OLYMPIC ATHLETE PORTFOLIO: SCOTT BOWDEN

Biography: Scotts story
Scott started off racing BMX at the young age of 7, competing around Australia for 5 years till he was 13 when he entered his first road race. At 14 he entered his first cross country (XC) mountain bike race. Now at the age of 21, with years of racing experience and success he has been chosen to represent Australia in the XC and road race at the olympics. He has said how shocked, surprised and happy he is to have this opportunity, as it is one of his biggest dreams. Numerous people including the sponsor of his racing team have said how well he trains and achieves his goals. His main event he is focusing on is the XC race, as he is mainly in the road to assist Richie Port.

BACK GROUND/GENERAL IMFORMATION

• Born: 4/4/1995, Tasmania
• Lives: Hobart, Tasmania
• About: U23 XC mountain biker
• At Home: Casual work, part time University student
• What keeps Scott motivated?: desire to alway better himself
• What makes Scott feel good?: Nailing a good session on his bike

NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS

• 20th – U23 World Championships (Nove Mesto, Czech Republic)
• 7th – U23 World Cup #1 (Cairns, Australia)
• 3rd over all, 1st U23– 2016 Oceania Championships (Queenstown, New Zealand)
• 2nd – National MTB Series (Thredbo, Australia)
• 2nd – National MTB Series (Pemberton, Australia)
• 1st – National U23 Championship title (Bright, VIC) 2015 and 2016

Contributions to the community and sport:

Today, Scott still competes in many small and big local races. I would assume that it is difficult for him to find lots of time to contribute back due to his training, work and education. There has been no information about his contributions when he was younger online.

INFLUENCE SCOTT HAS ON YOU AND SOCIETY
Scott has kept a very low profile and isn't as commonly know as most other Olympians. When Australia was electing people for the team, they came across Scott but had do do a lot of research to find out anything about him. His influence on society is only small and local, mostly to people he knows or has met. His opportunity to compete at the olympics motivates people around him, and also might make him more well known.

FUNDING
Scott currently works part time at the running edge but wishes to one day make a living from riding his bike. This helps him to support his riding and also education, as he is currently studying physiotherapy at university. This sets him up well in future after his career in racing, as it has potential to keep him in racing, possibly coaching others. At the moment the TIS only supports road riders, but because Scott dose road also, he is able to use their resources to train for XC. He is a member of the Focus/4Shaw professional mountain bike team, who supports him with some costs and gear.

HISTORY IN RACING
Scott started off racing BMX at the age of 7 until he was 13 when he started road riding, then 14 when he started XC. He has been racing XC and road for 7 years. This is only his first olympics. Both men and women compete in different categories.

CONTROVERSIES
Through out year of cycling, new ways of cheating are being developed. One of the recent ways has been placing a small motor inside the frame to give extra power. Drugs have also been used such as EPO (erythropoietin), corticosteroids, human growth hormone, testosterone and blood, plasma and saline infusion. Peoples bikes can also go under the minimum weight limit and they change the bikes frame angles or lengths to make the go faster. Occasionally some fights break out on track, but people can work around these rules such as pulling an opponents break lever or head butting them.

TRAINING TECHNIQUES
There is no information online about what training Scott does, but he did say the by having a bit hit in the Olympic road race two weeks before his XC race would be perfect of preparing his body.

MUSCLES USED IN CYCLING

COMMON MUSCLE INJURIES
Other than falling off your bike and hurting them, people often feeling pain while they are riding due to incorrect cleat alignment, lack of fitness or not having the right bike for the riding you're doing. The most common is knee soreness, fatigue and tight muscles. These come from too much riding, usually when you aren't fit enough yet. Others include heel pain, back pain and neck pain, which are usually to do with what bike you are riding.

HOW SCOTT HAS GONE SO FAR
In his first road race he did not finish, as it was not his main event and he was no longer needed as the main rider, Richie Port, broke his collar bone in a crash. At his main event in the XC, he placed 36th while his team mate Daniel McConnell placed 16th.