A professional cyclist’s longest days of the season are often the few days before a Grand Tour, where they sit around a hotel, often in a sleepy suburb or business park hotel, waiting for the race to start.
For months, they have been preparing for the race, everything is in place, their fitness is at or near a peak, and their minds are focused on the objective. When they are not out for an easy spin with the team, or at a presentation or news conference, they are in a small hotel room, staring at the ceiling, scrolling through their phones, watching films, reading a book, and generally trying to pass idle time by keeping their minds off the race.
Waiting for the Grand Départ at the Tour
Nerves of anticipation bubble within each rider. Even though teams try to control every variable, it is the remaining unknowns that can be haunting. Illness or injury can end a race. And no rider knows whether their fitness will be enough to win, to do their jobs, or for some, even finish. They all know they will suffer, regardless of whether they are at the front of the race or the back.
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