Sometimes during an ordinary training ride you may discover gold within. Long rides during the work week are difficult. Motivation is low when the weather is unfair, cold and wet.

I started my ride on Beach Road after work. My aim was to ride 80kms. I don't like riding at night, yet I went on.

It was 6 degrees, drizzling and dark, very dark! Perfect. As I settled in to the ride, I began to take in my surroundings. I saw the  front light beaming like a semaphore, the road was also slippery and black like a licorice strap.

There was really no distractions other than a few cars - no scenery, nothing, nothing to look at. I couldn't see my bike monitors I depend on them for training rides hmm - maybe too much.

I started pushing hard, but I didn't know my speed or heart rate - I remembered the old scale of the (Borg perceived exertion table). I felt well within myself. I listened - the seat had a funny creak - the hubs had a particular tick, I didn't know my speed or hr - I sometimes glanced at the egg-shaped pedal strokes - I must work on that!

My hands were welded to the hoods. I listened to the breathing rising and falling. I was drenched. My shoes squelched but I was pumped.

I finished the ride in a good time and in good spirits. I came to recognise how often disconnected we are from what's actually happening when we are riding. So much other thinking gets in the way.

If competitive bike riding is the sum of the mental and the physical then - listening, reading and watching to what is really happening matters a great deal. It is a training step up in the right direction.

Ciao

Tanti Baci

Roberto.

Will talk soon.

I must be completely candid with you and tell you that this is no easy decision. Lots of thinking and lots of tooth grinding went into this and was certainly not made in haste. This has been a huge step for me. It came about one night after asking Carlo to plot my years training. After having been relatively successful in short distance races (relatively) he suggested training to race in the Melbourne to Warnambool Road Race. 'The Warny' he called it. He loves it. He's done it twice. I'd heard of this mythical race, a 300 km race, the longest UCI graded race in the world - HMMM. A mate of mine Signore Giramondo won it a couple of decades a go.

Well let's put our cards on the table here. I'm no pro racer and I'll leave the elite racers to their days work. However, I do love to train hard - really hard - and get a high from racing and finishing well. But I'm a novice. I'm not concerned with winning or losing (come on, I'm in my 40s) but I have now made a blood pact with myself that I'm going to give it a good jolly rogering and I'm not only going to survive the race but also finish it well.

This is a gamble. A huge bet - will it pay off?

Deciding to start an event like this means dealing with risk, especially the risk that failure will result. The failure may range I guess from not keeping up to gruppetto to not finishing. Also fear is a player. Afraid of the pain and discomfort (very afraid) that comes with going far and fast. But you know standing tall to the little voice in your head warning you not to do it is what creates the greatest pleasure of achievement.

Only by confronting the challenge head on, whether succeed or not, is usually all you need to raise the spirit.  

Ciao, will talk soon.

Roberto