Yesterday saw the beginning of my first true Top End Battle. Survival of the fittest. No room for pushovers. Slow riders need not apply. Etc, etc, etc… piss everywhere.
I received an email at work yesterday entitled, “Uh, oh…”. A Strava KOM had been taken off me. Lately it has only been non-legit thefts, and mostly in Melbourne. But this was legit. And it was in Darwin. I could do something about this! I could get it back! But alas, I was at work, and would have hours of agonising waiting before I could kit up and reclaim some stupid glory.
With my Garmin mounted and at the ready, this morning I set up with brave Sir Sam and Sir Maris – reputable lead out men with broad shoulders and draft worthy glutes. Together we hit some local cols (read ant hills), and warmed up for the ensuing onslaught. The culprit I was now targeting had set a fast time on another segment nearby… a segment I had planned to take before I knew it was him! And the winds were favourable! Ha, ha ha!
With a whoosh from the south, I had demolished that first, flat segment. But would I have the legs for the final assault. A hill My forte. My favourite. I would. Not wanting to completely wipe out the enemy, and thinking about the future economy, I took the segment with a modest 7 second advantage. Hurrah.
The comments, the banter, the satisfaction. All such good talking points for the next half a day. But then the talking point for the remainder of the day… another email…