good writing IMHO, too bad there is not more writing like this in the sport.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/20/sports/cycling/20cycling.html?pagewanted=1
As Leipheimer Coasts at Tour of California, Armstrong Is Part of the Pack
…He might have to refrain from all contact with his family because Rogers has twin 17-month-old daughters. Their affinity for jolly creatures like the purple dinosaur Barney has planted a playlist of children’s songs in his head. “Let’s just say, those songs don’t really motivate you to go fast,” said Rogers, an Australian who is a three-time world champion in the time trial. “And when you get bad songs stuck in your head during the time trial, it’s the worst.”…
…“Oh yeah, I’m just sitting back right now,” Armstrong said, joking, when asked if he had any notion of passing Leipheimer in the standings…
…Leipheimer, who finished third in the 2007 Tour de France, is one of the most aerodynamic riders in the peloton, based on his size, his height and his position on the bike. Allen Lim, an exercise physiologist who works with the Garmin-Slipstream team, said that would give him a clear advantage in Solvang. But, Lim said, the winner of the time trial will need another quality to be the fastest on the course: the ability to manage pain better than anyone else. The riders, he said, will be at their maximum output for the length of the time trial, producing about 360-400 watts, “a heck of a lot of light bulbs.”…
…Zabriskie used to ride angry, Lim said, and that was his motivation to transcend the pain. Now, though, Zabriskie is happily married with an 8-month-old son, Waylon. That joy left Zabriskie conflicted. He asked Lim for help. “I told him, ‘Maybe it’s not anger that motivates you anymore,’ ” Lim said. “ ‘Maybe it’s love.’ And he said: ‘Ooh, love. O.K., man.’ And that was that.”
…“Being good at the time trial, it’s mostly mental,” Zabriskie said. “If you think you are having a good day, you are probably not going fast enough. You just have to believe that it is possible.”…I truly believe I can manipulate the earth’s forces and use them to my advantage,” he said.