2016 World Championship

<center>//Chasing the Rainbow Stripes//</center> <img src="http://i.imgur.com/jOWvvEF.jpg"> The 2016 UCI World Championships take place Doha, Qatar between the 9th of October and 16th of October. Unlike most world championships the route is completely flat, allowing you a great chance at winning the rainbow jersey. You have been selected to ride the road race. [[Are you ready to start?|Intro]] //Created by Mats Larsson aka Agamir [email protected]// October 14th 2016

First of all, do you want to create your own rider, or be an existing one? [[Own Rider]] [[Existing Rider (only sprinters)|Existing Rider]] <img src="http://i.imgur.com/OGHDZGD.jpg" width="300" height="600">

(put: (prompt: "What's your name?") into $Name) (set: $RiderType to "Own") You're $Name. Where are you from? [[Australia]] [[Belgium]] [[France]] [[Germany]] [[Netherlands]] [[Norway]] [[Italy]] [[Spain]] [[United Kingdom]] [[USA]]

(set: $Role to "Sprinter") (set: $RiderType to "Existing") [[Edvald Boasson Hagen]] [[Tom Boonen]] [[Nacer Bouhanni]] [[Mark Cavendish]] [[John Degenkolb]] [[Arnaud Démare]] [[Caleb Ewan]] [[Andre Greipel]] [[Dylan Groenewegen]] [[Marcel Kittel]] [[Alexandre Kristoff]] [[Greg Van Avermaet]]

(set: $Role to "Sprinter") As a sprinter, your role is to save as much energy as you possibly can before the sprint, and do whatever it takes in the final kilometre to be the first across the line. [[Do this and you can claim the title of World Champion.|First Narrative]]

(set: $Role to "Breakaway") As a breakaway artist your job is not to try and win the race, although that would certainly be a nice bonus, but to simply get in the breakaway of the day. [[It is important for the team to have a prescence in the break, so that they don't have work at the front of the peloton.|First Narrative]]

(if: $RiderType is "Existing")[ Your team consists of: $TeamMate1 $TeamMate2 $Name $TeamMate3 $TeamMate4 Your director sportif is $DS.] Two days before the race is the last chance to recon the circuit. Tomorrow will mostly be a rest day, with just some easy riding in the morning. Not that there’s much recon going on, Qatar is pretty damn flat and uniform. But it’s good to know the turns in the final kilometres, and during which places the wind is strongest and where you should be in the peloton then. $DS had pointed out on your race book where the most likely parts with echelons and the peloton might split. Even so, reconning a completely flat circuit with only two sorts of environment: [[Skyscrapers and desert.|Rec1]] <img src="http://i.imgur.com/oOvMOtk.jpg" width="600" height="300">

(if: $Role is "Sprinter")[Before you get to the signing in area you are met by a group of officials, including a bearded Brian Cookson, the UCI President. You decide to be a bit cheeky and put your hand forward, but either he didn’t notice you or he completely ignored you and he walks straight past you with his entourage. [[Either way it makes you feel like a fool, and slightly embarrassed you hope no one noticed.|Sprint]]] (elseif: $Role is "Breakaway")[Before you get to the signing in area you are met by a group of officials, including a bearded Brian Cookson, the UCI President. You decide to be a bit cheeky and put your hand forward, but either he didn’t notice you or he completely ignored you and he walks straight past you with his entourage. [[Either way it makes you feel like a fool, and slightly embarrassed you hope no one noticed.|Breakaway1]]]

Listening to Sia’s The Greatest on your phone you do your best at zoning out the noise of the paddock when you’re warming up. You’ve been through the tactics, you know what you have to do, now it’s just to go out there and execute. Despite not being different than any other race you’ve been at, or won, you can’t help but feel a moment’s hesitation when pulling out the earbuds and looking around. It’s not just any race, and although it’s not as prestigious or grand as the Tour de France, it’s still the World Championship. You don’t just represent your team, or the sponsors – you represent $Country. Even though you’ve only ever thought of it figuratively before, you feel the weight of all those people on your shoulder. All the expectations, all those hopes and dreams of kids wanting to be in your position. They’re your expectations, your hopes. [[And it’s time you fulfil that dream.|Sprint1]]

{(set: $Name to "Mark Cavendish") (set: $Country to "United Kingdom") (set: $TeamMate1 to "Geraint Thomas") (set: $TeamMate1LastName to "Thomas") (set: $TeamMate2 to "Stephen Cummings") (set: $TeamMate3 to "Alex Dowsett") (set: $TeamMate4 to "Ian Stannard") (set: $DS to "Dave Brailsford") (set: $DSLastName to "Brailsford") (set: $Breakaway1 to "Tony Martin") (set: $Breakaway2 to "Niki Terpstra") (set: $Breakaway3 to "Bernard Eisel") (set: $Breakaway4 to "Yukiya Arashiro") (set: $Breakaway5 to "Esteban Chaves") (set: $Breakaway6 to "Lars Bak") (set: $RivalSprinter1 to "Peter Sagan") (set: $RivalSprinter2 to "Marcel Kittel") (set: $RivalSprinter3 to "Alexandre Kristoff") (set: $RivalSprinter4 to "Fernando Gaviria") (set: $RivalSprinter5 to "Andre Greipel") } <center>Mark Cavendish <img src="http://i.imgur.com/ZOuuxV0.jpg"></center> As one of the finest sprinters in the world you are among the favourites for the 2016 World Championships. You’ve been in this kind of situation before, winning is nothing new to you, but still – the world championships are special. Not only do you get the chance to call yourself the world champ for a year, if you win, but perhaps more importantly you’ll get to wear [[the rainbow jersey.|Recon Race]] You’ve already won once, in Copenhagen 2011, and although you’re not quite as fast as you used to be you feel confident that you can repeat your performance from five years ago.

It was not for nothing that $DS had selected you for the road race. The entire season has been a success story for you, with strides being made all the time. (if: $Role is "Sprinter")[Results have followed, with stage wins at both the Giro and the Tour, as well as coming in third at Milan-San Remo.] (elseif: $Role is "Breakaway")[Results have followed, with a stage win at the Tour de France after a daring descent, as well as coming in fourth at the Tour of Flanders.] The Olympics came and went, which you struggled in thanks to a stomach ache, and you skipped the Vuelta Espana to prepare for the Worlds. Now that the moment has come, you feel better than expected. [[Training went well, and you come in to the training camp a week before the stage in great form, and in great spirits.|First Narrative 1]]

You were on the same airplane as $DS and $TeamMate1. You made small talk with them and made plans for dinner later that night before heading to your hotel room. After your successful season $DS made sure that you had a room for yourself for the duration of the championship. Looking around the room, immediately you locate the AC and pump it up to full. The thermostat in the taxi to the hotel showed near 40 degrees celsius, and your unbuttoned shirt is already drenched with sweat. [[Do you want to go for a walk around the hotel before dinner|Walk]]? [[Do you want to take a shower and a nap before dinner?|Shower]]

You feel yourself calm down as the warm water envelop you. You stay in there longer than you had intended, and when you get out of the shower and pick up your phone you notice that you have a missed phonecall from $Leader and a text from him as well. [["Heya, $Name. Been a while! You alright? Heard from $TeamMate1 that you had settled in to the hotel and just wanted to let you know that I'll drop by the dinner tonight, so see you then."|S1]]

You’ve never had the chance to explore Qatar before and it’s completely different from any other place you’ve ever been. It’s as alien as Tokyo, with the same class difference of Rio de Janeiro. Mixed with men in Qatari dress are western and Chinese businessmen and women, and you think you see some people in working clothes as well, although those are far and few between. [[You’ve read quite a bit about the conditions of the guest workers, and you assume that they must move in different circles than downtown Doha.|W1]] <img src="http://i.imgur.com/9XkCRp7.jpg" width="600" height="300">

As you enter the restaurant you are struck by the splendour of the decoration and the staff. It looked more like a high-end New York restaurant than a place in the middle of the desert. You say that you are in the company of $DS, and are being led by a waiter to a table further in, passing tables filled with other cyclists, most of whom nod your way as you pass. [[Both $TeamMate1 and $DS are already at the table, but they haven’t ordered anything but a complimentary glass of water and bread.|D1]]

Listening to Survivors Eye of the Tiger on your phone you do your best at zoning out the noise of the paddock when you’re warming up. You’ve been through the tactics, you know what you have to do, now it’s just to go out there and execute. Despite not being different than any other race you’ve been at, or won, you can’t help but feel a moment’s hesitation when pulling out the earbuds and looking around. It’s not just any race, and although it’s not as prestigious or grand as the Tour de France, it’s still the World Championship. You don’t just represent your team, or the sponsors – you represent $Country. Even though you’ve only ever thought of it figuratively before, you feel the weight of all those people on your shoulder. All the expectations, all those hopes and dreams of kids wanting to be in your position. They’re your expectations, your hopes. [[And it is time you fulfil that dream.|B2]]

The only thing you have to think of is trying to get in the breakaway. You don’t have to worry about being there for your sprinter at the end of the race, or to help carry water bottles. Your only job is getting in that breakaway. It won’t be easy, especially considering every other nation wants to be in the breakaway, but that is your designated mission. [[Fortunately, you’re quite good at that.|B3]]

There’s no expectation on you to win, even if you do get in the breakaway. But it’s always good to have an asset up the road, you never know what happens in cycling, and this is the first time the Worlds have been ridden in these kinds of temperatures and this climate. Anything can happen, and you need to be prepared for any and all possible scenarios. [[Except riding up a mountain. There won’t be any of that.|B4]]

The first few kilometres are raced in a slow pace before the race commissioner, Brian Cookson, drops the flag that indicates the race is in full swing. You can’t attack before then, the race is neutralized, but there’s usually a big attack right as the flag drops. [[Do you want to attack at the drop of the flag?|B5.1]] [[Do you want to wait a bit before attacking?|B5.2]]

It’s the world championships, the rainbow jersey is on the line and millions of people are watching Brian Cookson drop the white flag that signals that the race is on. [[So why not go for it, you’re near the front anyway and you want to test your legs even if there’s a small chance it sticks.|B6]]

Deciding not to attack right away, you look around to see what’s happening and as long as the pace is high there’s little chance of the breakaway sticking. Still, you never know and you make sure to keep updated about what happens, mindful of staying near the front. [[During the first five minutes there are loads of attacks but none of them stick, but soon afterwards you notice a lull in the peloton and you recognize this as your big shot.|B6]]

Standing up on your pedals you accelerate out of the peloton, together with a few others who also want to take their chances. After riding as hard as you possible can for nearly four hundred metres you start to let up a bit as you look over your shoulder. [[The peloton is too close, too many teams recognized this as a potential for the breakaway of the day and when they realised their breakaway specialists weren’t there they made sure to reel you guys in.|B7]]

[[You’ve been here before so you know that it’s pointless to continue and you let of the pace and let the peloton swallow you.|B8]]

Sprinting that hard is quite draining and you take a moment to drink some water and get some rest, with your legs being on the verge of getting lactic acid. [[This is the pain of being a breakaway specialist, a lot of hard work right from the start and even if you do get in the breakaway there’s no letting up.|B9]]

You know it’s a risk to let others keep attacking but you know you need to rest some minutes before you can attempt it again, and [[you communicate this to your team mates so they help chase any daring escapees until you feel ready again.|B10]]

While you wait there’s an attack of four riders that seem to be too dangerous, and no one seems to be ready to cover it so they get thirty seconds very easily. You indicate to your team mates that you can take over from here and attack again, feeling quite rested. [[With you comes $Breakaway2 and $Breakaway5. You too manage to get a gap, but the four up front, $Breakaway3, $Breakaway1, $Breakaway4 and $Breakaway6 have all started working together and are pulling away from both you and the peloton. It looks like this is the move that will stick.|B11]]

Now it’s all about getting yourself to that group before the gap grows too much. Thankfully both $Breakaway2 and $Breakaway5 are as interested in you in doing this and they help with pulling. And you pull hard, as it’s the only way to gain on those four in front. [[You decide to ride so hard that you’re on the verge of lactic acid and then start to rest when, or if, you get to the front group.|B12]]

They’re up front a far bit away, over twenty seconds, but still within sight. This allows you to use them as a measuring stick, increasing your effort if they gain. It takes nearly five minutes for you to get close enough for the four up front to realise that they won’t be able to keep you away so they let up and let you in on their wheels. [[Because of this high pace you’ve left the peloton behind, and they seem to be willing to let you go as you already have a minute and a half advantage over them.|B13]]

The seven of you relax a fair bit, allowing each other a bit of rest, getting your breaths back and drinking water. [[Still you make sure to go around so you don’t just stop. Step one of the day complete: Get in the break.|B14]]

The breakaway of the day consists of: $Breakaway1 $Breakaway2 $Breakaway3 $Breakaway4 $Breakaway5 $Breakaway6 $Name You know both $Breakaway1 and $Breakaway4 since way back, you used to train together in the off-season, so it’s nice to have a familiar face in the breakaway. For the next one hundred kilometres you chat every now and then as you go around, sharing the pace-load as you increase your lead over the peloton to up to six minutes. [[More than that and the peloton starts reeling you guys in, scared of giving you too much breathing room.|B15]]

The old adage is that a peloton can gain one minute per ten kilometres on a tired breakaway, but usually some wider margins are kept. Just in case. Especially during the World Championships, as the sprinters don’t want to give their shot at the rainbow jersey away. Your job isn’t to win, unless you get the chance, it’s more down to the fact that it’s important to have a presence in the breakaway, both in case it sticks, but perhaps more importantly to make it so that your team doesn’t have to waste any team mates in chasing the breakaway down. [[They can simply tell their rival teams that either they chase or the breakaway will fight for the win; either way $Country gets a higher chance at winning than if there’s nobody represented in the breakaway.|B16]]

With just under one hundred kilometres to go you feel yourself starting to get a bit dizzy. You’ve made sure to keep hydrated and get as many energy bars and gels in your body as you possibly can. But your body is not made for these kinds of conditions; straining yourself in this climate. [[It takes a toll on even the most well trained athletes and you have to focus extra hard to simply ride in a basic formation.|B17]]

When you’re at the front the pace slackens, and this interrupts the rhythm of the break. $Breakaway1 comes up to you and asks you whether you want some gel, and he even takes up his water bottle from his bike-stand and offers it to you. [[Take it|B18]] [[Shake your head|B18]]

Another five kilometres later you feel much improved but just as you’re about to take your turn in front, you have to take a wider turn around $Breakaway3 as he slightly swerves out towards the middle of the road. [[The wind must’ve gotten hold of him, you think, as you have to adjust dramatically to prevent a crash.|B19]]

