Categories: Defining MomentsLa Vie VelominatusRiding UglyThe Rides

Getting Dropped

Phil Anderson tries in vain to hold Le Blaireau’s wheel.

I can can feel his cold breath on my back, like a shadow drifting through an alleyway. He’s not yet upon me, but the Man with the Hammer is lurking nearby. I’m not even sure he has the intention to strike; he’s just staying close, cruelly reminding me that my fate is in his hands.

I feel the heaviness in my legs from the first turns of the pedals as the road tilts upwards; its not the usual resistance that I know will spin out once I find my rhythm because finding my rhythm will be impossible when the pace is as it is. I’m not on the rivet yet, but the pressure foretells my future; no graceful arcs of the pedals, I’ll soon be pedaling squares in search of the power I need to hold the wheel in front of me.

The pitch changes, not steeper but the change disrupts whatever grasp I had on the rhythm and the gap opens a bit. Handlebars are chewed and the gap is closed again, for now. I know it, and the shadow knows it: this is a temporary fix, not a long term solution. The end is coming, but I’m determined to hold it off for as long as possible. The next symptom is that I can’t find a gear that works, I’m shifting constantly, back and forth between the same two gears trying to find the magic ratio that lets me hold the tempo more easily.

All the shifting of gears has broken my concentration and I as I look up I discover I’ve let the wheel go without even noticing it. The shadow reminds me that I hadn’t even cracked yet but I let it go just because I let my tired mind occupy itself with a detail like what gear I’m in when what really matters is pushing on the pedals. The price I pay is more handlebar chewing and clawing back onto the wheel. The effort means the end is just drawn that much closer, but still I will do anything to delay the inevitable.

I’m starting to wonder if I’ve dug too deep already, that if after the inevitable happens will I be able to limit my losses? Maybe the smart thing to do – I try to convince myself – is to let go and find a steady tempo to ride to the top. If I do that, I can probably bridge up on the false flat at the top, or on the descent. Failing that, I’ll catch them back on the flats.

But there is no catching back after letting go; it is the reality of our world. These are just the things we tell ourselves in order to face the harsh reality of getting dropped. The only thing that truly exists is the fact that I will be dropped, and that there will be a long, lonely road home.

The wheel in front moves a few centimeters ahead. I see it and push harder on the pedals but still the gap opens. It is only a meter now, but it might as well be a kilometer; the wheel is gone and I am alone.

frank

The founder of Velominati and curator of The Rules, Frank was born in the Dutch colonies of Minnesota. His boundless physical talents are carefully canceled out by his equally boundless enthusiasm for drinking. Coffee, beer, wine, if it’s in a container, he will enjoy it, a lot of it. He currently lives in Seattle. He loves riding in the rain and scheduling visits with the Man with the Hammer just to be reminded of the privilege it is to feel completely depleted. He holds down a technology job the description of which no-one really understands and his interests outside of Cycling and drinking are Cycling and drinking. As devoted aesthete, the only thing more important to him than riding a bike well is looking good doing it. Frank is co-author along with the other Keepers of the Cog of the popular book, The Rules, The Way of the Cycling Disciple and also writes a monthly column for the magazine, Cyclist. He is also currently working on the first follow-up to The Rules, tentatively entitled The Hardmen. Email him directly at rouleur@velominati.com.

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CyclingPT says:

May 13 2014 at 3:33 pm

Only a cyclist can understand this pain! But this goes a long way to explaining it to non Veluminati and young Pedalwans! Great article!
Nate says:

May 13 2014 at 3:50 pm

@frank

This was based loosely on the Book Signing ride on Saturday in SFO; my base is really lacking but power is good, so I was doing fine for the first half of the ride and then the tempo on the climbs along the coast was too much and I knew from the start I was fucked.

At a point, you get so worn down you're not even in that much pain - in fact, I'd be in much more pain if I was the one doing the dropping and using that as motivation to spur me on - but at a point the body just stopped delivering the power to the pedals. There was nothing.

I thought that might have been the inspiration. You were certainly climbing strongly on Mt Tam; knowing my form I wasn't going to try to keep up with the lead pace.

Learning how to gut it out and ride with what you have left is part of the path we are all treading.
HMBSteve says:

May 13 2014 at 3:58 pm

@Nate

@frank

This was based loosely on the Book Signing ride on Saturday in SFO; my base is really lacking but power is good, so I was doing fine for the first half of the ride and then the tempo on the climbs along the coast was too much and I knew from the start I was fucked.

At a point, you get so worn down you're not even in that much pain - in fact, I'd be in much more pain if I was the one doing the dropping and using that as motivation to spur me on - but at a point the body just stopped delivering the power to the pedals. There was nothing.

I thought that might have been the inspiration. You were certainly climbing strongly on Mt Tam; knowing my form I wasn't going to try to keep up with the lead pace.

