The weight of fatigue is taking its pound of flesh
If the only kind of wind they have in Belgium is a headwind, then the only kind of flats they have in Northern France are false. In Vlaanderen, they specialize in a delectable combination of the two. (Everything that isn’t a windy false flat, it appears, is a windy cobbled climb.)
The most obvious way to get your head kicked in on a bike is to point your bike down a road bespeckled with loads of climbing. It doesn’t matter what sorts of hills or mountains you’ve got at your disposal; the Commutative Property of Climbing states that big climbs and little climbs will jack you up equally so long as you do the same amount of climbing. But a long grind into the wind on a dead-straight false flat might be the most mentally agonizing kind of riding you will ever do.
The riding we do on Keepers Tour generally revolves around the iconic roads in the region, but to focus on those portions alone is like evaluating an individual’s life via their photo albums; some of the most amazing moments are experienced in the margins where no one is looking for them.
The rides we set upon were long days in the saddle, often leaving from the gite and requiring some time to arrive at the spectacle of cobbles or climbs; 20km to the Trouée l’Arenberg or 30km back from the Carrefour de l’Abre, for instance. For me, the rides back are what stand out the most; the group is weary but excited from having ridden some of the most amazing and difficult roads our Sport knows, and the late afternoon winds are blowing swiftly across the landscape. Talk is sparse as our legs are heavy with fatigue and we are each of us confronting the familiar barriers our minds and bodies lay before us at times such as these.
These moments when the body and mind want to give in but something intangible drives us on are my most cherished moments of Cycling in general and Keepers Tour in particular. These are moments when each rider is riding on the strength of those around them. The Laws of Physics tell us that it is impossible to make something from nothing, that the only energy we get out of the system is that which was fed into it.
The Laws of Physics obviously don’t apply to Cyclists.
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A fucking +.
Think I tore the space time continuum on the group ride this evening. Started 10 min. late from my doorstep. Chased hard to intercept. Stopped for 30 sec. at the half-point to ingest some caffeine. The group rode up behind me. Then the second half was much harder. That's as close as I can relate to something when I've got nothing. If I don't see the group (or virtual group that is not in front of me) then I decide to go harder.
The strength of the pack is the wolf and the strength of the wolf is the pack.
"...something intangible drives us on..."
This.
Okay, I've got way too much time on my hands. We can measure calories consumed and burned, watts generated, lactate threshold, watts per kilo, etc. But when "something intangible drives us on", we must look beyond the directly measurable for an explanation. I believe Theoretical Physics offers some guidance.
The Dark Matter of cycling can't be seen directly, its presence can only be inferred from the motions of cycling bodies. It has a strong gravitational effect. For example, when on a solo ride (no matter how tired) if I see another cyclist up the road, I immediately start calculating the time gap. I tether myself to them and begin to bridge.
Dark Energy is a complete mystery, but its accelerating effect as time and distance increase can be observed in those "...moments when each rider is riding on the strength of those around them."
If I were to propose a self-contained, all-encompassing framework linking all fundamental forces and physical aspects of cycling it would look like this:
Unified Theory of Cycling: V = n+1 / #10
Possibly the beginnings of a new rule?
The lead photo of Micky in the box says it all. What a day that was. Mud, rain, cobbles, crashes and the V Collective that was the only thing keeping our legs turning. No data devices could measure what we were expending, or feeling. This is why the V-Meter is the only way to ride.
Fuck, I wasn't on the back for once!
I remember coming out of the trench with the first burn of the day in my legs. As we grouped up for the road to the next secteur I latched onto Franks wheel and copped a massive Flemish Facial. You know you're in for a proper hard day when you get to chose between riding in the wind and eating shit (literally) in the wheels.
@Harminator
Is this where the origin of the phrase "great big shit eating grin" came from?
Can't really imagine any other circumstance where I would be smiling in such a predicament.