Premature Celebration (😃😳😫)

Australian cyclist Lucy Kennedy said she learned her lesson after celebrating too early in the last stretch of the Stage 3 Giro Costa Race in Piedicavallo, Italy Tuesday cost her what would have been her first win at the Women’s World Tour level.

Kennedy lifted her arm in triumph as she approached the uphill cobblestone finish line instead of powering through to the end. Her premature celebration allowed Dutch rider Marianne Vos to zoom past the line at the last second, winning the race.

voss was absolutely flying though… I feel really bad for Kennedy but Voss was determined, and honestly might have won it even if Kennedy hadn’t celebrated early.

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yeah, I heard about it on the cycling tips podcast, but seeing it in person, I think she would have lost even if she kept at her current pace.

The media depicts and dramatizes it being lost in the last seconds, but truth be told (i.e. if you could have an honest, open and deeper discussion with Kennedy’s coach) that it was lost much earlier.

Marianne Vos is an extremely experienced world class athlete with world level victories for over 15 years (20 if you include national level success). Lucy Kennedy is relative newbie. While she has been successful at the national level for 3-4 years, this is essentially her 1st year on the world stage. She has much to learn to train and race at the world level. While there is/will be lots of “too bad” and “what a mistake” surrounding this particular situation, over the long term she will likely be appreciative of the lesson learned and deeper understanding of what it takes to become a “Marianne Vos”.