Learning how to gut it out and ride with what you have left is part of the path we are all treading.

Yes - that
girl says:

May 13 2014 at 4:13 pm

@frank

@girl

I'm riding with the boys for the next few weeks. The entire time the mantra that goes through my head is 'hold that wheel, hold that wheel, hold that wheel.'

You have perfectly captured the process the brain goes through as you begin to doubt that you can stay on. I have the luck of having my coach graciously sitting on my wheel for the next few weeks. He knows me so well he can pick the moments I'm beginning to doubt myself and squashes the doubt in a few simple words.

If you coach can do that rather than make you want to turn around and punch him, then he is a coach you should hold on to.

The words of wisdom/encouragement I can handle. It's when he pulls up beside me to have a quick chat while I am gasping for breath that make me want to punch him. Or more easily just push him off his bike. Then he just seemlessly rolls back again. That's infuriating.
The Grande Fondue says:

May 13 2014 at 4:33 pm

@frank

@ChrisO

Nice - I like the description of the metre which might as well be a mile (to mix my units in the interests of alliteration). So true. It's only a small gap but you know that even if you temporarily get there it will be back soon.

But when I go through these emotions it isn't usually on a climb. I don't worry so much about it on the hills because it's a question of power to weight, not power to will.

Where I hate this sort of getting dropped is on rollers or flats, especially when there are echelons. The gap happens in front, maybe not even your wheel but the effect is the same. They can move away slowly and maybe even stay in sight for a long time but you know it is impossible to get across and eventually you surrender to it.

Don't get me fucking started on getting dropped in a crosswind. The knowledge that the riders in front in the group are getting an easy tow when you're suffering like a dog only to watch the gap widen is such a painful thing.

I remember one regular Saturday morning ride with a vicious crosswind. We caught some remnants of the fast group at traffic lights, and they pushed the pace along the beachfront. Diving into sand-dusted roundabouts trying to hold the wheel, knowing ig a gap opened I'd never get it back.

I was on the wheel of a big guy and was going ok. I knew I wasn't the only one struggling when I saw a girl we ride with dropped - she is *strong* (rode the Cape Epic) and I've never seen her lose a wheel before. She was dropped when the guy in front of her was gapped, and once that gap was there no one was closing it.
Chris says:

May 13 2014 at 4:46 pm

@frank

@Chris

Btw @frank, stunning photo there. Those are fine guns.

Puegeot was a fucking awesome team over the years, so many greats. (Unlike @frank, Eddy didn't get dropped from memory)

Oh, but he did. To be fair, when he got dropped, he made it count and lost the Yellow Jersey for the first and only time in his career.

My comment was in relation t the Simpson photo only. I had it in mind that he had been dropped but in some strange, rare moment of befuddled clarity actually dug the Merckx book out and checked the photo.
Chris says:

May 13 2014 at 4:58 pm

@frank

@Chris

I surprised myself today a couple of times by, subconsciously, shifting to a smaller cog and pushing harder as I began to lose momentum on hills. Normally, I'd have done the opposite to hold my cadence.

That's the best; being on the rivet but then somehow finding more power. There is a very strange physiological thing for me as well where I have to burn the legs once early on to get the power up; after that I'm much more open and can resist better. Before that, I struggle much more.

I certainly take a while to warm up but this was about 80 - 90 km into the ride. It felt good. Weird but good.

After writing the previous post I sat down to catch up on the last few days of the Giro. When I next got up from the sofa I was hit by the most evil cramp from just above the inside of my knee right up to my groin on both legs. I suspect the Man with the Hammer is a lurker here on Velominati took a strong dislike to my hubris and snuck into the house to deliver a humbling retrospective kicking.

It took me ten minutes to get to the point of being able to walk and to make matter worse it's just happened again - this time just to one leg but strong enough to make me nauseous.

Fuck, I'm deeply afraid to go to bed now. I kind of get how the Pantani era riders felt, I'm off to the garage with a box set of Breaking Bad to keep me awake on the rollers...
andrew says:

May 13 2014 at 10:47 pm

@Ccos, @unversio, @Buck Rogers Thanks for the words, gents -- a lot of rides between now and then and some of ChrisO's interval sessions in there somewhere and I'll give it a decent crack.
piwakawaka says:

May 13 2014 at 11:14 pm

I'm no fan-boy, but here is a master class in dropping cyclists, Sir Brad is perhaps one of the best technical riders around, from the hips up his movement is barely perceptible, his guns however just blast away, if he is riding for Froome at TDF , then all Froome has to do is stay upright and he will defend his title for sure.

http://www.steephill.tv/tour-of-california/
Chris says:

May 13 2014 at 11:19 pm

@piwakawaka I liked it that he barely looked around during the climb. Must have sent quite a strong message "I'm not that interested in who's with me in this group, we're going up here at my pace"