Originally Posted by chasm54

Well, this has been an interesting, if repetitive, read.

OP these guys know what they're talking about and you aren't listening to them. You come across like someone who thinks they can learn to swim by reading a book about swimming. You can't, you have to get in the water.

I'd been around bike races and riding with racers for years before I gave it a try. I discovered that my theoretical understanding of the sport was worth almost nothing. The fact that I was as strong as most of my competitors meant even less, it was virtually worthless. I learned more in the 20 or so minutes it took me to get dropped than I would have in 20 or so years of agonising on the sidelines.