Olympian Ruth Winder’s Low Calorie Diet Almost Derailed her Cycling Career. Here’s How She Turned Things Around and Won Nationals Fully Fuelled -Episode 26

Imperfect Progress with Anne Guzman

Olympic cyclist Ruth Winder knows a thing or two about bike racing, cycling culture and what it takes to be one of the best cyclists in the world.

Ruth has won stages and the GC in some of the most prestigious races on the World Cup circuit. Like most athletes, she's no stranger to adversity .

In today's podcast Ruth shares some important lessons she's learned over the last 15 years on the road and track circuit. Ruth shares her story around relative energy deficiency in sport (RED-s) , how she ended up consuming too few calories, how it backfired and what she did to turn this situation around. and come back strong.

We also talk about the importance of advocating for yourself as an athlete and how Ruth listened to her gut and sought help when she felt things didn't make sense. Ruth speaks to the importance of not just listening to people in power because they are in power and how we need to question authority and make our own decisions as athletes. These are important lessons for us all in life and in sport.

I spoke to Ruth about her transition into gravel cycling, how she's handling the change of intensity in life and what she's working on to keep busy. WOW Ruth has a lot on the go and a very cool new business venture that she unveils in detail here today. I think we can expect a lot from Ruth in the coming years.

Any athlete will appreciate Ruth's candor during our podcast conversation. If you've ever wondered what it's like to race in Europe, win the nationals solo by meters, transition from a full time professional cycling career to a more balanced career that includes the muddy gravel scene, Ruth walks us through it all.

You can find Ruth on Twitter and Instagram and follow her new business venture here.

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