This article was originally written for Hurly Burly 2021, you can get a copy here.

Words: Alan Milway

What does it take to win? That may be one of the most open-ended questions you are likely to see, with myriad answers.

When we watch World Cup downhill races, it’s interesting that the very best riders – the regular winners and podium contenders – are consistently on top. Even more fascinating is that they seem to be better than the sum of their parts.

What I mean is, if you look at one key physical or technical component to winning, these ‘Super-elite downhill racers’ have it in spades, but not necessarily at a much greater level than another World Cup racer. This is displayed in practice sessions: many riders fly past at incredible (and similar) speed. So why do the same few always seem to succeed come race time?

We can differentiate these riders as Elite and Super-elite downhill racers: World Cup racers who qualify for finals are undoubtedly verified, legit international Elite racers. The Super-elite regularly podium and clock up wins and championships for extended periods throughout their careers.

This area has been investigated in other sports. A study known as the Great British Medallists study looked at the differences between Elite athletes – those who competed internationally and had won a medal at a minor international competition – and those who had achieved Olympic or World Championship medals.

The study was intriguing: Comparing the Elite and Super-elite, it found that performance and success were very similar during the subjects’ formative years. They were moving in the same direction until a point where they reached a world-class level – the Elite racers’ performance flattened out while the Super-elites suddenly shot upwards.

What causes Super-elites to take off and achieve at such a dominant level suddenly? And is it something to do with character as opposed to their technical skillset? Lew Hardy, one of the leading researchers, stated that ‘Super-elite athletes are amazing. But they aren’t necessarily the most well-adjusted, happy people. If they were, they wouldn’t do what they do.’

They do things that are far from average, so it is unlikely that they would have ‘normal’ personalities, interpersonal relationships, etc. But it was surprising that the difference in character was so big between the Elite and Super-elite. When you consider that Elite athletes would not be considered ‘normal’ by a non-athlete, you can see that the attitude and approach of the Super-elite can be pretty extreme.

Here are some of the areas that set the Super-elite apart:

Need to achieve

An innate and non-negotiable requirement to be successful. This lies at the very heart of what drives a Super-elite athlete and sets them apart from those who are talented and enjoy competing but don’t have that absolute, burning ambition to win above all else. They torture themselves over failure and desperately want to win more than anything else.

As an example of this, when I was her coach, Rachel Atherton often wouldn’t be happy with a World Cup win if she had made mistakes, hadn’t had a perfect run or felt fatigued. We’d have extensive download conversations about how she could be better and stronger, as if there was a big problem – but in fact, it was sometimes the day after winning a World Cup by a massive margin.

The study also noted that the need to succeed was often a result of an event or experience during an athlete’s formative years – something that sparked a desire to ensure they were successful above all else. In every one of the Super-elites interviewed for the GBM study, they reported a significant experience during their developmental years. Although I clearly don’t want to speculate on any individual racer’s upbringing, the research showed that some of the most successful athletes didn’t necessarily start with an advantage in life – almost the opposite, in fact – and they worked to overcome this. These life experiences seemed to give them a ‘need’ to win and stand out from the crowd. Whatever the drive, it sparked a clear, hugely forceful ambition for sporting success.

Ruthlessness

It is fascinating to understand and appreciate some of the success-driving personality traits that are very much present in the Super-elite: they would much rather be successful than be liked or deemed considerate by others. They might be able to flick this switch on and off, but when it comes to the moment of requiring it, they will immediately switch back to being ruthless or even selfish. Interestingly, in the study, 14 of the 16 Super-elite athletes interviewed acknowledged what one might deem ‘unpopular’ traits.

Where the Super-elites have this take-no-prisoners approach, Elites can be far too nice. They rate pleasing people and being nice higher than being ruthless in achieving success. They also recognise that being more ruthless or selfish would probably be advantageous, but they can’t bring themselves to act in that way. Dumping partners, not because you don’t like them but because you feel you can be more successful single, or changing teams and sponsors you think you would be more successful without, are examples of how the Super-elite won’t let anything stand in their way.

