As I find myself in the middle of a very mediocre cycling year, I turn to others’ exploits to reassure me that there are still riders out there doing big things.

It doesn’t take much scrolling to find them, either. First, I’ve seen more than a few ‘Everests’ pop up on Strava, which you really need to sit and think about for a while to realize how crazy big it is. There’s something about 2020.

Then the other day I got an email from a guy I know back home who got a rare KOM on a segment he rides all the time. Well, what really happened was that he got 2nd place by one second on the Leaderboard one day, not even knowing there was a segment there, then going back a day or two later to grab the KOM. He confirmed that it hurt a lot.

Oh, and he’s one year from retirement and just recovered from Covid19 a week or two previously.

Then comes another guy I know, this time in France. He’s not retirement age yet, but no spring poulet either. Here is his ride the other day – the Marmotte Alps route with ‘a little more’ added. Over 200 km and 6000 m of climbing.

Finally, this one showed up today. At first I thought it must have been on a motorcycle, but the speed looks right and this guy is an ex-pro, so it’s not impossible to imagine, but look at the numbers! He could eat 15 guilt-free Big Macs after his ride according to his calories burned.

That was a nice break, now back to the couch. Call me when Covid is over.