Mind Matters Podcast Episode 5: Ambition, Passion, Focus and an infallible DRIVE, the story behind Mountain Bike Champion Rebecca McConnell (nee Henderson)
The Australian Mountain Bike community will be well aware of the success’ of this country’s most accomplished female XC racer in history, Rebecca McConnell. Standing on an elite world championship podium twice and attending two Olympic games is an outstanding palmares in itself. But, the story that has lead to this success and continues to sustain it is where much of the inspiration from Rebecca the athlete comes. Bec shares with us insights as to how she approaches high profile events physically and mentally and how she summons that laser sharp focus in the midst of such pressure and immense physical pain. From the suburbs of Canberra to life as a professional in Europe and many, many stops in between Rebecca’s continuing story has something to draw upon for everyone.
Rebecca with her 2020 World Championship bronze medal. Cred: Bartek Wolinski
We spoke to Rebecca as she was going through her two week quarantine period (Australian government policy during covid times enforces all international arrivals to undertake two weeks isolated from the community) after arriving home to Australia from the MTB world championship in Leogang, Austria where she matched her 2019 bronze medal. This race had Australian MTB fans on the edge of their seat as Rebecca gritted her way around the extremely difficult, wet course and ended in a sprint for the silver medal with Italian Eva Lechner. “It was a pretty crazy race. It didn't go... anything the way I planned”. Bec was alone in 2nd position for most of the race which was an unusual position for her to be in, making her name as a determined racer who usually is chasing riders down as the race goes on. “To be by myself, it was quite strange and actually quite challenging mentally to stay focused for the whole race.”
Cred: Bartek Wolinski
XCO racing is the heritage of MTB sport and is the discipline of mountain biking that is recognised at the Olympic games. It comprises of numerous laps of an intense course lasting about 90 minutes. Rebecca takes a lot from every race and every training experience on the bike. Her willingness to always be striving to improve is one of the aspects that keeps her in this sport despite its intense physical pain and extended periods demanded to be away from home in Australia.
Leogang 2020 World Championship. Cred: Bartek Wolinski
“You have to be really flexible and going with the situation you’re in. You can’t get hung up on any mistakes, or errors that you make or issues. You just have to take everything in your stride and move on, instantly.”
Rebecca atop the podium at the 2006 Australian interschool championship in Thredbo sporting her local Canberra Off Road Cyclists (CORC) kit. Photo: Russ Baker
Bec grew up in the Australian capital of Canberra and was introduced to the sport of MTB racing by her family. Her brother Ben Henderson, also became an accomplished racer and her father John Henderson, still races to national championship medals in the masters category. Having key people in her life that also love the sport, Rebecca identifies as one of the pillars of her success. The contagious passion for the sport has played a role in her having such a long continuing career. “Those really key people in my life have been consistent through mountain biking the whole time. I think these are the people that have kept me going”.
Majura Pines, Canberra. Photo: Russ Baker
Her family connection with MTB racing remains as she is now married to 3x Olympian and Australian winner of a MTB world cup round Daniel McConnell. Rebecca talks us through what life is like in a household of elite professional athletes (and a wiener dog). “Because we're either motivating each other or sometimes bringing each other down. We tend to both have the good years and the bad years together, which is amazing, but can also be really challenging”.
Rebecca at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland. Photo: Russ Baker.
Both Rebecca and Daniel have had their ups and downs in the roller coaster ride of being a professional athlete. Their tenacity and dedication to their trade however shone through when after being regulars on world cup podiums they were without a professional team in 2017. Instead of throwing in the towel after already highly accomplished careers, the two created their own team with a minimal budget and committed to pursuing their sporting careers. Attending a full international world cup circuit without the support of their high profile competitors was somewhat of a watershed mark in Rebecca’s career and she proved she could bounce back from disappointment with even more strength & power with some of her best results happening since that 2017. “Whilst getting it done, we didn't have time to think about what we'd achieved. I think it was, to go from being a fully paid professional athlete to back to your own, it was pretty rough. But it's sport, and you can't have any self pity. You've just got to get it done”.
2020 World Championship. Photo: Bartek Wolinski
“Some of the best moments now when I think about it, are the hardest times or when you’re doing it so rough.”
The happiness after the pain. Photo: Bartek Wolinski
Such rough times have emanated in Rebecca’s career not just from this scenario but also from dealing with recurring bouts of the debilitating Epstein Barr Virus. After being a podium contender at the mtb world cup, in 2018 Rebecca found herself being dropped in the start loops and finishing close to last if not last in these races. Made more worriesome in this situation for her in that she had just signed for a new professional team. This was the beginning of Rebecca’s second battle with the condition that causes bouts of extreme fatigue.
Leogang 2020. Photo: Bartek Wolinski
“I think those really bad times make you want to prove people around you wrong, prove yourself right.”
The sprint for 2nd at the 2020 World Championship with Eva Lechner of Italy. Photo: Bartek Wolinski
This experience of struggling at the back and having difficult conversations with her team management, Rebecca was really able to transform into a reason to return even stronger. She has since been experiencing some of her best results yet.
A big characteristic of Rebecca’s career has been the Olympic games, which she attended twice. Regarded as the epitome of world sport, Rebecca has found the Olympic games to offer so much growth and experience to her but also has been an immense source of pressure/ expectation. “To me, it's an event that, it can fulfill you so much, but it can also just break you. And that's kind of what happened to me in Rio”.
Rebecca chats with us in depth about these Olympic experiences and all of the smaller but sometimes more poignant and powerful ones in between like the Canberra (CORC) club races where her racing career began. A really interesting and inspiring story of what it takes to make a long and successful career out of what you are passionate about! GO BEC!
Rebecca in Bright, Victoria in 2015. Photo: Russ Baker
“As far as experiences, there’s endless amounts that are such precious memories. ”
Photo: Bartek Wolinski
Rebecca Henderson at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, Glasgow, Scotland. Photo: Russ Baker.