The wise men hover in the shadows. Their advice returns as an ominous truth whenever I am atop the pedals of winter. They say to me “yes, it does suck, now shut up!”… thus, the gist is this: To be a smart cyclist is to be a soloist during the cold months when the shadows are long and the air is piercing. Now, in this brittle cold, there is no need for provocation. Groupettos during this time only serve to destroy moral or create false sense. Join them with reluctance, and be ready to vector at any sign of challenge. It is a mistake to serve the ego during this time.
But we cannot live in isolation at all times, and so it becomes critical to know thy training partners. For now, these accomplices must be trustworthy. They must hold ultimate the knowing of half wheels and surging are for the dumb. Today and again, my accomplices equal no more than three and together with confidence, we push .01% harder to the wind a maintenance of cadence as we sharpen our pins in trusted company.