Suddenly you feel yourself getting flung into the air, and something hard hits you from behind. The whole world tumbles and you feel yourself getting closer to the road. Rapidly closer. Too close. [[Fu-|B20]]

Ouch. That, and a few choice words, as you roll over several times before coming to a complete stop. Not now. Not like this. Trying to get a sense of your surroundings and your body you pray that nothing is broken. It doesn’t feel like it, but that might just be shock. You’re able to move around quite well, and you sit up and look ahead, where your bike lies some five metres away in the middle of the road. [[Further ahead is the cause of the crash, a motorbike and its rider lie on the road, seemingly fine, with the rest of the breakaway receding from view.|B21]]

Trying to get off the ground is easier than you might’ve thought, but lumbering towards your bike in your cleated shoes is never an easy task, and it’s even harder after a motorbike crashed into your ass at fifty kilometres an hour. You inspect your bike, of course it’s broken. [[Behind you the caravan of cars is stopped and you see your mechanic running towards you with a spare wheel.|B22]]

“That’s not enough!” you scream towards him, and he realizes that he needs to bring your spare bike instead and off he goes running again. [[This allows you a moment to collect yourself, you make a quick check of your body to make sure nothing is broken.|B23]]

Meanwhile the race doctor has also run up to you, but you shake her off and say that you’re fine. “Go check the moto-rider instead,” you say. Less out of genuine concern and more of annoyance and a wish to get on with the race. [[The mechanic has brought you your bike and helps you get on it, and with a push on your sore behind you are off in pursuit of your former breakaway compatriots.|B24]]

The whole thing must’ve taken nearly a minute, and you have no chance of catching them yourself. Your only real shot is getting permission to draft behind the cars, but that might not be allowed. Still you force yourself to ride as if you can get back on your own, you don’t know what else to do. You can’t give up, it’s the bloody world championships. [[The rainbow jersey is on the line.|B25]]

Maybe they’ll wait for you. Fat chance. Voeckler didn’t wait for Hoogerland and Flecha at the Tour. If they wait they lose their own chance at winning the rainbow jersey. [[You wouldn’t have waited.|B26]]

Your legs are killing you, and your left knee is bleeding slightly. Mostly just road rash, maybe a small gash or two but your clothes are ripped at several places. [[At least you’ll get some more wind to cool your body down.|B27]]

Now if only something could cool your tempers. A motorbike. Come on. Again?! How the hell can these things keep happening? [[All the while you keep looking backwards, hoping against hope that the commissioner, you guess it’s Cookson’s decision, to give you the help you need to continue.|B28]]

You look backwards so much that you don’t notice that a rider suddenly comes up next to you. It’s $Breakaway1. He’s waiting for you, and as you catch him he pulls in front of you and starts riding. You don’t even have an opportunity to thank him. He waited for you. As you start taking turns riding in front you catch him giving you a small smile, and it’s all you can do to nod your thanks. You’re literally speechless. [[Three minutes later you see the other five riders of the breakaway, all going exceptionally slow and constantly turning their heads to look for the two of you.|B29]]

As you catch them you make sure to look them all in the eyes, and there’s a mutual understanding of what they’ve done. It’s all you can do to not cry in front of the TV-cameras, and your peers. [[You try to get an understanding of where the peloton is, and soon $DS tells you that they’re just four minutes behind.|B30]]

(either: "The next ten kilometres it increases to five minutes, but you feel sore and the injuries are hampering your ability to paddle effortlessly. It’s especially your knee that is killing you, and you eventually let the race doctor take a look at it. Holding onto their car as you ride just behind the breakaway, you get bandaged up pretty good and get told to keep drinking, despite your instincts to take any and all water bottles and throw them at the nearest moto-rider. [[It might’ve shown in your eyes, for all the motorcycles seem to be riding a bit further away than they used to.|BCaught]]", "The next ten kilometres it increases to five minutes, but you feel sore and the injuries are hampering your ability to paddle effortlessly. It’s especially your knee that is killing you, and you eventually let the race doctor take a look at it. Holding onto their car as you ride just behind the breakaway, you get bandaged up pretty good and get told to keep drinking, despite your instincts to take any and all water bottles and throw them at the nearest moto-rider. [[It might’ve shown in your eyes, for all the motorcycles seem to be riding a bit further away than they used to.|BWin]]")

With just over fifty kilometres to go the gap is down to just four minutes, and you feel yourself tiring at an increased pace. Looking around you at your breakaway compatriots you sense that they too are suffering. Though they have great poker faces as most cyclists have (Thomas Voeckler), there’s all the little signs of discomfort that can really tell you how they’re feeling. Involuntary facial twitches at the end of their turn at the front, breath being slightly more ragged. Shirts opened up completely. [[These are all signs to look for when searching for weakness. And you see it all around you.|BC1]]

Over the radio you hear that the peloton has been wrecked by a massive crash following some panicky riding after the wind picked up. Several of the best sprinters have been left behind, either crashing themselves or being caught behind it. This has made their teams unsure of what to do, and most seem to wait for their leaders to recover. [[The peloton, such as it is, is in complete disarray and they are going very slowly, spending more time looking around than up front.|BW1]]

You can also tell by common sense, they’ve been riding in the hot, windy desert for over five hours. If they wouldn’t suffer they wouldn’t be human. To be human is to err, the saying goes. [[Maybe it should be to be human is to suffer. Or to be a cyclist is to suffer.|BC2]]

Ten kilometres later and the gap is down another minute, if it continues like this you’ll be caught with a mile left. [[The problem is that you guys cannot go much faster, while the peloton inevitably will as they close towards the finish line. Fuck.|BC3]]

Despite realising that it’s a lost cause you can’t stop riding at the limit, to do so would be to give up. And you never give up. With just twenty kilometres to go you feel yourself on the verge of collapse, but you still do not give up. Even when the peloton is in sight behind you, you do not slow down. [[Even when $Breakaway5 attacks with fifteen kilometres to go you do not give up, nor does anyone else (bar $Breakaway4 who can’t keep up), and you all help chase him down.|BC4]]

You may not win this year’s World Championships, but you’ll make damn sure that you don’t go home without a fight. You manage to hold of the peloton for another five kilometres, the gains they’re making are simply inches, not hundreds of metres as it was before. [[Like a silent agreement among you there’s a simple but powerful statement being sent to the sprinters, their teams, and the world watching: Come and get us.|BC5]]

Passing under the final ten kilometre banner you have a mere twenty seconds on a peloton being led by the sprinter’s teams. $Breakaway5 falls behind, quickly swallowed up by the peloton. Looking around you, at your compatriots, you realise that you’ve created a bond between you. There’s an old instinct within you to be the one to make the final big attack, much like $Breakaway5 did, the way you would under the Tour de France to get the combatively award, and to be shown on TV as the strongest of the breakaway. But there’s also a sense that it would mean betraying the group. You’ve been together for over two hundred and fifty kilometres. Looking over at $Breakaway1 you meet his eye and make your decision. [[Attack|BCAttack]] [[Do not attack|BCNoAttack]]

You trust your initial instincts and attack with just over eight kilometres to go. You know it’s hopeless but it’s what you’ve always done, and always will do. [[This is cycling, not playing bridge with your neighbours.|BCA1]]

Resisting your initial instincts to attack you decide that after all you’ve been through you cannot betray the trust of your breakaway compatriots. Right before you’re caught, with seven kilometres to go, you reach over towards $Breakaway1 and grasp his shoulder. “Thank you,” you say. “I really mean it.” “You’re welcome my friend.” The sound of the peloton is getting louder. “Why did you do it?” “It’s cycling,” he shrugs. Before you get the chance to reply the peloton catches you. First come the team mates of the sprinters, leading the peloton. Five seconds later half of the peloton has passed you. Fifteen seconds later you’re at the back. [[You can’t even hold on to the last wheel for more than ten seconds before you’re dropped.|BCE1]]

Looking over your shoulder you just manage to see the other five get swallowed by the peloton. [[You think you see $Breakaway3 make some sort of rude gesture, but that might as well have been at someone else. Maybe someone in the crowd.|BCA2]]

Ahead, there’s only you and the road leading into Doha. Drinking the last drops of water, you throw it away towards the crowd. Behind, the sound increases as the peloton inches closer. [[You do your best to prolong the inevitable, urging your legs to hold on for dear life.|BCA3]]

It takes until three kilometres to go before you’re caught by the team mates of the sprinters. Five seconds later half of the peloton has passed you. Fifteen seconds later you’re at the back. [[You can’t even hold on to the last wheel for more than ten seconds before you’re dropped.|BCE1]]

As you pass under the red kite signalling the final kilometre, you do so with a heavy heart, tired legs but with pride mixed with the pain and disappointment. You managed to get into the breakaway and you did your best while you’re there. [[Chatting amiably with those few around you, mostly team mates of the sprinters whose job is also over, you look back on the race knowing that you did your best, and that there was nothing you could’ve done to change the outcome.|BCE2]]

As you close towards the finish line the crowd noise gets louder and louder, and after the final bend you can see the finish line, and right behind it to the right, a big screen that shows the replay of the sprint. [[Mark Cavendish, one of the favourites before the race, is shown lifting his arms in the air.|BCE3]]

Passing the finish line, you finally allow yourself to relax, not just from the stress of the race but from the entire season. You have no more races left to ride this season, and you have several months ahead of you before the next race: Tour of Qatar. [[As you meet with your soigneur you realize that you’ve had quite enough of the warmth of the desert, and you long for something as cooling as the coke you’re drinking.|BCE4]]

$TeamMate1 also come over and pat you on your shoulder as $DS tells you that you did your job perfectly. Still they both seem a bit disappointed, something that mirrors your own feelings. [[It’s cycling, and everything and anything can happen, including having a long breakaway compete for the World Championships.|BCE5]]

Despite having a great career you realise that this might’ve been your only chance at winning the rainbow jersey. At dinner that night you look over at $Sprinter1, looking all happy in his new jersey, champagne being poured all around him. [[The party continues all though the night but you decide to take an early evening; after the most comfortable massage you’ve ever had you head up to your room and make a warm bath.|BCE6]]

Afterwards, $TeamMate1 knocks on your door and asks you whether you want to follow him and a few others out to town. The season is over, but the off-season has just started. [[It’s time to party, training can wait|BCE7]] [[It’s time to sleep, training starts tomorrow|BCE7]]

Three days later. Hamad International Airport. You’ve been in many airports through the years but, much like the hotel, Qatar just screams wealth. [[Not even the events of your team’s sponsors can even come near the feeling you get as you enter the lobby of the Hamad International Airport.|BCE8]]

Everyone treats you like royalty, a striking difference from when you got pulled out of the line by the TSA last year at LAX. Took over four hours to get it settled. [[Here such a treatment seems incredibly foreign. Everything is so clean and neat.|BCE9]]

(if: (history:) contains "BCAttack")[Walking up to your gate you look over and see that sitting together are $Breakaway2, $Breakaway3, $Breakaway6, $Breakaway5 and $Breakaway. [[Drinking coffee and laughing. You scoff at them and sit down and read a magazine instead.|BCE10]]]" (elseif: (history:) contains "BCNoAttack")[Walking up to your gate somebody taps your shoulder. It’s $Breakaway1. You give each other a hug and he tells you that he’s been sitting with some of the other breakaway riders at a café when they noticed you. [[You’ve got over an hour before boarding starts so you head over and see $Breakaway5, $Breakaway2 and $Breakaway3 laughing at something on the phone of $Breakaway4.|BCE9.1]]]

As the plane lifts off you look down at the deserts of Qatar, thinking back over the week. After the race you got massively spammed from your friends and family about them being proud of you. [[Even your agent gave you a call and told them it was ‘good for your brand’ to be seen at the front during the worlds.|BCE11]]

Sitting down, you start mentioning the phone call you got from $DS this morning, telling you that he was so impressed by your efforts that you were basically guaranteed a spot on the next year’s worlds. $Breakaway1 says he got a similar call and the rest congratulate you. No ill will, nothing spiteful. [[Just friendly.|BCE10]]

But it’s mostly the race itself that you think back on and as you pass over the Mediterranean you start wondering what you could’ve done differently, if maybe there was a chance to claim that elusive rainbow jersey. Probably not, there’s not every day that a breakaway hold during a one-day race, never the less the world championships! Still it’s a bit disappointed, but you know that you’ll be back next year, focused on doing the same thing again but this time hopefully with a bit more luck. [[Until then it’s time to train for the next season which starts with the 2017 Tour of Qatar.|BCE12]]

You may not have won the rainbow jersey, but you swear that you’ll be back better than ever. There’s no looking back, only forward. Always. The End <img src="http://i.imgur.com/hchSoVV.jpg" width="600" height="300">

This is great news for you guys, and the news of this gives all of you some extra energy to keep pushing. Your lead before the crash was just four minutes, but now, ten kilometres later, it’s all the way up to seven minutes. And the gap is still increasing. [[There’s an attempt by some riders to organize a chase but it’s not going great, confusion and stress does that to a peloton of under fifty riders.|BW2]]

Behind the peloton you hear news of over ten abandons, and you spare a thought wishing them well and hoping that none is seriously hurt. With just sixty kilometres to go and nearly an eight-minute advantage, you start to think about the breakaway staying away until the finish line. Visualising the rainbow jersey, you start to ease up a bit, trying to save as much energy as possible. Still you make sure to keep the pace high as you realize that anything can happen. Given that you all have been riding on your own for nearly two hundred kilometres already you never know how, or when, the legs start giving up completely. [[Bonking would be the last thing you need right now when victory is in sight.|BW3]]

With forty kilometres to go the gap is over six minutes and several of the teams have stopped chasing knowing that it would be fruitless. [[The peloton is still in shambles, and none of the teams of the breakaway riders are participating, meaning that it’s only two-three teams that have taken the responsibility to take turns at the front. But it’s too little, too late.|BW4]]

Now that the victory, and the rainbow jersey, is up for grabs strategy becomes important again. Timing your attack to increase your chance of winning is vital, whether it’s better to be the first one to attack or whether to wait. One risks wasting your energy too soon, and the other risks leaving too much to chance. [[Whoever attacks first will risk getting chased in by the other six, but if whoever gets away gets a big enough gap, and the chasers can’t co-operate then that person will only have to ride all he can all the way to the finish line, while the other’s all have to watch out for each other.|BW5]]

The question is how do you get to be that person in front. And for that it’s all down to instincts. Instincts and luck. You’ve done it before, and you’re confident you can do it again. There’s also the chance to wait for the sprint, trusting in your chances there instead of risking a longer attack. [[The advantage to that lies in being more rested than those who attacked, the risk is that one of those will get away.|BW6]]

