Author Topic: The voices in your head  (Read 996 times)

David Martin

  • Thats Dr Oi You thankyouverymuch
The voices in your head
« on: 17 September, 2013, 10:57:46 pm »
Or the demons on your shoulder, the chimp on your back.

It is said that to get a race you just need to have two cyclists going in the same direction. That is partly true - there is a breed of person who is naturally competitive. And the kind of club rider who doesn't seek out suffering for it's own sake, but rides hard because he knows that the rest of the group are suffering more.

And so it came to pass tonight on the club run, which ends traditionally in the sprint for the 30's. Normally a long run for the line would be the last mile - we are past the level crossing, over the bridge with the right angle bend and all the other bends (on a dry day) are handleable at 30mph (with a degree of confidence in your grip). It is hard but good to test yourself. Tonight I had heavy legs. When N cranked the pace up with 2 miles to go I was chasing hard, and then the legs started to burn, the gap wasn't closing so I pulled off. And then it came to mind.

"The race is not against the other cyclists. They are merely incidental. It is against the voice in your head telling you to stop"

It nearly had me there, but I rallied and pushed for the line. Caught and passed two, and held up on those in front. Yes that hurt but felt so much better than just rolling in.
"By creating we think. By living we learn" - Patrick Geddes