Since we’ve featured Sandy Scott on Growing Bolder, Sandy asked if I would be willing to review his book From Broken Neck to Broken Records co-written with his significant other, Rose Marie Ray. I was happy (and anxious) to oblige.
Sandy Scott never pedaled a bike with the idea of racing it until he was nearly 64. By age 67, he was a cycling superstar. That alone tells you all you really need to know about Sandy Scott. That alone is enough of a story for me. But From Broken Neck to Broken Records — A Masters Cyclist’s Guide to Winning isn’t about Sandy’s meteoric rise. And it’s not really about his fall — a head over handlebars near fatal crash that cracked his C-1 vertebra. And I’m not certain it’s even about his battle back, his inspiring road to recovery. It’s much bigger than all that.
It’s a book about the power of belief and the importance of managing your own medical care. It’s a book about creative problem solving using both intellect and instinct. It’s about reinventing yourself, about setting goals and sacrificing to meet them. It’s a book about turning 70 and ignoring the messages the media bombards us with about failing health, weakening muscles, feeble minds, and loneliness. It’s a book about kicking ass and taking names.
The book is skillfully written by Rose Marie Ray, Sandy’s significant other and a fellow competitor. Rose has a front row seat to the force of nature that is Sandy Scott. She was witness to all of the events that unfold in this book. She inspired Sandy to race. She was there when he went down, when he was misdiagnosed at the hospital, when he risked his life by simply walking outside, when he battled depression and pain, when he embarked on an around-the-clock quest to find the medical information to not only save his life but preserve his lifestyle.
Lance Armstrong famously said it’s not about the bike. For Sandy Scott, it’s not about the bike or even about the accident. It’s about the man. Sandy Scott is brilliant man with not only an understanding of what it takes to achieve success but also the dedication to pay the price. He’s a relentless athlete who wins because he believes in the value of planning, the importance of education, and the necessity of hard work. He’s a master strategist who devises a daily battle plan and then executes it to perfection. He’s the general and the private. He gives the orders and then follows them.
If you read this book hoping to discover a shortcut to success, you’ll be bitterly disappointed. Yes, there are great tips for masters athletes of all kinds including “tapering for dummies,” the importance of interval training, the most effective way to weight train, and much more. But the take away is this — there are no shortcuts. There are those who pay the price and ride the ride. And there are those who don’t.
Sandy Scott is a thinking man with a big brain and a bigger set of cajones. He’s also 70 years old. And that, to me, is what this book is really about. Sandy Scott is a look into the future. He represents what’s possible – not only under ideal conditions but also when confronted with a crippling and life-threatening injury. 20 years ago there was no one like Sandy Scott. In 20 years there will be plenty and he’s a major reason why.