20 kilometres to go. 5 minutes. The pace has slowed down considerably, but there’s no lolly-gagging, not yet at least. Everyone is taking their turns at the front, no one is skipping out. You all know that the one to do that risks the chances for all to win. [[There’s a gentleman agreement that you’ll only start doing that in the final ten kilometres, if the gap is big enough to not have to worry about the peloton catching you.|BW7]]

There’s a sense of agreement in the thought that as long as one of you guys win it’s ok. You may be fighting it out for the rainbow jersey, but no one wants to peloton to catch you and allow a sprinter to win. [[The first attack comes from $Breakaway6 with twelve kilometres to go, but it’s merely to test the rest for as soon as he sees the rest of you reacting immediately he slows down.|BW8]]

Four kilometres later and it’s the first proper attack. $Breakaway4, perhaps one of the weaker sprinters of the group, tries his luck with a hard attack right before a corner. This doesn’t catch any of you by surprise but since it’s harder than you expected he gets a few metres. [[You’re in third wheel, but thankfully $Breakaway1 is capable and willing to chase him down.|BW9]]

When he’s caught the pace slows down, as $Breakaway1 signals with his elbow for $Breakaway3 to go to the front, but he’s reluctant, knowing that it’ll mean he’s more exposed to attacks and will be forced to close them. This stand-off allows $Breakaway2 to attack from the last wheel and before anyone has a chance to react he’s got over ten metres. Neither $Breakaway1 or $Breakaway3 seem willing to be the one to chase. [[Do you wait for others to take responsibility?|BW9.1]] [[Do you take responsibility yourself?|BW9.2]]

You cannot waste your energy this early, and you decide to leave $Breakaway2 to the others. It’s way too early for your big push, and there’s also the risk that the others will expect you to chase down the others as well. [[You cannot give them one inch, or they’ll eat you whole.|BW9.1.1]]

Deciding that to let $Breakaway2 go would be to simply give up the rainbow jersey, you rise up from the saddle and start after him. The rest of the group is on your wheel, but he realises that this may be his big chance and he’s going to test you. [[Will you be willing to go full speed as long as he does, or if you don’t, will someone else?|BW9.2.1]]

Fortunately for you $Breakaway6 comes from behind and starts an attack, or chase, by himself. [[The rest of the group quickly forms up behind him and with the big push that he’s doing, with some help by $Breakaway1, $Breakaway2 is caught in no time.|BW10]]

You try to indicate with your elbow that you want somebody else to help you, but there’s no help coming. Shit. This is exactly the position you didn’t want to be in. Maybe if you just pull out to the side you can force whoever is behind you to chase $Breakaway2 down. [[But there’s also the risk that he won’t and that you’ll squander any and all chance you have at winning.|BW9.2.2]]

After $Breakaway2 is caught there’s a lull in the action. With four kilometres to go the group is still in one piece, no one up front and no one left behind. There were some minor attacks immediately but nobody gets away. Nothing sticks. Everyone is vigilant, watching each other. You’ve managed to catch your breath from those hectic minutes. With three kilometres to go, you realize that you’ll have to make a decision. To attack, or wait for the sprint. [[Do you decide to give it all in one big attack?|BW11]] [[Do you decide to wait for the sprint?|BW12]]

Fortunately for you he does chase, takes the same responsibility that you did. $Breakaway2 is caught in no time, as he realizes that he can’t keep up with the attack with a fresh $Breakaway6 chasing him, and he gives up. [[Now he just has to hope that he’ll have enough energy for one more effort, much like you yourself.|BW10]]

Waiting for the perfect moment, knowing that your instincts will guide you, you try to keep yourself in the middle of the group. [[Too far back and you might miss another attack, too much in front and you’ll risk somebody attacking you.|BW11.1]]

You cannot risk an attack from this far out, if it fails you’ll have no time to recover. Instead you try to position yourself as best you can, praying that no one will attack, or that if they do somebody else will cover them. [[To do this you make sure that you’re at the back of the group.|BW12.1]]

With two kilometres to go $Breakaway1 attacks. You’re on his wheel so you realize that this is it. This is your shot. To win the rainbow jersey. When $Breakaway1 attacks you react immediately, unlike $Breakaway2 who sits on your wheel and still seem to be tired from his earlier attack. The two of you get a gap before he can react and by then it’s too late. He doesn’t want to chase the two of you down by himself because if he does he’ll have no chance at coming in top five. [[Behind them the others realize too late the risk the two of you pose and by then you have a big enough of a gap to know that this is it.|BW11.2]]

With $Breakaway1 in front of you with one and a half kilometre to go, you realize that you’ll need to play this perfectly. On the one hand, you can risk waiting in case those behind crawl back. [[On the other hand, if you go to the front there’s a risk that $Breakaway1 will simply sit on your wheel all the way to the sprint.|BW11.3]]

He’s indicating that he wants you to go to the front. Looking over your shoulder you see that the gap is down slightly since $Breakaway1 stopped going full speed. Well, there’s only one thing to do then. [[Attack|BW11.4]]

As soon as $Breakaway1 starts slowing down you move out of his wheel and accelerate past him. A perfectly timed counterattack should be able to get rid of him. This is it. The die is cast. You don’t even look back. [[Simply keeping on the attack you just have to hope that he won’t be able to keep up after his efforts and his first attack.|BW11.5]]

And you’re right. Passing under the one kilometre banner you risk a look over your shoulder and you notice that $Breakaway1 is over twenty metres behind, with the rest struggling to get anything going. They’re mostly just looking at themselves and trying to attack one by one instead of working together. [[If they would do that there’s a big risk of them catching you.|BW11.6]]

Now all you have to do is pace yourself all the way to the line. You cannot risk going full speed as it might cause you to run out of energy before the end, but at the same time you cannot let up on the gas too much. [[Your legs already feel on fire, lactic acid and heavy breathing has become second nature.|BW11.7]]

It’s all about the final kilometre. You don’t look behind any more, that would waste energy. Just eyes up ahead as the seconds pass by. With four hundred metres to go there’s a final bend in the road and you’re on the home stretch. Up ahead lies the finish line, and beyond it the rainbow jersey. [[It’s yours for the taking.|BW11.8]]

With two hundred metres to go the sound of the crowd blocks everything else out. You almost feel paranoid that you won’t hear anyone coming from behind so you risk a glance behind. $Breakaway1 has been caught by the rest, who are speeding after you much faster than you’re going. [[You have a twenty-meter gap. But will it be enough?|BW13]]

Passing the finish line, you raise your arms in the air and let out a scream of pure bliss. On the loudspeaker an announcer says in broken English “And he does manage to hold on, what an effort. $Name wins the World Championships! [[In second place is $Breakaway3, followed by either $Breakaway2 or $Breakaway6.”|BW14]]

$Breakaway1 attacks with two kilometres to go and he quickly gets a big gap as $Breakaway2 cannot follow. Shit. This may be it. He looks over his shoulder and notices that the group is in disarray. [[No one is willing to be the one to chase him down, and the gap simply increases.|BW12.2]]

You’re at the back of the group and those up front seem to be hoping someone else will take up chase. $Breakaway1 must have over ten seconds advantage right now, and it’s only growing. [[It’s far out but he only has to race against himself now, whereas the rest of you are racing against him and the others in the group.|BW12.3]]

The stalemate is finally broken when $Breakaway5 starts panicking about the gap, realizing that the shot of winning the rainbow jersey is slipping out of his grasp. He decides to attack, hoping to catch him by himself. [[This is perfect for the rest of you as you can simply sit on his wheel, both letting himself waste energy and gain ground on $Breakaway1.|BW12.4]]

$Breakaway5 realizes this and tries to get the rest of you to help, but no such help is coming. As soon as he starts slowing down $Breakaway2 tries again, but this time he’s covered again. [[Another stalemate ensues, but now that $Breakaway1 is in more manageable distance there’s not as big a need to catch him immediately and the pace slackens again.|BW12.5]]

As long as $Breakaway1 is in range to be caught before the line it doesn’t matter that he’s slightly in front. He’s wasted a lot of energy, whereas you haven’t. Sitting in second to last wheel, with $Breakaway5 behind you, you’re in perfect position. [[You’ll need to advance one or two wheels before you launch your sprint but not yet.|BW12.6]]

Passing under the banner signalling the final kilometre $Breakaway1 has significantly slowed down, but he’s still in front. [[$Breakaway2 is unfortunate enough to be in front of the group and he’s riding slower than the lone rider up the road so his gap increases.|BW12.7]]

With seven hundred metres to go the gap is getting worryingly large. You know that if you attack now you’ll never win, you won’t even get on the podium. [[Instead you have to rely on your steel nerves to not jump too early as well as praying that somebody else will.|BW12.8]]

With five hundred metres to go $Breakaway1 is over a hundred metres ahead of you. Fuck. [[This is not what you imagined, he’s going really slowly but unless somebody does anything about it he won’t get caught.|BW12.9]]

But just as you think this $Breakaway4 attacks. He’s right in front of you. Perfect. You’re on his wheel as he accelerates past the rest of the group and suddenly you’re in the premier position. If you can catch $Breakaway1. Trying not to think about that too much you instead focus on when you’ll launch your sprint. Somewhere between 175 and 225 metres to go would be the sweet spot. Behind you the rest of the group is thinking the same thing. [[Your legs feel great; your breath is barely laboured but the excitement is through the roof.|BW12.10]]

With two hundred and fifty metres to go you still haven’t caught him, and $Breakaway4 realizes that he’s doomed and tries to get you to go past him. Shit. A bit far out but if you don’t launch your sprint now the pace will slow and either someone will come from behind or you won’t catch $Breakaway1. [[There’s only one thing to do. Sprint.|BW12.11]]

Launching a sprint is always an exciting moment as you come soaring past $Breakaway4. [[The noise of the crowd swells and it feels like an orchestra as you start gaining ground on the leader of the race whose shoulders are swaying in the manner of an exhausted man.|BW12.12]]

With just one hundred metres to go you pass him and you take the lead of the world championships, the finish line just ahead. You pray that it will be enough, that no one will be able to come from behind in the final moments. From the corner of the eye you see a wheel coming closer and closer at a considerable rate. [[Oh sh-|BW12.13]]

Before you can think of anything else the line is upon you and you thrust your bike as far ahead as you possibly can. [[Was it enough?|BW13]]

What an unbelievable feeling. As you stop beyond the finish line you are met by your soigneur a split second before the cameramen are in your face. A mix of pure joy, disbelief and claustrophobia. You did it! Winning the World Championships, winning the rainbow jersey! [[You can’t believe it.|BW15]]

“Amazing, $Name,” you hear in your ear. It’s $DS. You don’t know if you manage to reply to him, and before you have a chance to meet your team mates you are being led away by the race organizers. [[Towards a big white tent, where a microphone is thrust in front of you.|BW16]]

The interviewer is a pretty lady in her late twenties. With slightly broken English the interview passes in a haze. You don’t remember what you say but it doesn’t matter. You’re the world champion. [[Before the podium ceremony comes the slight issue of having to piss in a jar.|BW17]]

It’s the most glorious urine you’ve ever seen as you hand it over to the disinterested 50-year old, bald man watching you. As you leave the tent he gives you a small nod and tells you congratulations. The high of the immediate aftermath has disappeared, but there’s still enough excitement that you almost want to give him a big kiss. Luckily you stop yourself. [[You have another kiss to get, namely from the podium girls.|BW18]]

Walking up the steps to the podium is the most wonderful feeling in the world, you feel like Russell Crowe from Gladiator as you enter the daylight and are met with the [[cheers of an adoring audience.|BW19]]

Meeting you on the podium are a few Qatari men, as well as Brian Cookson. [[Do you shake his hand?|BW20.1]] [[Do you ignore him?|BW20.2]]

Today is not the day for grudges, and you happily shake his hand and accept his congratulations. Stepping up on the podium you raise your arms in the air and on the verge of tears accept the flowers and cheek kisses from the podium girls. Next comes the most important part, the part you’ve been waiting for your entire life. The rainbow jersey comes out on stage, and is being presented to you. [[It’s just as you imagined, and you let one of the girls put it on you.|BW21]]

Not today, Cookson. Not today. No one will ruin this moment, least of all you. Stepping up on the podium you raise your arms in the air and on the verge of tears accept the flowers and cheek kisses from the podium girls. Next comes the most important part, the part you’ve been waiting for your entire life. The rainbow jersey comes out on stage, and is being presented to you. [[It’s just as you imagined, and you let one of the girls put it on you.|BW21]]

Stunned you stand there, waving your arms to the public in the new dress of the world champion. Exhaustion starts creeping up on you, it’s been not only a long day but a long season, but today it’s finally over. [[You will be the world champion of the 2017 season.|BW22]]

So much champagne was spelt that afternoon and proceeding during the night. Partying with your team mates and other riders, including some bitter rivals, the staff and even one of the podium girls. $Breakaway1 breaks a table, $Teammate2 almost breaks a leg and $DS falls into the hotel pool with all his clothes on. [[All in all, you never take of your new jersey, this also has the effect of making sure you’re the centre of the party – being incredibly noticeable in your white, striped symbol as the greatest of them all.|Ending Breakaway Win]]

Finally going to bed at five in the morning you fall asleep almost immediately. The only thing that cross your mind before you drift away is the idea of being called ‘$Name, the world champion’, for the entirety of the next season, starting at the Tour of Qatar. During the Tour de France everyone’s eyes will be on you. You cannot wait. On the chair facing the bed, the rainbow jersey is spread out. The End <img src="http://i.imgur.com/hchSoVV.jpg" width="600" height="300">

Even though $DSLastName has impressed you with the importance of keeping hydrated you feel yourself having to make a conscious effort to remember it. The warm Qatari sun is just as hot as it was the first couple of days, but it’s become normal in a dangerous way. One of the members of staff fell ill during the day and you got another lecture after dinner. [[A dinner where the waiter’s kept bringing in bottles of water for you.|Rec2]]

(if: $RiderType is "Existing")[If anyone else tells you to drink, or to look both ways crossing the street, you have a feeling you might snap. [[And if you feel like that, you can’t imagine what the impatient $TeamMate1LastName feels like.|StartRace1]]] (elseif: $RiderType is "Own")[If anyone else tells you to drink, or to look both ways crossing the street, you have a feeling you might snap. [[And if you feel like that, you can’t imagine what $LeaderLastName feels like, who’s been smothered with attention even more than you.|Informed1]]]

