Bearing defeat but not losing heart is what makes winners

In sport and in life, everybody wants to be like Eddy Merckx – the outrageously gifted Belgian cyclist whose natural talent and extra-terrestrial strength allowed him to brush aside his rivals with contemptuous ease.

In reality, the vast majority of us have a lot more in common with Joop Zoetemelk. ‘And who the hell is Joop Zoetemelk?’ I hear you ask. It’s a perfectly valid question, but if you bear with me, I’ll explain.

Zoetemelk was actually a very successful cyclist. It’s just he spent most of his career chasing men who were slightly better than him.