http://viewfromtheback.com/2009/10/09/ageing-gracefully/ Me, my bike, my life in France Fri, 10 Feb 2012 09:17:24 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ http://viewfromtheback.com/2009/10/09/ageing-gracefully/#comment-87 Wed, 21 Oct 2009 00:04:52 +0000 http://viewfromtheback.com/?p=559#comment-87 I love cycling. I never understood the strategy until I watched several Tours and started reading magazines and checking websites. What a remarkable sport. It has every bit the planning and sacrificing agenda as football with the agility and fragileness of a well coordinated ballet. I never knew there was an actual pecking order on each team. I just thought that you rode as hard as you could and the best man would win. I knew that they would stay together, but I thought that was for drafting and nothing else. The riders always reminded me of thoroughbred horses, so lean and lanky, bred only to go distances quickly and endlessly. Unlike football where there are designated players that are built only for one position, any one of the peloton riders could conceivably have a strong day and beat any other rider in the race. Sometimes I could see the frustration on the faces of those riders that were assigned throwaway positions as if they felt they could go on and win the race rather than spend themselves pulling another rider to victory. What a remarkable sport, what a remarkable person it takes to compete.

]]>