The morning of the World Championship starts with a simple shave, a solid breakfast and lots and lots of water. You’re the first on down in the lobby, but [[you chat amiably with some of the other riders that share the same hotel before $TeamMate4 comes down and you talk about the race, and the plan.|StartRace2]]

Getting to the starting area you realize how many people have gathered here, a lot of them journalists. Answering some brief questions about what you expect for the day you also make sure to keep in sight with the rest of your team mates. The mood is different than any other race, even the Tour de France. [[On the line is one of the most coveted prizes in cycling – the rainbow jersey.|Start of race]] <img src="http://i.imgur.com/tJdFR6e.jpg" width="400" height="400">

Your job is fairly easy on paper. Try to spend as little energy as possible until the last 150 metres and then for less than ten seconds give it your all. After that it’s over. Not only the race, but also the season. Your thoughts start to wander at that and you have to stop yourself from imagining yourself at a ski resort. Or an ice fishing trip to Canada. Somewhere cold. [[And it might sound easy, but spending as little energy as possible is quite a tall order when it’s almost 250 kilometres, with a small heat wave and some tiny risk of a dusty breeze.|Sprint2]]

The trick to being a great sprinter is not to be the fastest sprinter, although that helps. It’s all about positioning, both during the stage itself and more importantly in the final three kilometres. It doesn’t matter if you’re the strongest if you’re on the fiftieth wheel. And to do that you need a strong team, with team mates willing to sacrifice themselves to put you in a good spot to chase the glory for yourself. [[For even though you always make sure to thank your team mates after wins (or even losses) you can’t imagine doing all that hard work for others with no chance of ever having a great result for themselves.|Sprint3]]

Looking around at your team mates as you’re standing on the starting line, you wonder what drives them to do what they do. [[To put down the amount of training and work to put their bodies on the line for you.|Sprint4]]

You line up with the rest of your team mates, somewhere in the middle of the peloton. It’s not necessarily do or die to be in a great position the first few kilometres, but given the fact that breakaway attempts are likely to happen it’s better to be safe than sorry. You llok up to the right, near the starting line, at the big screen where the UCI President Brian Cookson was shown with some high class Qatari men. [[He was shaking hands and looking happy as he walked towards the commissioner car that would lead the peloton out of Doha for the first lap.|Sprint5]]

You take a second to gather yourself a final time. Everything looks good. Kit fits comfortably, water bottles at the ready, and you shake your legs – more psychologically than for any physical reason. Clipping your shoes into the paddles you put yourself in a position to roll out, and after Cookson waved the flag the peloton set off. The race was on. Slowly but surely, like a worm, the peloton spread out across the road and you could feel the energy pick up. Maybe it was the crowd, or maybe it was the other 200 or so riders. Whatever it was, it was working on you too. A big smile came across your face as the peloton was unleashed and the pace immediately picked up with some ten riders attacking right of the bat. [[Maybe a fruitless venture but unlike you they have no other chance at winning the rainbow stripes.|Sprint6]]

As usual it takes a while for the breakaway to form, but that doesn’t mean that the pace ever slackens. Quite the opposite in fact. Several groups try to get away, anywhere from five to thirty riders at a time attack but get reeled in. [[Those nations that failed to be in that attack help others in chasing them back, so that their designated attackers can get a chance to be in the breakaway.|Sprint7]]

This continues for around twenty minutes before a group of seven get a minute gap, and the peloton finally starts to relax. [[The members of the breakaway are:|Sprint8]] $Breakaway1 $Breakaway2 $Breakaway3 $Breakaway4 $Breakaway5 $Breakaway6

You feel fresh. Despite the harried pace you’ve made sure to drink regularly. [[It’s an easy, rookie mistake to make when the pace is high at the beginning, with stress and nerves often preoccupying the reptile brain that wants its basic needs.|Sprint9]]

With the breakaway getting established, it’s time to look ahead. During these first miles you’ve gotten separated from most of your team mates. Only $TeamMate2 has managed to stay in sight. [[Now comes the time to communicate and find each other again.|Sprint10]]

After nearly fifty kilometres comes the first side wind. Despite being prepared for this it catches you slightly off guard, as it comes from seemingly nowhere. [[One second the pace is calm and you’re chatting amiably with those around you, the other you’re doing your best not to lose control of your bike as the peloton gets stretched out immediately.|Sprint11]]

You’re fortunate to not get pulled towards the right hand side of the peloton, $TeamMate3 and $TeamMate2 manage to get themselves between the wind direction and you before the peloton gets stretched into a long line. [[Despite this you can still feel the effort in your legs, biting away that energy you would rather save towards the end.|Sprint12]]

Some minor groups get pulled a part but the wind dies down after one minute, not gone completely but manageable. You call out in the radio to check where the rest of the team is, and they all check in as being in the group behind the front, i.e. your part of the peloton, but with them being just some ten seconds behind. With the finish line being nearly two hundred kilometres away no team wants to push the pace just yet. Besides they also want to take a moment to breath. [[It’s one thing to feel the wind when doing recon, it’s another when it’s a race.|Sprint13]]

The wind keeps picking up but never enough to risk splitting the peloton, so no one tries to take advantage of it. Windy. Less windy. Windy. Less windy. Never not windy at all. Perhaps that is for the best, you think, maybe the heat would be even more unbearable then. [[Small blessings you suppose.|Sprint14]]

The race remains calm and boring for the next one hundred kilometres, with only sun, wind and water keeping you company. It’s not until fifty-four kilometres to go when something happens, and it all starts because of a crash in the middle of the peloton, splitting itself in two parts. You and your entire team remain in the front, but the crash causes some serious stress with people looking around. Who’s there and who’s not. Talking into a radio they, and you, try to understand the situation and how to best react to it. Shall we push the pace? Or shall we wait? [[Some riders use this moment of hesitation as an opportunity to attack and this causes a chain reaction and suddenly the pace is higher than ever before in the race.|Sprint15]]

With gaps forming, $TeamMate3 decides to take charge and the rest of you follow him dutifully. Going to the front, he’s asking in the radio whether he should push the pace. It takes some thirty seconds before $DS replies, and during that time he decided to take matters in his own hands and started reeling those few breakaways in. “No. Don’t. Save your energy, keep everything in check but we won’t make our move yet. $TeamMate3, I expect you to be able drive the peloton back together, pace yourself for some ten kilometres and then you’re done for the day. The rest of you stay out of trouble, and out of the wind.” Fair enough you think. [[“Also, don’t mess up and lose contact. Keep your fucking focus guys.”|Sprint16]]

In total two groups manage to get away from the peloton, which split in half, and with the original breakaway group there’s about twenty riders out in front of the peloton that’s barely one hundred men strong. [[Fortunately, other teams also decide to help $TeamMate3 keep the breakaways in check, and they never get more than one minute.|Sprint17]]

With seventy kilometres to go all the breakaway groups merge into one larger group. [[That may be trouble and $TeamMate2 decides to take a few turns, making sure to keep the gap manageable.|Sprint18]]

(either: "The next fifteen kilometres pass in relative calm, with more people coming back to the peloton and more team mates helping reel the breakaways back. [[Most of the original breakaway hopefuls don’t manage to keep up with the fresh legs of their newer companions and get left by the wayside, gobbled up by the peloton and chewed out the back, their world championships done.|SprintCan'tFollow]]", "The next fifteen kilometres pass in relative calm, with more people coming back to the peloton and more team mates helping reel the breakaways back. [[Most of the original breakaway hopefuls don’t manage to keep up with the fresh legs of their newer companions and get left by the wayside, gobbled up by the peloton and chewed out the back, their world championships done.|SprintStayInFront]]")

With fifty kilometres to go the hammer finally drops. Coming out of a slow right hand corner the wind starts picking up, the worse it’s ever been during the race. This is it. [[You realise that all the preparation and training leads up to this, you need to time everything perfectly for when the decisive break comes.|SprintCF1]] <img src="http://i.imgur.com/gZEfkz2.jpg" width="500" height="300">

With fifty kilometres to go the hammer finally drops. Coming out of a slow right hand corner the wind starts picking up, the worse it’s ever been during the race. This is it. [[You realise that all the preparation and training leads up to this, you need to time everything perfectly for when the decisive break comes.|SprintSIF1]] <img src="http://i.imgur.com/gZEfkz2.jpg" width="500" height="300">

The only problem is that everyone else in the peloton also realise that this is it. This causes quite the stir as everyone is trying to get themselves and their team leaders to the front. [[Fortunately, you’re in good position and thanks to $TeamMate2 you’re out of the wind and near the front of the peloton.|SprintCF2]]

Still, ahead of you there’s a gap forming between the riders. And unfortunately the peloton is led by $RivalSprinter1 and three of his team mates. That can be messy. They won’t be able to go for it alone with this far out, but they can exhaust their competition by forcing you to take more wind than $RivalSprinter1 and causing stress in having to chase them. They can exhaust you. It cannot be allowed to happen. [[You urge $TeamMate2 along, praying that he’ll manage to keep up with them.|SprintCF3]]

But it doesn’t matter since the riders in tenth position can’t, and a gap immediately opens up when you’re just five wheels away from getting to them. The rider who failed to keep up also can’t close the gap, and before $TeamMate2 gets to the front they have a ten second lead. [[The wind can wreck a lot of havoc, and if you don’t get it closed right away there’s no telling what will happen.|SprintCF4]]

At the same time, you can’t panic, but you can’t close the gap by yourselves. $TeamMate2 manages to keep it stable at least but he’s getting exhausted and needs help. You look around for support, whether from your team or from the other countries with strong sprinters, but it’s nowhere to be found. Even though there’s only ten riders in that group, there’s an additional fifteen riders further up the road and that may prove difficult. [[Especially if you are the only guys who pull the peloton.|SprintCF5]]

From what feels from nowhere, suddenly $TeamMate1 shows up by your side and goes towards the front. He’s got a big motor and when he starts pulling you can almost feel the entire peloton get rejuvenated. [[Together with some others, including $TeamMate2, he manages to limit the loss and even start pulling back.|SprintCF6]]

Still, ten kilometres later the group up front, who has merged with the breakaway group, have a small lead of about thirty seconds. But the peloton is a lot more organized with several nations worth of team mates doing work and with no reserves up front and it’s a foregone conclusion that they will be pulled in before the sprint, if nothing spectacular happens, [[like a big crash or some major echelons.|Sprint19]]

It takes to the fifteenth kilometre mark before the peloton catches the group and the race is drawing to its final act. You feel good, or at least as good as you possible can after nearly two hundred and fifty kilometres in the hot, windy Qatari desert. You try and look for your team mates, making sure you stay in good position. [[Around you, everyone else does the same. You can see that $RivalSprinter1 is still up ahead, apparently wanting to keep a close eye at everyone.|Sprint20]]

Behind you there are riders struggling to keep up, and about five wheels down someone loses their position and immediately a gap is formed. It’s behind you and not in front, thank God. You know that the wind can wreck a lot of havoc, and if you don’t get it closed right away there’s no telling what will happen. [[You’re in a group of about ten-twelve riders, including $TeamMate2 and $RivalSprinter1, but the rest of your team mates fell behind.|SprintSIF4]]

Realising that you cannot waste energy here you simply sit at the back of the group, [[with $TeamMate2 in front of you and occasionally look behind at the almost panicky peloton led by the team mates of $RivalSprinter3.|SprintSIF5]]

You make sure that you save as much energy as possible but you urge $TeamMate2 to go to the front to prolong the breakaway as long as possible, trying to use up as many of your rival sprinter’s team mates as possible. The fewer they have, the better your chances. [[Behind you $TeamMate1 is waiting in the peloton, not doing any work but looking good.|Sprint19]]

“$Name”, calls $TeamMate1 as he shoulders his way to your side. “Make sure you’re on my wheel all the way to the line. Okay?” You nod, and he moves up in front of you and you dutifully ride behind him. [[The only sprinter who has failed to be in the peloton is $RivalSprinter5.|Sprint21]]

Trying to remain you know from experience that the final mile leading into the sprint can be the most dangerous. Not only for the risk of crashes from a nervous peloton, but also dangerous because you risk tensing up from nerves. [[This wastes a lot of energy and you try to remain as calm as possible as the peloton speeds past the desert towards the city at nearly sixty kilometres an hour.|Sprint22]]

Telling your muscles to calm themselves and unwind as much as possible before their final effort, [[you and $TeamMate1 make sure that you’re never further down than the twentieth wheel, while at the same time staying out of the wind.|Sprint23]]

With five kilometres to go the wind starts picking up but this is when you’re at the outskirts of Doha and soon the skyscrapers and the crowds help block it. [[Drinking the last drops of water, you throw it away towards the crowd, making sure that you don’t accidently cause a mass crash, which would be rather unfortunate at these kinds of speeds.|Sprint24]]

The key thing to keep in mind these last few kilometres is that it’s all about timing. You can’t start to push towards the front too soon, or you’ll be out of team mates too soon and will be isolated. [[But you can’t leave it too late either, no one has ever won a sprint from the thirtieth wheel.|Sprint25]]

The result is the same: you won’t win. There’s not much you can do about this, which is more nerve-racking than using your elbows in a tight sprint for you have no control over your fate. You simply have to trust in $TeamMate1. Fortunately, he’s quite good at it. [[And you’re not a bad sprinter either, so if you were a betting mind you would be rather content at this situation.|Sprint26]]

But you can’t get complacent, everything can happen in sprints, especially after such a long race, and there are plenty of moments where you as a sprinter have to make split decisions that can impact everything. Whether to jump to another sprinter’s train, whether to tell your team to push with two kilometres to go or wait till one and a half. Whether to be on the right hand side of the road coming in to the final corner or the left hand side, is it better to risk getting wind, or getting boxed in. [[These are never conscious decisions, despite all the planning and strategy it comes down to a very basic thing: instincts.|Sprint27]]

Hard won instincts over years of riding a bike has led you to this moment, with three kilometres to go in the 2016 UCI World Championships. Three kilometres separate you and the rainbow jersey that you’ve dreamt of since you were a child. So many legends have worn it, and you yearn to make it yours. [[But to do that, you need to execute perfectly.|Sprint28]]

You’re in seventh wheel when the two kilometre sign come in, with $RivalSprinter1 being in front with his two team mates. Passing under the one kilometre sign, you’re in sixth wheel and $RivalSprinter1 only has one rider in front of him. That won’t be enough, but with seven hundred kilometres he drops of and instead of a stand-off the lead out man for $RivalSprinter3 comes to the front, passing you on your left, in the wind. But he doesn’t manage to bring $RivalSprinter3 with him, he’s still on your wheel. [[In front of you is also $RivalSprinter2.|Sprint29]]

