A time trial is probably the purest form of cycling you can imagine. Just the rider and his bike fighting the course and the elements. Yesterday was not an exception to that: Climbs, fast flat parts, wind, rain, and slippery descents. If the legs and the results are good, it must feel heroic to ride and perform in these conditions. If that's not the case, it's just a painful battle of 42 annoying kilometers.
A time trial like the one between Barbaresco and Barolo is not just jumping on a bike and riding as fast as possible from A to B. It's a big puzzle. What many people probably may not know is that it has been a process of months. In this case, the process started last Autumn. It's key to find the optimal equipment, a position that's the perfect mix between aerodynamics and biomechanical efficiency, to have detailed course knowledge, and of course having the optimal shape by the time you're in the start house. All these things take time and preparation.
For that we've been working closely with our partner Specialized: Rigo travelled already in November to California in order to optimize his position in the Specialized windtunnel. In March we went to see the course when there was still snow on the route. Specialized was in close contact with our mechanics to give us the latest updates of the course situation, and the optimal equipment for these circumstances.
Beside all this technical talk there is probably one last essential element that I didn't mention yet: The dedication of the rider. The endless number of laps that Rigo did on the track in Colombia on his Shiv are probably a nice example of that dedication. Some people would think it's boring, but he just had a pink goal in mind.
Yesterday it was time to see if we got the puzzle right. It turned out to be a beautiful pink one.
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