(Original) Your job is to manage deterioration intelligently for as long as the variables allow.

(AI) Your job isn’t to be heroic. It’s to manage deterioration intelligently for as long as possible.

Notice the difference. I inform the reader immediately what to focus on and the flow stays intact.

This contrasting technique does sharpen meaning - if something isn’t x, it must be y. But AI uses this click bait style excessively. When every paragraph relies on the same rhetorical trick, the writing becomes predictable and tiring. You might use it once or twice per article, but when you see it in every paragraph, then it’s AI-generated.

I spoke to a founder at a work event who mentioned:

First, can writers please stop writing content with ChatGPT? Especially these short sentences. Bold. Ambitious. Genius. It sounds authoritative, but is actually super annoying.

My advice is to use your experiences and what’s unique to you. Sometimes your sentences are short. Sometimes they’ll be longer and have a much more natural flow to give your writing rhythm and depth.

Build a narrative style with your unique voice. If you’re a cynical person, be cynical. If you’re obsessed with data, let your passion speak for itself. To develop this niche voice, think carefully about your audience and articulate a problem statement.

My example:

Ultra cycling is a well established discipline. Every year there are 100s of global events with 1000s of participants - and it’s growing.

Yet insights into racing, nutrition, equipment and training strategies remain scarce. It seems that much like ultra riders themselves, our tactics are either free-spirited or we’re holding back critical information.

That’s why I started writing on Substack. As an endurance athlete aiming to become of the world’s best, my goal is to share my race experiences and training strategies - helping more people to enter the sport and existing ultra riders to gain invaluable insights.

AI can help with clarity of expression. But the vision and initial thought has to come from you. Once you let it write for you and not with you, your writing will acquire that AI click bait style. Don’t let AI strip your personality.

The magic of writing is editing

2 aspects distinguish a good writer.

First, is their decision-making. Which words do you choose and trade-offs do you make to resonate with your audience? Do you lose their attention or know how to hold it?

Second, and most importantly, how often do you click the delete button? If you’re unsure whether a part should be included, delete it. Less is more.

A good writer sharpens the language until you arrive at an end state you’re happy with. I rework each sentence 3-4 times, re-reading the piece over and over again. Here’s an example of my editing process in this blog:

(Original introduction)

A different topic besides ultra cycling and performance data that I’m deeply passionate about is writing.

Early in my school years, I was fascinated by modern languages and soon developed an appetite for French and German - which every other kid hated. There was something about reorganising words in my hand in different mechanical systems and reproducing them orally to create meaning that captured my brain.

German is a brilliant example of understanding the mechanical parts of a language. There are 16 different ways of saying the word “the”, depending on the word’s gender, preposition and case at play. Adding to that the unusual sentence construction, you have just a split second to reorganise the parts in your head to create meaning.

(Edited)
Now compare it to the edited version.

Writing is a skill I’m deeply passionate about.

In high school, I was fascinated by modern languages and developed a unique passion for French and German. Reorganising words to make sense of linguistic systems captured my intellect.

German is a brilliant example of a language built on mechanics. There are 16 ways of saying “the”, depending on the gender, preposition and case at play. Add the unusual sentence construction, you have just a split second to make sense of the pieces.

The first sentence provides the reader with 0 barrier-to-entry. If you compare it to the original, it’s clunky. The long words and placing the key idea of “writing” at the end delays the reader’s flow.

Try to ease friction.

The same goes for the rest of the introduction. Notice how often I pressed the delete button to remove unnecessary words. Most young writers I mentor at work use too many words.

So having the initial vision of your blog’s direction and producing a V1 is important. But what really matters is how well you edit it to arrive at the polished version.

How writing influences my ultra cycling journey

Writing is a medium to tell my story and build my personal brand in way that’s true to myself. I enjoy playing with words to share my training, psychology and race performance.

I post on Instagram after each race to share my experiences visually, but producing 30-second videos just isn’t me. I am open to building my Instagram and YouTube profile more, but writing gives me the depth and nuance that short-form content lacks.

If you want to support my dream of becoming a professional endurance cyclist, subscribe to my Substack and drop me a line with any sponsorship opportunities.