$TeamMate1 indicates to you to take the wheel of $RivalSprinter2. As you do so, $TeamMate1 passes the two sprinters and elbows his way to second wheel. Fuck. That might be a mistake. It might’ve been better to let the guy in front wear himself out and then launch his sprint with you on his wheel. [[You suppose that he did what he did because he felt that it was more important to keep the pace high all the way, there’s always a risk if $RivalSprinter1 would slow down, thus allowing riders like $RivalSprinter3 and $RivalSprinter4 to come from behind.|Sprint30]]

(either: "Now all you have to worry about is beating $RivalSprinter2 and $RivalSprinter1 in the most basic of sprints. [[Who can produce more watts, but perhaps even more importantly, who can time their sprint the best?|SprintWin]]", "Now all you have to worry about is beating $RivalSprinter2 and $RivalSprinter1 in the most basic of sprints. [[Who can produce more watts, but perhaps even more importantly, who can time their sprint the best?|SprintLose]]", "Now all you have to worry about is beating $RivalSprinter2 and $RivalSprinter1 in the most basic of sprints. [[Who can produce more watts, but perhaps even more importantly, who can time their sprint the best?|SprintCrash]]")

With four hundred metres to go you feel pace increase even more as the lead out man pushes as hard as he can. Still sitting in the saddle, trying to wait for the perfect moment to strike you’re aware of your surroundings. Sitting in fifth wheel, with $RivalSprinter1 and $RivalSprinter2 in front of you. [[They’re the ones you need to pass in order to win.|SprintW1]]

Coming into the final bend, with four hundred metres to go you feel the pace increase even more as the lead out man pushes as hard as he can. Still sitting in the saddle, trying to wait for the perfect moment to strike you’re aware of your surroundings. Sitting in fifth wheel, with $RivalSprinter1 and $RivalSprinter2 in front of you. [[They’re the ones you need to pass in order to win.|SprintL1]]

The front lead out man pulls to the right, leaving $TeamMate1 in front and he’s pulling hard. With the open microphones you can hear his panting overlapping yours, two ragged breaths in a sea of spectators. Up ahead is the finish line. Just three hundred metres. You’re in fourth wheel, but with three sprinters ahead of you you’ll need to time this perfectly to have a chance to win. [[Do you wait for $RivalSprinter2 to launch his sprint?|SprintW2]] [[Do you launch your sprint now?|SprintW3]]

Deciding that you can’t launch your sprint this far out, and coming from behind like this. Instead your only chance at winning lies in waiting for $RivalSprinter2 to start accelerating and hope that he spends too much time in the wind and that you can pass him in the final few seconds. [[But then there’s also $RivalSprinter1 to worry about, he’s in perfect position sitting there right behind $TeamMate1.|SprintW2.1]]

You decide to try and ruin his chances and thus increase yours by screaming out in your radio for $TeamMate1 to slow down. He does this immediately, without hesitation he pulls to the side, leaving $RivalSprinter1 in the front, taking all the wind. [[He immediately stops pedalling and you use this moment of confusion to launch your sprint.|SprintW2.2]]

250 metres to go, both of your rivals in front in disorder but not for long. They’re on you in no time but you’ve got a small advantage. You feel confident you can keep them at bay but you have no idea how the sprinter immediately behind you reacted to your move. You think it was $RivalSprinter3 but now is not the time to check. [[You simply have to look ahead and hope for the best.|SprintW2.3]]

Fortunately you’ve saved enough energy that you can keep the sprint going all the way to the line, but with 50 metres to go you see something in the corner of your eye. It’s a fucking wheel. [[The fact that it keeps coming steadily closer distracts you and you almost feel yourself willing your bike to stay ahead of this rogue piece of carbon.|SprintW2.4]]

With just a few metres to go he’s almost up alongside you. You can see that it’s $RivalSprinter2 who seemingly reacted very well to your surprise and as you both cross the line you push the bike forward as far as you can, [[hoping against hope that it’ll be enough.|SprintW4]]

Passing the finish line, you raise your arms in the air and let out a scream of pure bliss. On the loudspeaker an announcer says in broken English “And he does manage to hold on, what an effort. $Name wins the World Championships! [[In second place is $RivalSprinter3, followed by either $RivalSprinter2 or $RivalSprinter1.”|SprintW5]]

Immediately passing all the rest in the corner of your eye you can see $TeamMate1 pull to the side as he noticed your sprint. You don’t look behind, eyes forward and keeping the legs spinning. Come hell or high water you’ve cast the die. You’ve crossed the Rubicon. [[You feel that they’re on you in no time but you’ve got a small advantage.|SprintW3.2]]

You feel confident you can keep them at bay but you have no idea how the sprinter immediately behind you reacted to your move. You think it was $RivalSprinter3 but now is not the time to check. [[You simply have to look ahead and hope for the best.|SprintW3.3]]

Fortunately, you’ve saved enough energy that you can keep the sprint going all the way to the line, but with 50 metres to go you see something in the corner of your eye. It’s a fucking wheel. [[The fact that it keeps coming steadily closer distracts you and you almost feel yourself willing your bike to stay ahead of this rogue piece of carbon.|SprintW3.4]]

Walking up the steps to the podium is the most wonderful feeling in the world, you feel like Russell Crowe from Gladiator as you enter the daylight and [[are met with the cheers of an adoring audience.|SprintW10]]

Meeting you on the podium are a few Qatari men, as well as Brian Cookson. [[Do you shake his hand?|SprintW10.1]] [[Do you ignore him?|SprintW10.2]]

So much champagne was spelt that afternoon and proceeding during the night. Partying with your team mates and other riders, including some bitter rivals, the staff and even one of the podium girls. $Breakaway1 breaks a table, $Teammate2 almost breaks a leg and $DS falls into the hotel pool with all his clothes on. All in all, you never take of your new jersey, this also has the effect of making sure you’re the centre of the party – [[being incredibly noticeable in your white, striped symbol as the greatest of them all.|SprintW13]]

Riding into the final bend, with four hundred metres to go you feel the pace increase even more as the lead out man pushes as hard as he can. Still sitting in the saddle, trying to wait for the perfect moment to strike you’re aware of your surroundings. Sitting in fifth wheel, with $RivalSprinter1 and $RivalSprinter2 in front of you. [[They’re the ones you need to pass in order to win.|SprintC1]]

The front lead out man pulls to the right, leaving $TeamMate1 in front and he’s pulling hard. With the open microphones you can hear his panting overlapping yours, two ragged breaths in a sea of spectators. Up ahead is the finish line. Just two hundred metres. You’re in fourth wheel, but with three sprinters ahead of you you’ll need to time this perfectly to have a chance to win. [[Do you wait for $RivalSprinter2 to launch his sprint?|SprintL2]] [[Do you launch your sprint now?|SprintL3]]

You know that to start too soon would risk losing all speed in the final one hundred metres, allowing those coming from behind to pass you. Like it’s been all day, it’s all about staying out of the wind until just the right moment. [[Now it’s just about judging when that moment will be.|SprintL2.1]]

Deciding to take a chance you pull out to the side of $RivalSprinter2 and launch a long sprint. There’s no use in playing it safe, it’s win or go home. You get a medal for third but you don’t get the rainbow stripes. And that’s all you can see. Immediately passing all the rest in the corner of your eye you can see $TeamMate1 pull to the side as he noticed your sprint. You don’t look behind, eyes forward and keeping the legs spinning. Come hell or high water you’ve cast the die. [[You’ve crossed the Rubicon.|SprintL3.1]]

Ahead, $TeamMate1 is still pulling hard, but both of $RivalSprinter1 and $RivalSprinter2 are in better position than you. Hoping that they will make the mistake of going too early, you call out on the radio for $TeamMate1 to pull to the side, trying to force them to the front. He does so just a split second later, no hesitation. This creates quite the confusion and from behind $RivalSprinter3 takes this opportunity to launch a long sprint, over two hundred and fifty metres long. [[Excellent.|SprintL2.2]]

You move on to his wheel but you get boxed out by $RivalSprinter2 who saw the same opportunity as you did. This means you’re out in the wind. Fuck. [[You manage to get onto his wheel but it’s cost you as you already feel some lactic acid in your legs.|SprintL2.3]]

$RivalSprinter1 also opened up his sprint too early, it was his only shot when $TeamMate1 swung away. Perhaps if you take his wheel instead you’ll get in better position for the final push? He’s to your right, but there’s a risk of getting boxed in. On your left there’s just clear road. With two hundred metres to go you think it might be time to go. [[Stay on the wheel of $RivalSprinter2|SprintL2.3.1]] [[Start your sprint to the left|SprintL2.3.2]] [[Move behind $RivalSprinter1|SprintL2.3.3]]

You know that there’s always the risk of leaving it too late, but with the strong wind and the already strong lactic acid you decide to take the chance of staying on his wheel for as long as possible, and [[launch at the same time he does.|SprintL2.3.1.1]]

With a bit over two hundred metres to go you launch your sprint to the left of the peloton, quickly passing $RivalSprinter2 and coming up alongside $RivalSprinter3. The wind is stronger than you had expected, and the lactic acid in your legs are more difficult to push through than ever before. 250 kilometres are a long way to ride. You pass $RivalSprinter3 with one hundred metres to go, but at that moment $RivalSprinter2 starts his sprint and he’s closing in fast. [[You also have the problem of $RivalSprinter1 who’s also a bit ahead still, although you are catching him.|SprintL2.3.2.1]]

The only problem with this is the fact that he’s leaving it far too late too. He doesn’t start to sprint before the one hundred and twenty metre sign, and although you come in with great speed at the end you don’t have enough time to pass him as he crosses the line with his arms raised. What the fuck. On the other side of $RivalSprinter2 $Rivalsprinter1 also managed to beat you to the line, despite slowing down considerably in comparison to you. At least you managed to pass $RivalSprinter3 and take the bronze but it’s not at all what you had in mind when you came to Qatar. Still, you think as you are met by your soigneur, it could be worse. [[It doesn’t make it feel better but it’s all you can do to focus on that.|SprintL5]]

But not fast enough. And definitely not fast enough to keep $RivalSprinter2 at bay, as he passes you with just fifty fucking metres to go and raises his arms to the sky as he crosses the line. You’re alongside $RivalSprinter1 as you push your bike as far ahead as possible at the line, but even that is not enough. [[At least $RivalSprinter3 didn’t manage to unseat you from the podium, but after all that you can’t help but cry as you are met by your soigneur.|SprintL5]]

A few brief interviews, a quick doping test and then you’re off to the podium ceremony. The rainbow jersey has already been awarded, and as he’s standing there on top of the podium a bitterness starts to well up inside of you. [[That should’ve been you.|SprintL6]]

Deciding to take a chance at getting premium position for the final sprint towards the finish line you move from the wheel of $RivalSprinter2 and onto the wheel of $RivalSprinter1. There’s a fair gap that you have to close though and it costs you even more lactic acid. But you’re in position. With two hundred metres to go you feel that you’re ready to launch your sprint when $RivalSprinter3 decides to move further to the right, effectively blocking you from passing between them. [[Fuck.|SprintL2.3.3.1]]

To your right are the barriers and $RivalSprinter1 leaves no gap large enough for you to pass through, and to your left is $RivalSprinter3 and RivalSprinter2 who just now launched his sprint and passed $RivalSprinter3 and $RivalSprinter1. [[With one hundred meters to go it’s clear that he will win the rainbow stripes, but you’re busy trying to elbow your way forward to the line, all the while trying not to cause a mass crash.|SprintL2.3.3.2]]

With fifty metres to go you’re up alongside $RivalSprinter3 who’s fading fast after his long sprint. You don’t even feel winded and as soon as you get enough room to manoeuvre you pull up beside $RivalSprinter1 and try to pass him. You’re much faster but there’s not enough time for you to pass him, and he comes across the finish line a wheel length before you in second place. Shit. At least you manged to get on the podium, but you have a select few choice words with $RivalSprinter3 when you stop by your soigneur. You felt that you had a perfect opportunity to win the rainbow jersey but that bastard just had to block you. [[Although it was legal, and clever, it was damn unsportsmanlike.|SprintL5]]

It’s a long way to the line but with two hundred metres to go you’ve passed all of the other riders. Now it’s all about holding on for the win, but with the wind picking up you feel yourself starting to get tired. Risking a look behind you, you see $RivalSprinter1 is right behind you, but he’s a few wheel lengths behind. [[He’ll probably manage to close the gap before the finish line, but will he be able to pass you as well?|SprintL3.2]]

Lactic acid seeps into your legs and it’s all you can do to keep pedalling but you do it. 100 metres and you notice that $RivalSprinter1 is coming up on your left hand side. He’s coming in fast, and you feel yourself start to slow down in exhaustion. [[Do you risk starting to move a bit to the left, trying to disrupt him a bit?|SprintL3.2.1]] [[Do you keep at it at a straight line?|SprintL3.2.2]]

Knowing that it can be a cause for disqualification you realise that it may be your only chance at victory. You slowly start to pull to the left, trying to make it look as natural as possible. [[As long as you don’t do any sudden movements you should be okay.|SprintL3.2.1.1]]

You realise that it would probably just lead to your disqualification, the referees have come down very hard on those who sprint irregularly in these last few years. Gone are days of Robert McEwen elbowing his way to victory. [[You instead lay your hopes on your legs to carry you all the way.|SprintL3.2.2.1]]

With fifty metres to go he’s just a wheel length behind, and closing fast. Fuck. You barely have a moment to think anything else before the finish line is upon you, and shoulder to shoulder you push your bike as far forward as you can when passing the finish line. It’s over. One way or the other, it’s over. [[Looking to the left you try and judge who won, and although $RivalSprinter1 has passed you, it may just be his momentum.|SprintL3.2.1.2]]

Being met by your soigneur with a water bottle and a fantastically wet towel to drape over your head you almost start to cry when he says that you came in second. While not gold it’s pretty fucking great either way. [[It’s your best result at the worlds, but there’s still a moment of thinking ‘What if’ even with that success.|SprintL5]]

With less than a hundred metres to go $RivalSprinter1 is halfway across, but with your narrow lead it may be enough. All your focus is on the line, but you can’t help but look at him through the side of your eyes. Unfortunately, he’s not the only challenger. Coming up near the barriers on your right is $RivalSprinter2. [[He’s coming in way faster than either of you and with fifty metres to go it’s a toss up between who will win.|SprintL3.2.2.2]]

