The moment
Cycling is very different from almost any other sport. Everyone, whatever their level, can experience moments that will remain engraved in their memory for the rest of their life.
Those who run might be able to vividly remember the decisive moments that led to victory, and the deep and unique feeling that victory gave them. However, it is much more common for cyclists to be able to vividly remember moments, very often at the top of a climb, when time itself dictates a pause.
When you’re on your deathbed and your whole life flashes before your eyes, what will be the moment you pause?
It is sometimes said to be the birth of their children, which happens on average 2.2 times in an average lifetime. There will of course be days or occasions that you remember with your family and that make you smile and these are indeed highlights of your life.
Others say it’s the day they got married, on average once in their lives.
Very few of them will choose a moment from their entire professional career, an average of 93,600 hours. Even someone who truly loves and is obsessed with their work would rarely choose a moment in their professional life as the highlight of their time here on earth.
Recently I had a customer for a bike fit. He showed me the screen saver image on his phone. It was a photo of him summiting an alpine climb and he said it’s a moment he’ll pause on when he’s on his deathbed looking back on his life.
How often do we take these moments for granted?
I’ve been at the top of climbs surrounded by incredible scenery in unique locations and almost immediately heard the phrase “Okay, let’s go”, and we’ve been hurtling down the other side without really appreciating the uniqueness of the moment .
One year, on the Etape de Tour, we climbed Mont Ventoux in 40 degree heat through the forest from Bedoin. There were people falling off their bikes from the heat, lying on the road. I’ve certainly had a touch of it myself. Chalet Reynard was like an oasis in the desert and no matter how much the coke, water and baguette cost, it was money well spent. Sitting on a wooden bench, watching the cyclists go by in all kinds of agonies, I thought that I had seen very little of this spectacular route until then. I was head down, butt in the air, looking at the wheels ahead, and for what? Finish in the top 500 if I was lucky. What would be the difference between 499th and 4099th place that day? The finishers’ medal was the same for everyone, but some would leave more memories than others.
From there, even though it was only 6km to the summit, I decided to take it all in. I ran into Niko Eeckhout and we chatted about Kurt, Sean and the An Post team. Then I stopped at the Tom Simpson monument and thought about the last moments of his life as they played out before him in this very spot. I left a bottle behind as I once again joined the vast array of cyclists on the mountain. 2km from the summit there was a couple from Cork standing next to a campervan with a large Irish flag. They gave me a shout of encouragement when they realized I was Irish and my speed was so slow that we even had a brief conversation about where we were all from. On the last hairpin, a guy passed me on the inside and beat me to the finish line for a place like 2028th place or whatever. I remember very little of the first 174 kilometers of that day but I remember a lot of the last 6 kilometers.
I stood at the top of Stelvio and felt my eyes well up. The first time I went there, my friend Andrew who I was staying with showed me his screen saver. It was September and since January 1st, there was an image of the Stelvio. He was a very successful businessman with a lot going on in his life, but his biggest goal for the year was to climb Stelvio. The huge smile on his face at the summit was bright enough to melt the snow and I can still imagine it clearly today. The second time I reached the summit, Andrew was no longer with us due to a tragic accident. With his initials on my jersey, I could almost feel his presence next to me at the summit and I needed a moment to process it.
The summits of climbs are where many moments are experienced. Everyone needs their own opportunity to experience their moments. If you are a strong climber and you arrive at the summit 30 minutes before the last person in your group, you need to give them time to enjoy their moment as well. Even on a Sunday ride, the last person to the top needs time to recover and reassemble. If you’re worried about being cold, turn around at the top and go down ahead of the last person and go back up, or go up at their pace and you won’t have to wait too long and you can enjoy everything. of your environment.
Whenever you have the opportunity to create a “moment,” seize the opportunity and take the time to take it all in. Chances are you’ll never be so lucky again.
Barry