The Unknown

Uncertainty is tough. Luckily, cycling has plenty of it.

I didn’t post here in a long while. Mostly because of how difficult the last few weeks have been for me. I started writing this piece long ago and every time I tried to continue I didn’t want to and closed my laptop. It was mainly because of the uncertainty in this sport. I was thinking about next season and I realized I probably won’t race “That Race in France”.

Together with my team around me I came to the realization that the goal should be the way. Yes, reaching the WorldTour and racing the Tour De France is my dream, and very few do get the chance to get there. The goal however, should be the way there- as hard as it is to realize it. It’s probably more about the people we meet and the experiences along the way rather than that coveted professional contract (as much as I do want it). It’s a contrast, but this is the only way to maximize your chances in actually getting there.

From here on, is the original piece I wrote. Thanks for reading.

Uncertainty is Difficult.

Everyone needs to cope with it on some level, at times it is more present and at times it isn’t. Take Covid-19 period as a classic global example for dealing with it. Currently in Israel, since the war has started people are dealing with extreme cases of uncertainty, not knowing if their loved ones are even alive. As an Israeli I felt the need to write this.

Putting that aside-

Cycling, as a sport is professionally dealing with the unknown. It is almost always, uncertain. From heading out on a training ride without knowing what might happen, (hopefully it’s all good and you took enough spare inner tubes) to waking up without a contract for next season.

Even on the highest levels, riders can be scheduled to race and get a cancel message from their team or vice versa- all of a sudden get an opportunity to race. Obviously, this gets more common as you go lower in the ranks of professional cycling.

Uncertainty in Cycling

It happened to me many times, when I was planned to race a certain race and things went wrong. This is one of my favorite stories:

Two years ago, when I raced in Spain I should have raced in the basque country- a 7 hours drive away from the team’s base. The team planned on arriving in two vehicles. My bike was on vehicle 1 and I was meant to go on vehicle 2. Apparently vehicle 2 had a problem that couldn’t be fixed in time for the race. Vehicle 1 went to the basque country with my bike in it. Mine and another teammate’s race was cancelled.

I was furious and couldn’t even go out riding to improve my mood as my bike was in the Basque country. I went for a hike in the mountains, got lost and luckily ran into a friendly spanish hiker that helped me find my way back home.

After about two weeks, right after I went to sleep, one of my teammates woke me up: “Get up! You are racing tomorrow and need to leave early”. That was the team’s way to compensate me for that other race. At least they gave me my race day back…

A photo from the hike mentioned above, I can’t remember his name, but without this guy I would probably still be somewhere in the mountains.

In cycling, you are going great and everything looks promising and then all of a sudden it changes and everything seems stuck. It works both ways though. All of a sudden you can also win a race and achieve a career changing result.

My Own Personal Uncertainty

Everyone deals with uncertainty on some level, as I previously wrote. You can stop and think for a moment, what uncertainty do you deal with right now? How do you deal with it?

For me, currently, it’s that I’m uncertain about what’s ahead. I came back home with the goal of racing nationals. I was in my best shape. Then there was the war with Iran and Nationals got postponed and everything became unclear. I shifted my focus to training. I knew that when everything would be normal again, as soon as possible, I’ll be back racing- with who and how? I would figure it out.

Things didn’t go smoothly, especially with my military service, it took longer than planned to approve another trip abroad to race which meant a few more weeks at home with no racing.

So far, this is everything that "went wrong" for me, all of the coulda shoulda wouldas.

So right now I’m in my home in Israel, I will go back to Italy in late August for a month and I’ll probably be able to race only the smaller races. I don’t know how this season will end, but I will give it my best shot on the races I will do.

Never Know Your Luck in the Big City

In Israel, the vast majority of people go and travel around the world once they finished the military service. My dad used to sail, so his version of travelling around the world was hitch hiking on sailboats starting in the Caribbean and eventually crossing the Pacific. He flew to Barbados, joined an Israeli boat that just finished an Atlantic crossing then went on a New Zealand boat owned and built by a Swedish immigrant to New Zealand and his son that were on their way back to New Zealand (the final leg of a circumnavigation) which meant crossing the pacific – they were Leif and Patrick Berglund.

Every time they entered a port larger than a secluded bay or tiny anchorage after a long leg of sailing, Leif, the captain, used to say , “Well… You never know your luck in the big city”, as in you never know what could happen, for good or bad.

Me?

I will stick making the end goal the way there. Whether this late season racing block will be my breakthrough or farewell from the sport, whether I find a team I’m happy with, decide on setting on a privateer journey or stop racing. The goal is the way, and I’m super happy for everyone of those few that do manage to get the chance.

That’s it for now, in less than a month I have my first race day since May and I really look forward to it. As I wrote, You Never Know Your Luck in the Big City.

Again, thank you for reading,

Stay Tuned,

See you next time,

Yonatan.