After 260 kilometres, who knew that fifty metres could feel so long? But it’s like in slow-motion as you see both of your rivals itching closer, even though you realise it can’t be it feels like they gain one metre for every two you pass. Your shoulders start swaying and the lactic acid is reaching critical mass. Twenty-five metres. You pray that it’ll be enough, but as you cross the finish line you realise that at least $RivalSprinter2 managed to pass you. [[You pushed your bike in a final, futile effort across the line, but you realise it’s not enough.|SpritnL3.2.2.3]]

Third place. Shit. Fuck. Son of a -. So close, yet so far away. It almost makes you cry, whether from the result or exhaustion you do not know, and at that moment you do not care. [[You are met by your soigneur and he tries to comfort you/congratulate you (it’s rather confusing) as you gulp down water and drape a wet towel around your shoulders.|SprintL5]]

Meeting you on the podium are a few Qatari men, as well as Brian Cookson. [[Do you shake his hand?|SprintL7.1]] [[Do you ignore him?|SprintL7.2]]

Today is not the day for grudges, and you happily shake his hand and accept his congratulations. Stepping up on the podium you raise your arms and wave towards the crowd. It’s a special feeling nonetheless and despite the bitterness you can’t help but feel proud when you’re presented with your medal. It’s big and shiny, and it represents what you already knew: that you are one of the best in the world. [[Still, you can’t help but look over at the rainbow jersey, wishing that it was on your shoulders instead of on that bastard.|SprintL8]]

Not today, Cookson. Not today. No one will ruin this moment, least of all you. Stepping up on the podium you raise your arms and wave towards the crowd. It’s a special feeling nonetheless and despite the bitterness you can’t help but feel proud when you’re presented with your medal. It’s big and shiny, and it represents what you already knew: that you are one of the best in the world. [[Still, you can’t help but look over at the rainbow jersey, wishing that it was on your shoulders instead of on that bastard.|SprintL8]]

A lot of champagne was spilt that afternoon, and leading into the late evening you feel yourself getting quite drunk. It’s the last race of the season and who’s never heard of drinking your sorrows? The next day you are met by $TeamMate1 and $DS who once again congratulate you on your medal, which is still hanging around your neck, and ask you whether you want to share a cab to the airport. [[Accept|SprintL9.1]] [[Decline|SprintL9.2]]

Company wouldn’t be so bad, so you accept and in the cab you talk about anything but the race. They must realize how you’re feeling, regretful and bitter. Still, you realize it could’ve gone worse. [[It doesn’t make you feel better.|SprintL10]]

You want to be left alone, and you say so which they accept without questioning. [[The look in their eyes says it all, they realize what you’re feeling, that mix of joy and anger called regret.|SprintL10]]

You’ve been in many airports through the years but, much like the hotel, Qatar just screams wealth. [[Not even the events of your team’s sponsors can even come near the feeling you get as you enter the lobby of the Hamad International Airport.|SprintL11]]

Everyone treats you like royalty, a striking difference from when you got pulled out of the line by the TSA last year at LAX. Took over four hours to get it settled. Here such a treatment seems incredibly foreign. [[Everything is so clean and neat.|SprintL12]]

You may not have won the rainbow jersey, but you swear that you’ll be back better than ever. There’s no looking back, only forward. Always. The End <img src="http://i.imgur.com/1iTalR0.jpg" width="600" height="300">

The front lead out man pulls to the right, leaving $TeamMate1 in front and he’s pulling hard. With the open microphones you can hear his panting overlapping yours, two ragged breaths in a sea of spectators. Up ahead is the finish line. Just two hundred metres. You’re in fourth wheel, but with three sprinters ahead of you you’ll need to time this perfectly to have a chance to win. [[Do you wait for $RivalSprinter2 to launch his sprint?|SprintC2]] [[Do you launch your sprint now?|SprintC3]]

Deciding against taking a long shot you sit there on the wheel of $RivalSprinter2 when you suddenly feel you start to lose control of your bike. ‘What the fu-“ you start to think before you get launched into the air and the only thought that goes through your mind before you hit the ground is “Aaaaah”. [[The landing is not pleasant.|SprintC4]]

Your best shot lies in taking a chance. Winning is all that matters. There’s no use in playing it safe, it’s win or go home. You get a medal for third but you don’t get the rainbow stripes. And that’s all you can see. Pulling to the side you start to accelerate past $RivalSprinter2 when you suddenly lose control of your bike. ‘What the fu-“ you start to think before you get launched into the air and the only thought that goes through your mind before you hit the ground is “Aaaaah”. [[The landing is not pleasant.|SprintC4]]

Nor is what comes next, when an entire peloton of riders come crashing down on you in seventy kilometres an hour. You tumble around as all you can see is skin, cloth and carbon. Immediately after crashing down on your shoulder, goodbye collarbone by the way, you feel a wheel hit you in the side of your chest and you lose your breath. This hurts. [[But before you can register it your head slams into the ground, thankfully your body managed to limit the impact but the hit makes you dizzy.|SprintC5]]

And then it’s over. Less than five seconds but they feel like the longest seconds in your life. You lie at the bottom of a big pile-up, with two people and one and a half bike lying on top of you. One of your feet is still stuck in the clipped pedal, and your entire leg feels twisted. You’re not the only one groaning, it sounds like people are in shock and although this isn’t the first crash you’ve been in it feels like one of the worst. [[Especially as you feel that you could’ve won the rainbow stripes.|SprintC6]]

It’s not every year that the worlds are a place for the sprinters and you start to cuss. Profound words cross your mouth as the duo on top of you manage to disentangle themselves, but accidently step on you while doing it. Your legs feel even more on fire than before, as if that were possible, and you notice that it’s twisted at a weird angle. [[Do you try to stand up immediately?|SprintC7]] [[Do you wait for assistance?|SprintC8]]

Bracing yourself against the road you start to sit up but when your left arm tries to lift you up you remember the collarbone. Yup, definitely broken. Still, you manage to pull yourself into a sitting position against the barriers. The audience seems to be in shock and looking to the left, towards the crash site you see riders trying to hurry through the mess that is clearing itself up. [[They seem to be in a hurry, and you realise that there’s still top-10 places to compete for.|SprintC7.1]]

Deciding not to risk furthering your injuries you take it slow, you do after all also have a broken collarbone (which you checked immediately and quickly realised). [[You still manage to prop yourself up against the barriers and you look around.|SprintC8.1]]

Remembering that the race is still on, you look to your right, towards the finish line. It’s too far to see who won, but right now that is not the person you want to talk to. [[Trying to remember who was sitting behind you in a sprint, you look over at all the other unfortunate crashers to find the man responsible. Was it $RivalSprinter2?|SprintC7.2]]

No, he was in front wasn’t he. $RivalSprinter3? Yes, you think that might be correct. But you can’t find him and before long the doctors come and block your sight. You tell them what happened, about your leg and your collarbone and they take a quick look before deciding that you can wait and move on. Eventually $TeamMate1 and $TeamMate3 come find you and together with a rather cute nurse they help you to the designated hospital area. The result of the World Championships at Doha: The Rainbow Stripes for $RivalSprinter1 and a broken foot and collarbone for $Name. [[Fan-fucking-tastic.|SprintC9]]

One week later. The hospital walls are as sterile and boring in Doha as they are $Country. Not surprising you feel the same as you always do when you visit a hospital after crashing on your bike. With your arm in a sling and being led along by $TeamMate1 who’s pulling the wheelchair you make your way towards room 316. [[This visit is different than most you’ve had this last week, and it’s the one you’ve dreaded the most.|SprintC10]]

The audience seems to be in shock and looking to the left, towards the crash site you see riders trying to hurry through the mess that is clearing itself up. They seem to be in a hurry, and you realise that there’s still top-10 places to compete for. Remembering that the race is still on, you look to your right, towards the finish line. [[It’s too far to see who won, but right now that is not the person you want to talk to.|SprintC8.2]]

Trying to remember who was sitting behind you in a sprint, you look over at all the other unfortunate crashers to find the man responsible. Was it $RivalSprinter2? No, he was in front wasn’t he. $RivalSprinter3? Yes, you think that might be correct. But you can’t find him and before long the doctors come and block your sight. You tell them what happened, about your leg and your collarbone and they take a quick look before deciding that you can wait and move on. Eventually $TeamMate1 and $TeamMate3 come find you and together with a rather cute nurse they help you to the designated hospital area. The result of the World Championships at Doha: The Rainbow Stripes for $RivalSprinter1 and a broken foot and collarbone for $Name. [[Fan-fucking-tastic.|SprintC9]]

In room 316 lies a man in a bed, or at least you think it’s a man as pretty much everything is covered in bandages. A nurse is in the room talking with an elderly woman and they both look at you when you enter with $TeamMate1. The nurse looks back and says something before leaving the room. The elderly woman comes up to you, smiles and tells you she’ll leave you alone. $TeamMate1 pulls you up towards the bed and as requested leaves the room. In front of you lies $RivalSprinter3. [[The crash may have cost you the Worlds, but it almost cost him his life.|SprintC11]]

You’ve been told that he’s conscious and aware of his surroundings but he can’t speak yet. He turns his head towards you and you think that he recognizes you, but it’s hard to tell with all those mummy-like bandages. [[Ever since you’ve learnt about the seriousness of his injuries you’ve thought about what you should say to him, but now that you’re here it’s all blank.|SprintC12]]

What do you say in a moment like this? Do you forgive him for costing you the worlds? Or do you reprimand him for riding so recklessly? After watching the replay of what happened it’s clear that the pileup was his fault, but as he’s lying here you can’t help but think that he’s already payed the cost of his mistake, probably most of all of you. Still, you hesitate before you open your mouth. [[Forgive|SprintC14]] [[Do not forgive|SprintC13]]

Cycling is life. It’s all you’ve ever known and $RivalSprinter3 came in the way of that. It’s clear that it’s his reckless riding that not only caused the crash but also cost you the chance of winning the rainbow jersey. [[It may have been your only shot and the bitterness fills you even more than before now that you sit before the cause of your distress.|SprintC13.1]]

Sighing, you think to yourself that you cannot let the past dominate your life and you pull up your hand and put it, very gently of course, on the outstretched arm of $RivalSprinter3. You start to talk to him, deciding that maybe he would like some company and before you leave you make sure to let him know that you don’t blame him in the slightest. Unsure of whether he can hear you or not, or whether he even understands you, you’re sure you made the right decision and [[as you leave the room you feel better already.|SprintC15]]

You put your hand on the outstretched arm of $RivalSprinter3 and you start to whisper to him all those thoughts that have consumed your every waking hour this past week. You tell him about how much you hate him, how you despise him and as you do so your hand pushes harder into his bandaged arm and he starts to whimper. Looking up towards the head of the bed you can see his eyes are starting to water as they stare at you in terror. Maybe he thinks you will kill him, and even though you dismiss it out of hand, there’s a small part of you that wishes you could disregard the consequences and take that pillow and just… But no. That would just stop you from cycling professionally ever again. [[It’s not out of consideration for $RivalSprinter3, or the sanctity of life, but for your love of cycling.|SprintC13.2]]

You release your cramped hand and start to move away towards the door when it opens and the pretty nurse comes back in with a worried look. She looks towards $RivalSprinter3 and the instruments beside the bed and says that maybe it’s time for you to leave. [[As $TeamMate1 comes and takes you away, a smile crosses your face and you feel better already.|SprintC15]]

Two days later you leave the hospital and with a schedule for rehab you’ll look to be ready in February 2017. A new season ahead, no regrets behind. [[The 2016 World Championships at Doha didn’t end as you had planned but you’re confident that you can climb your way back to the top of the world again.|SprintC16]]

It may be a couple of years before the next sprinter-friendly worlds but you know that you’ll be there, hungry for revenge and ready to pounce on the opportunity. Looking up at the hot Qatari sun you find yourself smiling despite the unfortunate turn of events. In February the Tour of Qatar starts and although leaving the country without the rainbow jersey stinks you know that you’ll be back. That will be an interesting test, but you know that whatever comes you’ll be ready to face it. The End <img src="http://i.imgur.com/1iTalR0.jpg" width="600" height="300">

{(set: $Name to "Marcel Kittel") (set: $Country to "Germany") (set: $TeamMate1 to "John Degenkolb") (set: $TeamMate1LastName to "Degenkolb") (set: $TeamMate2 to "Tony Martin") (set: $TeamMate3 to "Nils Politt") (set: $TeamMate4 to "Jasha Sütterlin") (set: $DS to "Erik Zabel") (set: $DSLastName to "Zabel") (set: $Breakaway1 to "Bernard Eisel") (set: $Breakaway1LastName to "Eisel") (set: $Breakaway2 to "Ian Stannard") (set: $Breakaway3 to "Yukiya Arashiro") (set: $Breakaway4 to "Daniel Teklehaimanot") (set: $Breakaway5 to "Jarlison Pantano") (set: $Breakaway6 to "Matthew Heyman") (set: $RivalSprinter1 to "Peter Sagan") (set: $RivalSprinter2 to "Mark Cavendish") (set: $RivalSprinter3 to "Alexandre Kristoff") (set: $RivalSprinter4 to "Caleb Ewen") (set: $RivalSprinter5 to "Nacer Bouhanni") } <center>Marcel Kittel <img src="http://i.imgur.com/08Lo98l.jpg"></center> As one of the finest sprinters in the world you are among the favourites for the 2016 World Championships. You’ve been in this kind of situation before, winning is nothing new to you, but still – the world championships are special. Not only do you get the chance to call yourself the world champ for a year, if you win, but perhaps more importantly you’ll get to wear [[the rainbow jersey.|Recon Race]] These last two years haven't been quite what you hoped, but a rainbow jersey would make the future brighter, and the struggles and injuries of the past forgotten.