Coaches often recognise this and understand that being selfish is usually required to execute a training plan and schedule to its full extent. Fitting in with others and working around them just doesn’t cut it to get the maximum from a training programme designed solely around success. I have witnessed many examples of less than ideal social behaviours during training camps or trips. Still, I completely respect the athlete as I know it is only because any deviation from a plan or schedule can affect their training. (It often revolves around eating plans!)

Obsessiveness and perfectionism

Obsession and perfection are other areas where Super-elites are different to Elites, expressing much higher tendencies for these traits: obsessing over approach, technique and repetition in the drive for perfection.

This is often expressed as a lot of hard graft but taken to a level not often seen in others at a lower-performing level. I’ve noticed it during rehab, skills practice, bike setup, and many areas where you know a rider is focused, but the effort that goes into getting these areas right is far beyond what most would bother with.

Relative importance of sport

To succeed at an international level in any sport requires dedication and sacrifice. Avoiding parties, drinking, socialising and often the ability to earn well are all sacrifices as you make your way onto the international scene.

Many Elite athletes appreciate the sacrifice they are making and often feel the grass is greener on the other side – they are choosing to miss out on things they would otherwise love to be doing. However, for the Super-elite, this is not a problem, and they do not wish to be doing those other things – they would much prefer to live the lifestyle they have chosen. They willingly make this so-called sacrifice.

This structure and somewhat two-dimensional lifestyle is optimum. The Super-elite enjoy this narrowness of vision. What an Elite athlete may see as monotonous or repetitive, Super-elites feel allows them not to worry about other areas of life that don’t interest them.

Mindset approach

The way sport is performed and the mindset attributed to this is also important and shows where further differences lie.

There are two types of mindset approaches to successful sports performance: ‘Outcome focus’, or the drive to succeed and win – winning, pure and simple. The second is ‘mastery focus’, assessing the quality of the performance and mastering the discipline itself. If you hear someone say they want to be the best they can be and genuinely mean it, they refer to mastery focus.

For most Elites, the outcome is key: winning. However, the Super-elites don’t just want to win and are not just satisfied by winning. They want to be perfect at what they do. They might win a race by three seconds and be annoyed as they should have won by 10. This dual focus is like firing with both barrels: the drive to win and do it with the best performance possible.

Performing under pressure

To me, this is the area in which we see the differences most clearly at races. With the focus on mastering performance and on winning, Super-elites can also perform better under pressure. When the stage is set and the stakes are at the highest, the Super-elite can perform to their best. It is as if they need the pressure to allow the performance.

The 2021 epic World Cup final at Snowshoe was a clear case in point: Loic Bruni didn’t need to qualify fastest. There were no points on the line for qualifying. But he said he wanted to be the last man down, that he needed the pressure to allow him to push all out to try and win – which, of course, he did.

What is normal?

Many of the common traits in the highest-performing athletes are not considered ‘normal’ in most social communities. The drive and desire to dominate others, immunity to anxiety and separateness of mind is quite common in the highest-level athletes. Working with these people is not always easy but is to be expected.

Learning to deal with these traits will help coaches get the most from them and understand how to help them perform at their best.

It doesn’t mean it is normal, though. An interesting quote from the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology states that ‘Psychopaths and heroes are twigs from the same branch and conjectured that the fearlessness associated with psychopathy can predispose to heroic behaviours.’ Some of the journal’s listed traits common to Super-elite sportspeople are superficial charm, egocentricity, risk-taking, poor impulse control, fearlessness, social dominance and immunity to anxiety.

Conclusion

There are differences in drive and approach between Elite and Super-elite athletes. Often these differences have come from an experience that could be deemed negative but acts as a driving force. There are also differences in how they derive enjoyment: Elites enjoy their sport and the performance but can also move on and enjoy something else. Success itself drives the Super-elite; it is a crucial motivating factor.

Alan Milway is a coach to top-level mountain bike and motocross racers.