The story

An espresso by the lake, mid-race.

Levico Terme, Transalp 2016. We were mid-race, in a good position, when we stopped for an espresso by the lake. The other teams stared as they rode past. That was the moment it turned — from riding for the result to riding for the ride.

We'd spent twenty years chasing numbers. Podiums, power files, the split. And we'd crossed whole countries without seeing any of them.

So we slowed down. Not because slow is easier — because slow is the speed at which a place gets into you. We still attack. We just don't attack the clock.

"We still attack. We just don't attack the clock."

[ full essay continues — source: brand/essay.md ]