{(set: $Country to "France") (set: $CountryBelonging to "French") (set: $Leader to "Nacer Bouhanni") (set: $LeaderLastName to "Bouhanni") (set: $TeamMate1 to "Arnaud Démare") (set: $TeamMate1LastName to "Démare") (set: $TeamMate2 to "Christophe Laporte") (set: $TeamMate3 to "Cyril Lemoine") (set: $TeamMate4 to "William Bonnet") (set: $DS to "Laurent Brochard") (set: $DSLastName to "Brochard") (set: $Breakaway1 to "Tony Martin") (set: $Breakaway2 to "Ian Stannard") (set: $Breakaway3 to "Jarlison Pantano") (set: $Breakaway4 to "Yukiya Arashiro") (set: $Breakaway5 to "Daniel Oss") (set: $Breakaway6 to "Lars Bak") (set: $RivalSprinter1 to "Peter Sagan") (set: $RivalSprinter2 to "Mark Cavendish") (set: $RivalSprinter3 to "Marcel Kittel") (set: $RivalSprinter4 to "Andre Greipel") (set: $RivalSprinter5 to "Alexandre Kristoff") } [[A Frenchman!|Choose Team]]]]

{(set: $Country to "USA") (set: $CountryBelonging to "American") (set: $Leader to "Tylar Farrar") (set: $LeaderLastName to "Farrar") (set: $TeamMate1 to "Taylor Phinney") (set: $TeamMate1LastName to "Phinney") (set: $TeamMate2 to "Eric Marcotte") (set: $TeamMate3 to "Chad Haga") (set: $TeamMate4 to "Robin Carpenter") (set: $DS to "Greg Lemond") (set: $DSLastName to "Lemond") (set: $Breakaway1 to "Matthew Heyman") (set: $Breakaway2 to "Ian Stannard") (set: $Breakaway3 to "Jarlison Pantano") (set: $Breakaway4 to "David de la Cruz") (set: $Breakaway5 to "Bernard Eisel") (set: $Breakaway6 to "Lars Bak") (set: $RivalSprinter1 to "Peter Sagan") (set: $RivalSprinter2 to "Mark Cavendish") (set: $RivalSprinter3 to "Marcel Kittel") (set: $RivalSprinter4 to "Fernando Gaviria") (set: $RivalSprinter5 to "Caleb Ewan") } [[An American!|Choose Team]]]]

{(set: $Country to "Belgium") (set: $CountryBelonging to "Belgian") (set: $Leader to "Greg Van Avermaet") (set: $LeaderLastName to "Van Avermaet") (set: $TeamMate1 to "Tom Boonen") (set: $TeamMate1LastName to "Boonen") (set: $TeamMate2 to "Jens Keukeleire") (set: $TeamMate3 to "Jurgen Roelandts") (set: $TeamMate4 to "Jasper Stuvyen") (set: $DS to "Johan Museeuw") (set: $DSLastName to "Museeuw") (set: $Breakaway1 to "Tony Martin") (set: $Breakaway2 to "Ian Stannard") (set: $Breakaway3 to "Niki Terpstra") (set: $Breakaway4 to "Daniel Teklehaimanot") (set: $Breakaway5 to "Yukiya Arashiro") (set: $Breakaway6 to "Lars Bak") (set: $RivalSprinter1 to "Peter Sagan") (set: $RivalSprinter2 to "Mark Cavendish") (set: $RivalSprinter3 to "Marcel Kittel") (set: $RivalSprinter4 to "Andre Greipel") (set: $RivalSprinter5 to "Nacer Bouhanni") } [[A Belgian!|Choose Team]]]]

{(set: $Country to "Germany") (set: $CountryBelonging to "German") (set: $Leader to "Marcel Kittel") (set: $LeaderLastName to "Kittel") (set: $TeamMate1 to "John Degenkolb") (set: $TeamMate1LastName to "Degenkolb") (set: $TeamMate2 to "Tony Martin") (set: $TeamMate3 to "Nils Politt") (set: $TeamMate4 to "Jasha Sütterlin") (set: $DS to "Erik Zabel") (set: $DSLastName to "Zabel") (set: $Breakaway1 to "Bernard Eisel") (set: $Breakaway1LastName to "Eisel") (set: $Breakaway2 to "Ian Stannard") (set: $Breakaway3 to "Yukiya Arashiro") (set: $Breakaway4 to "Daniel Teklehaimanot") (set: $Breakaway5 to "Jarlison Pantano") (set: $Breakaway6 to "Matthew Heyman") (set: $RivalSprinter1 to "Peter Sagan") (set: $RivalSprinter2 to "Mark Cavendish") (set: $RivalSprinter3 to "Alexandre Kristoff") (set: $RivalSprinter4 to "Caleb Ewan") (set: $RivalSprinter5 to "Nacer Bouhanni") } [[A German!|Choose Team]]]]

{(set: $Country to "Italy") (set: $CountryBelonging to "Italian") (set: $Leader to "Giacomo Nizzolo") (set: $LeaderLastName to "Nizzolo") (set: $TeamMate1 to "Elia Viviani") (set: $TeamMate1LastName to "Viviani") (set: $TeamMate2 to "Daniele Benatti") (set: $TeamMate3 to "Daniel Oss") (set: $TeamMate4 to "Matteo Trentin") (set: $DS to "Alessandro Petacchi") (set: $DSLastName to "Petacchi") (set: $Breakaway1 to "Tony Martin") (set: $Breakaway2 to "Matthew Heyman") (set: $Breakaway3 to "Niki Terpstra") (set: $Breakaway4 to "Yukiya Arashiro") (set: $Breakaway5 to "Daniel Teklehaimanot") (set: $Breakaway6 to "Lars Bak") (set: $RivalSprinter1 to "Peter Sagan") (set: $RivalSprinter2 to "Mark Cavendish") (set: $RivalSprinter3 to "Marcel Kittel") (set: $RivalSprinter4 to "Andre Greipel") (set: $RivalSprinter5 to "Alexandre Kristoff") } [[An Italian!|Choose Team]]]]

{(set: $Country to "Spain") (set: $CountryBelonging to "Spanish") (set: $Leader to "Fransisco Ventoso") (set: $LeaderLastName to "Ventoso") (set: $TeamMate1 to "Imanol Erviti") (set: $TeamMate1LastName to "Erviti") (set: $TeamMate2 to "Jonathan Castroviejo") (set: $TeamMate3 to "David de la Cruz") (set: $TeamMate4 to "Juan José Lobato") (set: $DS to "Oscar Freire") (set: $DSLastName to "Freire") (set: $Breakaway1 to "Tony Martin") (set: $Breakaway2 to "Ian Stannard") (set: $Breakaway3 to "Yukiya Arashiro") (set: $Breakaway4 to "Esteban Chaves") (set: $Breakaway5 to "Jarlison Pantano") (set: $Breakaway6 to "Lars Bak") (set: $RivalSprinter1 to "Peter Sagan") (set: $RivalSprinter2 to "Mark Cavendish") (set: $RivalSprinter3 to "Marcel Kittel") (set: $RivalSprinter4 to "Andre Greipel") (set: $RivalSprinter5 to "Caleb Ewan") } [[A Spaniard!|Choose Team]]]]

There are two roles to choose from: [[Sprinter]] [[Breakaway Artist]]

You find yourself to the restaurant thanks to Google Maps, and it’s less than a kilometre from the hotel. The evening and the setting sun has made the warmth more bearable and you find yourself enjoying the wind, [[in a way that you doubt you will during the race.|Dinner]]

The restaurant is less than a kilometre from the hotel, and you passed it on your walk earlier. The evening and the setting sun has made the warmth more bearable and you find yourself enjoying the wind, [[in a way that you doubt you will during the race.|Dinner]]

“I hope I’m not late,” you say even though you know you’re ten minutes early. “Not at all, $Name,” says $DS who stands up and shakes your hand before waving towards a waiter. You sit down and a different waiter comes and takes your orders. You notice how $DS didn’t wait for $Leader, and you say so. “Why would I wait for $LeaderLastName?” laughs $DS. You look over at $TeamMate1 who’s also looking at you. Both of you shrug and chuckle. “I assumed you would tell him,” you say. “Likewise.” Silence. “So $Leader is coming?” “Yup.” “Oh.” “Yup.” [[“Okay,” says $DS but adds nothing more.|D2]]

Silence only broken by the polite thanks to the waiter coming with your drinks. The next five minutes are the longest of your life, longer even than the final kilometre up Alpe d’Huez, before you spot $LeaderLastName coming towards the table, led by the same waiter who guided you. You all stand up and shake hands, but you notice that $DS was slightly slower and their greeting was awkward at best. [[You and $TeamMate1LastName share a look, both of you wondering what has happened between the two of them to make this meeting so tense.|D3]]

“I hope you don’t mind us ordering?” said $DS. “Not at all, I’m sorry I’m late,” he says. He wasn’t late, and we all knew it but thankfully you managed to resist looking at your wristwatch to make it poignant. “So, $Name, how have you been liking your accommodation?” asked $LeaderLastName. $TeamMate1LastName took the opportunity to stare down in his glass of wine, [[and $DS sat there with a smile on his face.|D4]]

You try to break the ice and start a conversation about the upcoming race, but after thirty seconds silence reigns again. “Come Sunday, I expect to have your full support behind me,” said $LeaderLastName, holding his glass of wine as if to toast you. Before you have a chance to reply $DSLastName butts in. “I wasn’t aware that you’re the one who calls the strategy of $Country?” “Yeah right,” he scoffed. “It’s not like there’s going to be much in need of strategy. It’s Qatar. It’s flat.” $LeaderLastName emphasized this by making a gesture of spreading his arms. Doing it three times was a bit over the top, you thought, but hey, it got the point across. $DS face started to redden. “Ah yes, just take your bike and go out there and ride as hard as you can. I’m sure that’ll go well. Don’t come crying afterwards.” [[“What’s that supposed to mean?”|D5]]

You start to feel some second-hand embarrassment as the other tables have started noticing the raised voices. You think about interjecting, but decide against it. They’re grown men, they shouldn’t need you do behave like it. “I mean it’s a fucking stupid plan. You said it yourself, it’s Qatar,” said $DS, with the same gesture that $LeaderLastName used, except four times. “Crosswinds, the heat and, oh I don’t know, the other 200 riders.” “Oh yeah? Well…” This is the first time you’ve seen $Leader flustered, but you don’t have the time to find it amusing because he turns to you and says [[“Well, what do you think?”|D6]]

“I –“ “Leave him out of it, okay.” “No, I want to hear what he has to say.” “Why put him in that situation?” “You’re just afraid he’s going to pick my side.” “Yeah, why the hell would he pick your side, you dumb arrogant fu-“ “Enough!” $TeamMate1 slammed his hands on the table, making $DS flinch. “Jesus Christ, guys. Enough already, save your energies for the race instead.” Wiping his hands on the napkin in front of him, he stood up and gestured to $LeaderLastName to follow him. They both walked out of the restaurant, with $Leader giving $DSLastName a smirk on the way out. [[Leave the table and go to your room|D7.1]] [[Leave the table and go after $Leader|D7.2]] [[Sit quietly|D7.3]]

(set: $SideDS to "False") “I’m sorry sir, I think I’m going to go back to the hotel. It’s been a long day with the flight and all. I think it would be better if we just forgot this ever happened.” On the way home you pass a beautiful lady who just so happens to have business on the same floor as you. You invite her in. [[You’re the last one at breakfast.|Recon Race]]

(set: $SideDS to "False") You catch up to $Leader just outside of the hotel. He looks at you and nods, but says nothing. [[The elevator ride feels like that scene from Lost in Translation, but fortunately your rooms are on separate floors.|Recon Race]]

You’re doing your best to avoid being noticed, with flashbacks from your parents’ divorce making it painfully aware what will come next. $DS doesn’t say anything for a while, it seems like it’s only now he’s become aware of making a scene and is trying to pretend all the other guests everything is cool. Everyone is conspicuously avoiding looking at your table. “So.” “Yup.” “Look, kid. I apologize, it wasn’t professional. I just get so frustrated with him sometimes. He’s always been like this. I don’t know. What do you say kid?” [[Leave the table and go to your room|D7.1]] [[Leave the table and go after $Leader|D7.2]] [[Stay and finish dinner with $DS|D7.4]]

(set: $SideDS to "True") You agree with him, and you say so forcibly. The rest of the dinner passes in conversation, good food and wine. It’s the last wine you’ll have before the race so you make sure to enjoy it. [[The two of you get back to the hotel late but you go to bed happy.|Recon Race]]

{(set: $Name to "Greg Van Avermaet") (set: $Country to "Belgium") (set: $TeamMate1 to "Tom Boonen") (set: $TeamMate1LastName to "Boonen") (set: $TeamMate2 to "Jens Keukeleire") (set: $TeamMate3 to "Jurgen Roelandts") (set: $TeamMate4 to "Jasper Stuvyen") (set: $DS to "Johan Museeuw") (set: $DSLastName to "Museeuw") (set: $Breakaway1 to "Tony Martin") (set: $Breakaway2 to "Ian Stannard") (set: $Breakaway3 to "Niki Terpstra") (set: $Breakaway4 to "Daniel Teklehaimanot") (set: $Breakaway5 to "Yukiya Arashiro") (set: $Breakaway6 to "Lars Bak") (set: $RivalSprinter1 to "Peter Sagan") (set: $RivalSprinter2 to "Mark Cavendish") (set: $RivalSprinter3 to "Marcel Kittel") (set: $RivalSprinter4 to "Andre Greipel") (set: $RivalSprinter5 to "Nacer Bouhanni") } <center>Greg Van Avermaet <img src="http://i.imgur.com/ikhqQKN.jpg"></center> Going for the double, ey? Not many people have managed to win both the rainbow stripes and the Olympic gold medal in the same year. As one of the finest sprinters in the world you are among the favourites for the 2016 World Championships. You’ve been in this kind of situation before, winning is nothing new to you, but still – the world championships are special. Not only do you get the chance to call yourself the world champ for a year, if you win, but perhaps more importantly you’ll get to wear [[the rainbow jersey.|Recon Race]]

{(set: $Country to "Australia") (set: $CountryBelonging to "Aussie") (set: $Leader to "Caleb Ewan") (set: $LeaderLastName to "Ewan") (set: $TeamMate1 to "Michael Matthews") (set: $TeamMate1LastName to "Matthews") (set: $TeamMate2 to "Matthew Heyman") (set: $TeamMate3 to "Heinrich Haussler") (set: $TeamMate4 to "Mitchell Docker") (set: $DS to "Baden Cooke") (set: $DSLastName to "Cooke") (set: $Breakaway1 to "Tony Martin") (set: $Breakaway2 to "Jens Keukeleire") (set: $Breakaway3 to "Niki Terpstra") (set: $Breakaway4 to "Jarlison Pantano") (set: $Breakaway5 to "Esteban Chaves") (set: $Breakaway6 to "Yukiya Arashiro") (set: $RivalSprinter1 to "Peter Sagan") (set: $RivalSprinter2 to "Mark Cavendish") (set: $RivalSprinter3 to "Marcel Kittel") (set: $RivalSprinter4 to "Andre Greipel") (set: $RivalSprinter5 to "Nacer Bouhanni") } [[An Aussie!|Choose Team]]

