Obviously, very few of us here are strong enough to be pro cyclists in any capacity, but…
If you were to extrapolate your skills as a cyclist (say, multiply your “powers” by however many times it takes to reach pro level) and your personality type (time for some introspection!), what type of pro cyclist would you be?
Me: My strength on the bike is definitely climbing, but I’m also pretty good at ‘doing the suffer’ and taking long hard pulls. I will never ever win a stop sign sprint against almost anyone in the A ride, but I will pull longer, harder, and more frequently than most, whenever the need is there --always willing and happy to put in the work!
As for my personality, I would hate to be on a team like Jumbo Visma or UAE or Chumma Chuggum or any team with serious GC aspirations --I would not enjoy the pressure to either win myself or to help others win by performing up to expectations and not screwing up the plan for the day.
If I were a pro, I’d want to be The Doomed Breakaway Artist, ala Baptiste Veistroffer in this year’s TdF. I’d try to break away on a very early climb when everyone is still asleep, and then keep cranking along solo for as long as I can before things get serious and I get swallowed up by riders with more substantial aspirations.
No one is expecting me to win the stage or contend for the General Classification. My insane effort will be celebrated by fans for its bravery, insanity, foolhardiness, and entertaining gamesmanship. It will be celebrated by my sponsors for doing what every rider’s real job (not goal, but job) is: Getting the sponsors’ names out there up front on TV.
There is no messing up. There is no failure. There’s only purposeful craziness and the tension of ‘how far can he go before he meets his inevitable daily doom?’
That seems like fun to me.