Subsequently I've been wondering about how I night apply 'the blinkers' when TTing and I have been thinking about my thought processes when it's just me against the clock.
However I consider it I keep coming back to the same conclusion - that I am a rubbish tester and always will be...but, it is an interesting subject nonetheless. 'Does the body rule the mind
Or does the mind rule the body?' - well, to take that excellent question right out of its intended context, I can say for sure that my mind rules my body when I'm out there alone against the clock - it just won't stop wittering inane, distracting, and unnecessary blethers at me. I asked Scottish champion Arthur Doyle (Dooley's RT) what goes through his mind when he's battering along the road faster than anyone else in the nation and he provided the illuminating answer of "not much really!". Here he is on his winning ride that glorious autumn day last year. Photo grabbed from Ed Hood/Veloresults
None the wiser but unperturbed I continued my rambling investigations and over the holidays I sat down and watched 'Stars & Watercarriers', a remarkable film made in 1973 by Jorgen Leth of that years Giro d'Italia. There is a truely magnificent section of the film where the cameras follow Ole Ritter (Bianchi/Campagnolo) on Stage 16, the Forte dei Marmi TT where Ritter came 2nd to Gimondi with a time of 46.46 averaging just under 48km/h. In the movie there is a beautiful, poetic monologue narrated over the top of the whir of his bike and the cheers of spectators that I feel goes quite some way towards explaining what time trialing is all about.
Something to do with 'thrust'?
Do watch the movie if you get the chance but for now here is a transcript of those fine words:
The trial of truth.
Contre la montre.
Facing the stopwatch.
The fight against the second hand.
The trial of truth.
He's off and the watch begins to register his time,
37 kilometers each man for himself.
2 minute intervals between starts, each man against the clock, against himself.
Here there is only the man & his machine
Here strength & psyche & style are expressed in the most simple way,
The trial of truth.
It's vitally important to get the right thrust
to find & hold a gliding rhythm.
Always the highest possible gear which can be maintained effortlessly.
Frequent changes to start with, what matters is to get hold of a harmonious thrust.
It's very important to make a sensible start,
it's a question of feeling your way, of knowing yourself,
of finding the right rhythm, just for today,
of starting off on the right foot for a long concentrateed & cohesive effort.
For others the finishing line is in sight,
times are written up, the results are adjusted.
The car is following at the stipulated distance
He knows himself & he knows pretty well where he has his opponents
But each single time trial is an experiment,
racing the clock is, every time, a new trial of truth & a fresh challenge.
There is no margin for coincidence,
here the question is 'whose day is it today?'
Here it is exclusively a job for the strongest & a matter for split second performance,
but who amongst the strong can make a super-human effort today?
Yes, he knows himself, he is no machine.
He is absorbed in his race as if it were a work of art
The result will depend on his sense of feeling & his concentration.
He knows his so called, normal possibilities
& he knows the feeling of euphoria when his wheels start humming,
When limits and contours are errased
& the fluid thrust is just right.
Energy, but above all energy under control.
The allocation of energy,
the ribbon of flat road,
the front wheel,
hands, stomach, breathing.
The maximum.
Kilometer after kilometer - the promenade at Forte dei Marmi.
The long straight stretch to the turning point,
spectator shouts urging him on.
The sidewind is an everpresent opponent but it cannot break his cadenza,
now nothing can make him loose his steady beat.
Cycle and body are a compact unit smoothly thrusting, meter consuming.
He is totally involved in a marvellous, integrated effort.
He is catching up with the rider who started 2 minutes before him,
It's the Olympic champion, the Dutchman Kuiper.
He overtakes him on the inside & continues, unfalteringly in his stride.
Just like in a dream this fluid gliding thrust,
revolutions equating time & distance,
exertion released from the force of gravity,
energy like a classic symbol,
pain as an icon.
A professionals generosity,
his evaluation of his own powers,
his concept of honour,
his sense of duty,
his experience,
the calculated risks,
the significance of the individual effort in the larger perspective.
But also the sense of well-being when the machine runs smoothly for the man,
when all calculations merge into the ultimate exertion.
The final 200 meters,
150 meters,
100 meters,
50 meters,
across the line.
Listening to: Muddy Waters - 'she's all right'
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