Spending a week away on tour can provide a refreshing and fun perspective on things. Knowledge and entertainment is ever present through the banter of tired athletes, especially those who make big sacrifices to compete in their beloved sport.
Yes, it is easy to get obsessed with athletic performance but that didn't apply to three guys I worked with recently. They all have big jobs and young families and manage to fit in consistent training during the pre-dawn hours but the bigger picture was always present. Sure, daily talk centred around the race but not completely;the state of SA universities, Harvard Business School, psoas release techniques, osteopathy vs chiropractic, 80s music and the well-kept towns of the Garden Route were but a few of the eclectic daily subject set. We all enjoyed living in the bubble that is a stage race and losing track of the days ("Seriously? Is it Thursday today?") even though reality was all around us the small towns we visited.
But that is all the past now. Lycra has been replaced by work attire, bicycles ridden in daylight are now ridden in dawn darkness and being home for family dinnertime is the main goal. It sure is fun being away doing a sport you love but the best part of any trip is coming home. A balancing act indeed.
