“You need to take it easy,” said the Physio, shaking her head. The hills just kept on coming.

The Athlete throws a look: wild, energetic. She’s already forgotten the last hill and wants to climb out the saddle and race. She wants to get there faster today. She wants to push the average speed up again.

“Don’t fret,” says the Philosopher, “it is not a race, it is a journey of discovery.”

The Logistician rolls her eyes. That twaddle again? It’s now gone 4pm and we still have 46km to go. The Logistician chats to the Athlete. The Physio interrupts to explain that if she pushes it too much then it might cause the knee to flare up again and cause problems tomorrow. The Logistician nods sagely.

“I feel fine,” the Athlete asserts, leaning forward on the bike, ready to push off again.

The Mechanic lies on her back enjoying the sun. It’s the usual story. The Athlete wants to push on. The Physio is concerned that the Athlete should rest her knee. The Philosopher is lost in a daze of self-reflection and life-affirming moments of realisation. The Logistician has just reached for the iPad again to check the directions to the campground. The Mechanic chuckles to herself, digging into the pannier for another protein bar. Twice a day she’ll check the bike over, hmming over the need to find a track pump. But today, while the rest of the team bicker about what to do next, she can relax.

When the sun is burning, when the hills don’t stop, when the pain gets worse, when the gears start skipping, when the plan falls apart. You meet 5 people on the road.

The Mechanic
The Physio
The Athlete
The Philosopher
The Logistician

They bicker, they fight, but they get your through.