...on your mind when you are bike racing.
Harveys Range Road Race - 20 May 2006.
The bunch looks pretty strong today. Should we hit off hard? The climb starts soon. Is he testing me with these break aways. Should I chase all the breaks down? Where should I put myself before the climb? Legs feel bad today. Might jump off the front and the others can catch me as we climb. Just me and one other up the climb. No one’s catching us. Where’s that lower gear? Stand. Sit. Stand. Sit. I think the two of us can keep this gap even after we hit the top. Stand. Sit. Gel. Gotta keep eating. We’re doing okay. Fifty kilometres to go though. Can see them gaining on us. There’s only four of them though, good. Let them take us and check out how bad they look as they take the front. They look better than us but I don’t think any of these guys have sprint legs. Keep with them to the finish and we’ll see how we go. This new Sportwool Rapha jersey feels great. Drink. Eat. Stand. Sit. Rolling hills, they never end. No chance to rest at all on a course like this. Lost one from the bunch. Five of us now. Where the hell is this turn around. Hill, roll, hill, roll. Take a turn at the front but never finish my turn at the top of a hill. Gotta adjust these bars, hoods are too low. Turn around point. Twenty kilometres to go. These guys are looking tired, 42km/h when they’re at the front, 47km/h when I’m there. Keep it up. Push up the hills, they’re hurting. Lost another one. Four of us now. Just one looks like he’ll sprint. Glad we took off up that climb but not sure how it’ll effect my legs for the sprint. Where’s the one kilometre to go flag. Sprint? He’s gone. Can’t catch him now. The other two are behind. Second.