Tuesday, August 18, 2020

The Secret Race

 Really enjoyed Tyler Hamilton's book.  I've been reading a bunch of these "tell all" bike books and this may be the best of the batch.

"Training felt like a game.  How hard can you work? How smart can you be? How skinny can you get?  Can you pit yourself against those numbers, and can you reach them?  And then, behind all that was always the anxiety that drove you, that kept you working:  Whatever you do, those other fuckers are doing more."

"Getting skinny is part of the Tour preparation that is easiest to overlook.  It sounds easy: lose weight.  Don't eat.  But in fact, it's like a war, especially when you're training like a demon and every cell of your body is screaming for nutrients.  I spent more time thinking about how to lose weight than I ever spent thinking about doing: the question haunted every meal, every bite I took.

Bjarne recommended his special technique: come home from a training ride, chug a big bottle of fizzy water, and take tow or three sleeping pills.  By the time you woke up, it would be dinner, or, if you were lucky, breakfast."


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