Tuesday 14 February 2017 11:48, UK
There's no finer remedy for frustrations in sport than winning.
Teenage BMX star Quillan Isidore has had a couple of months to reflect on not being selected for Team GB in Rio this summer.
He barely had time to take his helmet off and he was back in the saddle, winning at his home circuit in Peckham last month. And the good form has continued as the season reaches a thrilling finale.
The 19-year-old Sky Academy Sports Scholar reveals his latest dramas on the track and how he's crafting his skills on two wheels...
It's been a good couple of weeks. I had a lot of fun racing the Blackpool Nationals at the end of July. For every National race my coach and I have a plan to give it full beans every lap before the final so I'm used to exposing myself at a higher intensity level through the whole day, not just the finals...
This always increases fitness levels which is always a bonus. It was round 9 and 10 of the British National Series in Blackpool last week.
I came away with a third on the opening day after too much twitching before the gate actually dropped which caused me to start off last.
Although my start was bad, the race itself was great. I made a lot of moves and caught up with the pack quickly. You always want to win but, considering those circumstances at the start, I was quite pleased.
And on the second day, I finished first! I had a great start in the final and managed to hole-shot (first one into the corner) and lead the race from there on with very little mistakes.
It was a great way of finishing the weekend and I'm now leading the rankings with just two more rounds to go. That's in Telford this weekend.
So now there's a long break with the international races. It's allowed me some time to reflect on how the season started. There's always something you can improve on but I was very happy.
Last season I was really accident prone, crashing in almost every race! My coach and I worked on that this year and it's shown I'm a lot more comfortable and confident on my bike.
Now it's about turning it up a notch and hunting for that extra speed on every single jump on the track. I've been learning to come outside of my comfort zone. Slowly but surely, I'm improving.
A big thing I need to work on is setting realistic goals. It's important to look where I've come from and what I've achieved to where I want to go - to the top. You can't do that overnight.
It's important I do so I'm always backing myself with confidence instead of self-doubt. Having the whole package for an athlete is a lot harder than people think. However, if you've got that confidence, you've got more chance of achieving than those who don't.
I've also had a week off in Rome with my girlfriend to switch off as training and racing was quite intense over the last couple of months. I enjoyed that time to regenerate, and I'm now really looking forward to the rest of the season.
There are two World Cups in America in September and October and a European Round in France. I want to be successful there so I'm really motivated to work hard and give myself the best chance! On to Telford....
WHAT'S COMING UP.....
August 6-7: Quillan Isidore, British BMX Round 10 & 11 in Telford
August 6-14: Lucy Garner, Route de France
August 5-21: Rio Olympics
September 7-18: Rio Paralympics
