VN Podcast, ep. 269: Olympians and pressure; Amber Neben and Haley Batten

The topic of athlete mental health has become the biggest talking point of these Olympics. How do top athletes manage the pressures on them to perform, and do fans and media put too much weight on wins and losses? On today's podcast we examine this conversation. We also break down the U.S. women's Team Pursuit, which rode to the bronze medal this week. It's just the second medal for Team USA at these Olympics, and far fewer than the seven medals that USA Cycling said it was targeting this year. We examine this delta between Team USA's ambitions, and the reality of these games. Then, Olympians Amber Neben and Haley Batten join the podcast to take us inside the women's individual time trial and cross-country mountain bike events. Neben was fifth place in the ITT, just barely missing out on a medal. She examines her ride and gives us some behind-the-scenes perspective on her experience in Tokyo. Batten finished ninth in the XC race, and shares some perspective on how she managed the external and internal pressures to perform in the biggest race of her career. This week's episode is brought to you by Travel Texas, which reminds you that Texas is home to some of the best bike racing and bike riding in the U.S.