DESTINATION
PARTOUT:
COLLINE DU CYGNE
ADÉLAÏDE
Nous sommes tous arrivés à Swan Hill vers midi. Pub
le repas et le rattrapage étaient au programme. Nous nous sommes dirigés
à notre logement pour construire nos vélos. Après
ça, le trajet obligatoire jusqu'au supermarché.
Les prochains jours de route vers Adélaïde furent
à travers des domaines où nous ne nous attendions pas à pouvoir
pour s'approvisionner.
L'Australie du Sud n'est techniquement pas l'Outback,
mais c'est éloigné. Nous avons de la nourriture pour le van
arrêts, petits déjeuners et nourriture à cuisiner aux deux
campings et motels avec des installations limitées.
Prêt à partir à l'aventure pour attraper le Tour
Down Under-action et la course RADL GRVL a
quelques jours dehors.
Nous sommes partis à 5h30 le premier jour, à destination de
Hopetoun à 163 km. Arriver au premier
section de route en gravier, la sensation était forte - pleine de
excitation et incertitude face à ce que nous étions
pour.
Le premier problème - en raison des fortes précipitations du
quelques jours auparavant, les routes avaient été inondées à leur plus bas niveau
points et s'étendent largement sur les voisins
paddocks. Sans aucune option, nous avons grimpé
la clôture et autour - les vélos restent coincés,
les pédales refusent de se déclipser et les corps tombent.
Des chaussures mouillées ont suivi, avec la décision de marcher
le plus sûr.
Les progrès initiaux ont été lents, mais un coup du sort
signifiait que nous allions avoir un fort vent arrière pour le
reste de la journée qui nous a permis d'arriver
dans les délais. Nous avons nettoyé les vélos, refroidi
et je me dirigeai vers le pub voisin.
After a foundational first year which provided some incredible experiences on the bike. Ben is now home in Northern England settling in the long winter period. A time when the days get shorter, the chill creeps in and the highs of the crowds and riding shoulder to shoulder with Olympians is a distant past.
“I like to think of winter training as one big block. They’re your building blocks for the season. It's super important to look after your health and your body, so the more building blocks you can put down, the better position you're going to be in for the season. It's actually probably my favorite time of year because of how long it is. You've not really got to worry too much about racing. You're just laying the foundations really. That's what I like about it.”
As we ride out with Ben on a cold, but dry, Tuesday in November we can quickly see how winter training can have its appeal. As coastal paths transition into sprawling country lanes with the peaks of the Lake District visible in the distance the conditions are near perfect, if a little chilly. Ben’s schedule dictates that today’s ride is a shorter one at just 2 hours. For Ben those longer rides are where he excels. “I think I’ve always had that big engine for those longer efforts. It's kind of just what I've always naturally been able to do. You know, even when I started training, I always found the threshold efforts a bit easier rather than kind of more explosive stuff.
Ben’s in his element on these roads, they’re roads he’s cycled since he was a kid. “I think that's why I enjoyed the Tour of Britain so much. You know, you've got things like road surface and the weather, wind, everything's just harder in the UK, really, but I love it. When you're at home a four or five hour ride seems shorter when you know where everything is and you know where the next shop is if you're struggling or what. I love being at home and it's something I'll always come back to definitely. I don't see myself kind of moving away to Monaco or Andorra like a lot of guys do.”
Seeing Ben, a man who despite his famous name is a young man primed to carve out his own career unique only to him, completely aware of the hard graft and hours on the bike needed to achieve greatness.
“The end of next year I'd like to be turning pro on the world tour with a few more continental and world titles on my belt on the track and road.
In five years from now, I'd like to have just come out of my first Olympic Games and yeah, be winning some of the biggest bike races in the world. So that's definitely the goal.” Lofty ambitions but it’s clear to see that Ben has all capabilities of getting himself there.
