Charly Wegelius

Tom Southam

**Winner - Sweetspot Cycling Book of the Year** For 11 years I was a professional cyclist, competing in the hardest and greatest races on Earth. I was in demand from the worldâe(tm)s best teams, a well-paid elite athlete. But I never won a race. I was the hired help. When my mum dropped me off in a small French town aged 17, I was full of determination to be a professional cyclist, but I was completely green. I went from mowing the team managerâe(tm)s lawn to winning every amateur race I entered. Then I turned pro and realised I hated the responsibility and pressure of chasing victory. And thatâe(tm)s when I became a domestique. I learned to take that hurt and give it everything I had to give, all for someone elseâe(tm)s win. When the order came in to ride I pushed out with the hardest rhythm I could, dragging the group faster and faster, until my whole body screamed with pain. There were times I rode myself to a standstill, clutching the barrier metres from the line, as the lead group shot past. But thatâe(tm)s what made me a so good at my job. As my career took off, I started looking at the fans lining the route, cheering us like heroes. The passion for cycling oozed off them, but they couldnâe(tm)t know what it was really like. They didnâe(tm)t see the terrible hotels, the crazy egos or all the shit that goes with great expectations. Well, this is how it isâe¦

Tom Southam

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