I knew I was tired even before I got to Surbiton. It wasn't a surprise. Last few days I have been riding more than any other time this year. Nothing massive, especially compared to previous years, but still the hardest and longest I have ridden this year.
Being tired means the beginning of the ride is challenging. My brain wanting to go faster, my body pushing me to go slower, to take it easier. Not that my brain triumphs my body that often but today we had head wind all the way out. No chance for my brain. A bit slower it was. Henley couldn’t arrive soon enough.
A coffee (I’d confess it was another latte but that would be risking Paolo’s friendship. I could even be banned to enter Italy ever again) and sitting outside helped to recover. It was cold. The wind was very cold. But we sat in the sun. That was nice.
The return leg felt easier. It turns out that a bit of caffeine and a tail wind help to change your perception of effort. A lot!
In a stroke of genius I attacked no one taking advantage of the slipstream of a passing rider. Proper racing craft that. 7 km to get to the sprint at Hampton. Looked back and the gap was decent, in my head anyway, so set myself in a pace that felt sustainable and hopped for the best. Passed a few riders and that helped my morale, kept the pace. I was having problems to decide if this was more similar to a win at Flanders or at Paris Roubaix, a big memorable win in any case. Passed two female riders just before the sprint. I took it. Of course. Didn’t celebrate though. Not because I was afraid of losing the sprint, no one was contesting it, but because I was too embarrassed and afraid of what they would think of me.
A decent ride at the end of the day. Strava says, “Historic Relative Effort”. It seems to me Strava has a low threshold for the “Historic” mark. After all this was a short and pan flat ride.
Maybe Strava is referring to my “win”. Actually, I’d agree it was “Historic”.
The ride in Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/4512283971
Take care
Javier Arias González
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