PFEIFFER GEORGI
My memories of racing on the road as a junior are encapsulated by early starts, waiting on the line for an hour before the race and sprinting full gas from the gun to even have a chance of being part of the action. Three things which I was admittedly happy to say goodbye to when stepping up to the pro peloton.
Or so I thought. The first one of these memories came flooding back while racing the Ardennes Classics last year, with their delightful 8:30am starts, and most recently in Strade Bianche with yet another dawn departure. And yes, I am aware that 8:30am is not particularly early in any normal profession, but the thought of shovelling down 150g of porridge at 5:30am is not the most appetising.
Then, just last week the Ronde van Drenthe reminded me of the other two aspects of my junior racing. This is a race characterised by narrow roads (which could be more accurately described as bike paths), crosswinds, and the infamous Col du Vam, which hosted the 2023 European Championships and stands at a whopping 4,800cm (yes cm).
The forecast for Sunday’s race was 30kph winds, with full crosswinds from km 0, and the narrow roads which would last the entirety of the race starting after just 1.6km. This could only mean one thing – lining up first.
I was quickly taken back to those junior days with the cagey ‘hovering around the start area pretending to warm up until another team lines up and then frantically rushing to the line’ tactic. Luckily, I was well practised in this and all six of us were on the front line. From then on, we settled into the 40-minute wait, which was a matter of staying warm, eating and the typical toilet rotation, each holding the other person’s bike as they nipped inside.
With three minutes to go, the legwarmers came off, one minute to go the jacket was unzipped, and only within the last 30 seconds was everything stripped. It was full-on fighting from the off, and I can assure you there was nothing neutral about that neutralisation. As soon as the flag dropped it was all-out sprinting as the echelons started to form, and the race was split to pieces within 10 minutes. Good times.
