If I can just catch Henrik’s wheel. Another two feet and I can tuck in behind the protection of the pace line. Press harder, rotate faster. 95, 98, 101. The gap closes, 4 feet, 3 feet, 2 feet. I am in the draft. The wind becomes quiet. I made it to Henrik’s wheel.

I tell my friends I took up the sport of cycling, but that description doesn’t tell the story. This is no casual ride on a bicycle.

The group assembles at 5:00am. In a few minutes, this group will become a team. As a team, they can go faster and further than the fastest single rider. They will cooperate, communicate and take turns as the leader. Each rider brings a tuned machine and a tuned body. As a team member, they are responsible to the group for focused concentration, each responsible for the safety of the team, for pulling, closing gaps and calling hazards.

This is the story of a team. This may be a story about your team. This is the story of Henrik’s wheel.