Another glorious day, less windy. Breakfast was coffee, fresh strawberries, apricots and croissants followed by a short morning spin through Provence to keep the legs loose and make sure the bike was finely tuned. During today's group training ride, I rode alongside Alian. He has a coach and has been training quite seriously for this ride. He coached me on the drafting techniques he was using; how close to stay behind the rider ahead of you, to look for the strong riders who were more likely to ride at a consistent pace, etc. I used to draft when I raced mountain bikes but this was a little different on the road.
A few times we broke out of the pack and ahead to the front. Immediately you could feel the difference between drafting and leading a pack. When you lead, you feel the pull and the ride is harder. That is how I trained. No drafting. The mental concentration to draft was harder than riding itself. We finished first. My body was not tired at all but mentally you can feel it.
Following the ride, we practiced cornering down some steep descents in the village. After that, it was rest time. The rest of the day was spent hydrating, staying in a relaxed frame of mind and preparing for tomorrow. Tomorrow will be here soon.
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