Mid-Life Cyclist

Blood, Sweat, and Gears

In many ways, Schaye has been training for his Mount Everest all of his life. The relentless discipline and drive that led him to found and run his own investment-banking firm are at the heart of his training program. What Schaye has understood from the very beginning is that in the training process -- just as in good business -- there are no shortcuts.

Schaye's first move was to hire a coach, even though most people training for the Paris ride lack one. But Schaye insisted on training right, which to him meant shelling out hundreds for expert advice and a check-in ride with John Eustice, a former cycling champion.

Next up was a team effort to reframe the thinking that brought Eustice on board in the first place. "The biggest problem with someone like Paul is holding him back," says Eustice. "He wants to go too hard." January, the first month of training, was spent slowing Schaye down.

Slowing down. That's a tall order for a hard-charging financial guy who has spent his professional life overtraining -- working at the heart of a go-harder-faster-longer culture. Initially, Schaye was skeptical of Eustice's efforts, but over time, he began to let go and trust him.

Schaye has come to learn that peak performance is not only about maximizing training, but also about rest and renewal. The goal is not only to build more energy and tolerate more stress, but also to teach the body how to recover more efficiently between training intervals. Stress, recover. Stress, recover.

The same sort of thinking applies to his work. "The discipline of riding," Schaye says, "is in the discipline of business." Truth is, his approach to training for the race of his life closely mirrors his strategy at work. In training, he constantly searches for and enlists allies for support -- from the woman who hands him almonds to clients who check in just to ask, "How's the cycling?" In business, Schaye does the same, spending his day chatting up partners at the private-equity firms that come to him for new deals. He documents every business call just as he logs every mile on his PDA. After all, what gets measured gets done. And pacing matters. For the Paris ride, Schaye must complete a series of training rides called qualifiers, with the last qualifier covering 373 miles within 40 hours. So Schaye breaks down every ride -- every hill on that ride, even -- into a series of more manageable mental sprints. In the same way, when he was starting his company, Schaye set six-month benchmarks so that he wouldn't get overwhelmed by the immensity of the challenge. And his focus on the final goal, be it crossing the finish line or closing a deal, verges on the obsessive.

"When I'm flying down the hill at 50 miles per hour, I can't be thinking about what I'm going to write in an email," says Schaye. "I'm right there on the road and nowhere else. I feel the pavement, the bike, my hands, my body." Similarly, he's more relaxed and focused at the office. "It's not that I feel smarter," he says. "I'm working smarter. I have more mental acuteness. I take more in stride."

He's also learning to trust himself on the bike and tap into the more intuitive part of the sport. A number junkie by trade, it was natural at first for Schaye to go from staring at information on the computer screen to staring at information displayed on the gad- gets on his handlebars: heart rate, average speed, distance, and so on. Eustice had to steer Schaye's attention inward.

"When it comes down to crunch time in the sport," says Eustice, "if you look at the numbers and they're not the ones you want, then you're doomed. I said to Paul, 'Listen, you have to learn how to feel your body, feel the bicycle. You look at monitors enough.' " Some of the more important indicators to watch, according to Eustice: Are you tired? Is your appetite good? Are you being nice to your wife?

The training is as demanding on Schaye's body as it is on his schedule. By the time of the event this month, he will have clocked more than 650 hours -- more than 10 workweeks -- on his bike. The training has lowered his resting heart rate to 38. Schaye's life: Eat, sleep, bike, work, and repeat the routine all over again.

The first one in the office, Schaye arrives around 8 AM and easily works past 7 PM. Tuesdays and Thursdays, he attends a midday spin class. Wednesdays and Fridays, he rides after work. Saturdays, he might be on the road by 5 AM, arriving home at 8 or 9 PM to have a late dinner with his wife before crashing. Sundays are like Saturdays, only less extreme. And Mondays are rest days -- which usually means simply working at the office.

Basically, Schaye sees his wife of nine years only when he stops for a moment to catch his breath. "This type of intense time demand is totally self-indulgent," he admits, even for a person who does not have any children. Gay agrees, but adds that their relationship is actually performing at a higher level. "I've gotten to see my husband fully and to take in how strong his passion is and how great his discipline can be."