{(set: $Country to "Netherlands") (set: $CountryBelonging to "Dutch") (set: $Leader to "Dylan Groenewegen") (set: $LeaderLastName to "Groenewegen") (set: $TeamMate1 to "Danny Van Poppel") (set: $TeamMate1LastName to "Van Poppel") (set: $TeamMate2 to "Tom Dumoulin") (set: $TeamMate3 to "Sebastian Langeveld") (set: $TeamMate4 to "Niki Terpstra") (set: $DS to "Joop Zoetemelk") (set: $DSLastName to "Zoetemelk") (set: $Breakaway1 to "Tony Martin") (set: $Breakaway2 to "Ian Stannard") (set: $Breakaway3 to "Daniel Teklehaimanot") (set: $Breakaway4 to "Matthew Heyman") (set: $Breakaway5 to "Jarlison Pantano") (set: $Breakaway6 to "Yukiya Arashiro") (set: $RivalSprinter1 to "Peter Sagan") (set: $RivalSprinter2 to "Mark Cavendish") (set: $RivalSprinter3 to "Marcel Kittel") (set: $RivalSprinter4 to "Fernando Gaviria") (set: $RivalSprinter5 to "Nacer Bouhanni") } [[A Dutchman!|Choose Team]]

{(set: $Country to "Norway") (set: $CountryBelonging to "Norwegian") (set: $Leader to "Alexandre Kristoff") (set: $LeaderLastName to "Kristoff") (set: $TeamMate1 to "Edvald Boasson Hagen") (set: $TeamMate1LastName to "Boasson Hagen") (set: $TeamMate2 to "Vegard Breen") (set: $TeamMate3 to "Daniel Hoelgaard") (set: $TeamMate4 to "Kristoffer Skjerping") (set: $DS to "Thor Hushovd") (set: $DSLastName to "Hushovd") (set: $Breakaway1 to "Yukiya Arashiro") (set: $Breakaway2 to "Ian Stannard") (set: $Breakaway3 to "Niki Terpstra") (set: $Breakaway4 to "Jarlison Pantano") (set: $Breakaway5 to "Matthew Heyman") (set: $Breakaway6 to "Lars Bak") (set: $RivalSprinter1 to "Peter Sagan") (set: $RivalSprinter2 to "Mark Cavendish") (set: $RivalSprinter3 to "Marcel Kittel") (set: $RivalSprinter4 to "Andre Greipel") (set: $RivalSprinter5 to "Nacer Bouhanni") } [[A Norwegian!|Choose Team]]

{(set: $Country to "United Kingdom") (set: $CountryBelonging to "Brit") (set: $Leader to "Mark Cavendish") (set: $LeaderLastName to "Cavendish") (set: $TeamMate1 to "Geraint Thomas") (set: $TeamMate1LastName to "Thomas") (set: $TeamMate2 to "Stephen Cummings") (set: $TeamMate3 to "Alex Dowsett") (set: $TeamMate4 to "Ian Stannard") (set: $DS to "Dave Brailsford") (set: $DSLastName to "Brailsford") (set: $Breakaway1 to "Tony Martin") (set: $Breakaway2 to "Niki Terpstra") (set: $Breakaway3 to "Bernard Eisel") (set: $Breakaway4 to "Yukiya Arashiro") (set: $Breakaway5 to "Esteban Chaves") (set: $Breakaway6 to "Lars Bak") (set: $RivalSprinter1 to "Peter Sagan") (set: $RivalSprinter2 to "Marcel Kittel") (set: $RivalSprinter3 to "Alexandre Kristoff") (set: $RivalSprinter4 to "Fernando Gaviria") (set: $RivalSprinter5 to "Andre Greipel") } [[A Brit!|Choose Team]]

{(set: $Name to "John Degenkolb") (set: $Country to "Germany") (set: $TeamMate1 to "Andre Greipel") (set: $TeamMate1LastName to "Greipel") (set: $TeamMate2 to "Tony Martin") (set: $TeamMate3 to "Nils Politt") (set: $TeamMate4 to "Jasha Sütterlin") (set: $DS to "Erik Zabel") (set: $DSLastName to "Zabel") (set: $Breakaway1 to "Bernard Eisel") (set: $Breakaway1LastName to "Eisel") (set: $Breakaway2 to "Ian Stannard") (set: $Breakaway3 to "Yukiya Arashiro") (set: $Breakaway4 to "Daniel Teklehaimanot") (set: $Breakaway5 to "Jarlison Pantano") (set: $Breakaway6 to "Matthew Heyman") (set: $RivalSprinter1 to "Peter Sagan") (set: $RivalSprinter2 to "Mark Cavendish") (set: $RivalSprinter3 to "Alexandre Kristoff") (set: $RivalSprinter4 to "Caleb Ewen") (set: $RivalSprinter5 to "Nacer Bouhanni") } <center>John Degenkolb <img src="http://i.imgur.com/OdCeDG6.jpg"></center> As one of the finest sprinters in the world you are among the favourites for the 2016 World Championships. You’ve been in this kind of situation before, winning is nothing new to you, but still – the world championships are special. Not only do you get the chance to call yourself the world champ for a year, if you win, but perhaps more importantly you’ll get to wear [[the rainbow jersey.|Recon Race]]

{(set: $Name to "Nacer Bouhanni") (set: $Country to "France") (set: $CountryBelonging to "French") (set: $TeamMate1 to "Arnaud Démare") (set: $TeamMate1LastName to "Démare") (set: $TeamMate2 to "Christophe Laporte") (set: $TeamMate3 to "Cyril Lemoine") (set: $TeamMate4 to "William Bonnet") (set: $DS to "Laurent Brochard") (set: $DSLastName to "Brochard") (set: $Breakaway1 to "Tony Martin") (set: $Breakaway2 to "Ian Stannard") (set: $Breakaway3 to "Jarlison Pantano") (set: $Breakaway4 to "Yukiya Arashiro") (set: $Breakaway5 to "Daniel Oss") (set: $Breakaway6 to "Lars Bak") (set: $RivalSprinter1 to "Peter Sagan") (set: $RivalSprinter2 to "Mark Cavendish") (set: $RivalSprinter3 to "Marcel Kittel") (set: $RivalSprinter4 to "Andre Greipel") (set: $RivalSprinter5 to "Alexandre Kristoff") } <center>Nacer Bouhanni <img src="http://i.imgur.com/O1lQxMq.jpg"></center> As one of the finest sprinters in the world you are among the favourites for the 2016 World Championships. You’ve been in this kind of situation before, winning is nothing new to you, but still – the world championships are special. Not only do you get the chance to call yourself the world champ for a year, if you win, but perhaps more importantly you’ll get to wear [[the rainbow jersey.|Recon Race]]

{(set: $Name to "Arnaud Démare") (set: $Country to "France") (set: $CountryBelonging to "French") (set: $TeamMate1 to "Nacer Bouhanni") (set: $TeamMate1LastName to "Bouhanni") (set: $TeamMate2 to "Christophe Laporte") (set: $TeamMate3 to "Cyril Lemoine") (set: $TeamMate4 to "William Bonnet") (set: $DS to "Laurent Brochard") (set: $DSLastName to "Brochard") (set: $Breakaway1 to "Tony Martin") (set: $Breakaway2 to "Ian Stannard") (set: $Breakaway3 to "Jarlison Pantano") (set: $Breakaway4 to "Yukiya Arashiro") (set: $Breakaway5 to "Daniel Oss") (set: $Breakaway6 to "Lars Bak") (set: $RivalSprinter1 to "Peter Sagan") (set: $RivalSprinter2 to "Mark Cavendish") (set: $RivalSprinter3 to "Marcel Kittel") (set: $RivalSprinter4 to "Andre Greipel") (set: $RivalSprinter5 to "Alexandre Kristoff") } <center>Arnaud Démare <img src="http://i.imgur.com/JNokH0w.jpg"></center> As one of the finest sprinters in the world you are among the favourites for the 2016 World Championships. You’ve been in this kind of situation before, winning is nothing new to you, but still – the world championships are special. Not only do you get the chance to call yourself the world champ for a year, if you win, but perhaps more importantly you’ll get to wear [[the rainbow jersey.|Recon Race]]

{(set: $Name to "Tom Boonen") (set: $Country to "Belgium") (set: $TeamMate1 to "Greg Van Avermaet") (set: $TeamMate1LastName to "Van Avermaet") (set: $TeamMate2 to "Jens Keukeleire") (set: $TeamMate3 to "Jurgen Roelandts") (set: $TeamMate4 to "Jasper Stuvyen") (set: $DS to "Johan Museeuw") (set: $DSLastName to "Museeuw") (set: $Breakaway1 to "Tony Martin") (set: $Breakaway2 to "Ian Stannard") (set: $Breakaway3 to "Niki Terpstra") (set: $Breakaway4 to "Daniel Teklehaimanot") (set: $Breakaway5 to "Yukiya Arashiro") (set: $Breakaway6 to "Lars Bak") (set: $RivalSprinter1 to "Peter Sagan") (set: $RivalSprinter2 to "Mark Cavendish") (set: $RivalSprinter3 to "Marcel Kittel") (set: $RivalSprinter4 to "Andre Greipel") (set: $RivalSprinter5 to "Nacer Bouhanni") } <center>Tom Boonen <img src="http://i.imgur.com/eW6sPA5.jpg"></center> As one of the finest sprinters in the world you are among the favourites for the 2016 World Championships. You’ve been in this kind of situation before, winning is nothing new to you, but still – the world championships are special. Not only do you get the chance to call yourself the world champ for a year, if you win, but perhaps more importantly you’ll get to wear [[the rainbow jersey.|Recon Race]] 11 years ago you won the rainbow jersey in Madrid, back in the days where you were one of the fastest sprinters. Those days are past, you won't be able to beat riders such as Kittel one on one. But you may be able to position yourself in such a way that you won't have to. Already one of Belgiums best cyclists, a victory here would be a great way to cement your legacy.

{(set: $Name to "Caleb Ewan") (set: $Country to "Australia") (set: $CountryBelonging to "Aussie") (set: $TeamMate1 to "Michael Matthews") (set: $TeamMate1LastName to "Matthews") (set: $TeamMate2 to "Matthew Heyman") (set: $TeamMate3 to "Heinrich Haussler") (set: $TeamMate4 to "Mitchell Docker") (set: $DS to "Baden Cooke") (set: $DSLastName to "Cooke") (set: $Breakaway1 to "Tony Martin") (set: $Breakaway2 to "Jens Keukeleire") (set: $Breakaway3 to "Niki Terpstra") (set: $Breakaway4 to "Jarlison Pantano") (set: $Breakaway5 to "Esteban Chaves") (set: $Breakaway6 to "Yukiya Arashiro") (set: $RivalSprinter1 to "Peter Sagan") (set: $RivalSprinter2 to "Mark Cavendish") (set: $RivalSprinter3 to "Marcel Kittel") (set: $RivalSprinter4 to "Andre Greipel") (set: $RivalSprinter5 to "Nacer Bouhanni") } <center>Caleb Ewan <img src="http://i.imgur.com/Oaz2xcJ.jpg"></center> As one of the finest sprinters in the world you are among the favourites for the 2016 World Championships. You’ve been in this kind of situation before, winning is nothing new to you, but still – the world championships are special. Not only do you get the chance to call yourself the world champ for a year, if you win, but perhaps more importantly you’ll get to wear [[the rainbow jersey.|Recon Race]] This season has been a great showing for someone as young as you, and you've already been touted as one of the sprinters with the most potential. Coming from a great tradition of Australian sprinters, a win here would cement your position no matter the future.

{(set: $Name to "Alexandre Kristoff") (set: $Country to "Norway") (set: $CountryBelonging to "Norwegian") (set: $TeamMate1 to "Edvald Boasson Hagen") (set: $TeamMate1LastName to "Boasson Hagen") (set: $TeamMate2 to "Vegard Breen") (set: $TeamMate3 to "Daniel Hoelgaard") (set: $TeamMate4 to "Kristoffer Skjerping") (set: $DS to "Thor Hushovd") (set: $DSLastName to "Hushovd") (set: $Breakaway1 to "Yukiya Arashiro") (set: $Breakaway2 to "Ian Stannard") (set: $Breakaway3 to "Niki Terpstra") (set: $Breakaway4 to "Jarlison Pantano") (set: $Breakaway5 to "Matthew Heyman") (set: $Breakaway6 to "Lars Bak") (set: $RivalSprinter1 to "Peter Sagan") (set: $RivalSprinter2 to "Mark Cavendish") (set: $RivalSprinter3 to "Marcel Kittel") (set: $RivalSprinter4 to "Andre Greipel") (set: $RivalSprinter5 to "Nacer Bouhanni") } <center>Alexandre Kristoff <img src="http://i.imgur.com/dDFOY2I.jpg"></center> As one of the finest sprinters in the world you are among the favourites for the 2016 World Championships. You’ve been in this kind of situation before, winning is nothing new to you, but still – the world championships are special. Not only do you get the chance to call yourself the world champ for a year, if you win, but perhaps more importantly you’ll get to wear [[the rainbow jersey.|Recon Race]]

{(set: $Name to "Edvald Boasson Hagen") (set: $Country to "Norway") (set: $CountryBelonging to "Norwegian") (set: $TeamMate1 to "Alexandre Kristoff") (set: $TeamMate1LastName to "Kristoff") (set: $TeamMate2 to "Vegard Breen") (set: $TeamMate3 to "Daniel Hoelgaard") (set: $TeamMate4 to "Kristoffer Skjerping") (set: $DS to "Thor Hushovd") (set: $DSLastName to "Hushovd") (set: $Breakaway1 to "Yukiya Arashiro") (set: $Breakaway2 to "Ian Stannard") (set: $Breakaway3 to "Niki Terpstra") (set: $Breakaway4 to "Jarlison Pantano") (set: $Breakaway5 to "Matthew Heyman") (set: $Breakaway6 to "Lars Bak") (set: $RivalSprinter1 to "Peter Sagan") (set: $RivalSprinter2 to "Mark Cavendish") (set: $RivalSprinter3 to "Marcel Kittel") (set: $RivalSprinter4 to "Andre Greipel") (set: $RivalSprinter5 to "Nacer Bouhanni") } <center>Edvald Boasson Hagen <img src="http://i.imgur.com/ux7JJ6m.jpg"></center> As one of the finest sprinters in the world you are among the favourites for the 2016 World Championships. You’ve been in this kind of situation before, winning is nothing new to you, but still – the world championships are special. Not only do you get the chance to call yourself the world champ for a year, if you win, but perhaps more importantly you’ll get to wear [[the rainbow jersey.|Recon Race]] These last couple of years have been a constant questioning of "What if" for you. A win here in Doha would silence all those critics.

{(set: $Name to "Dylan Groenewegen") (set: $Country to "Netherlands") (set: $CountryBelonging to "Dutch") (set: $TeamMate1 to "Danny Van Poppel") (set: $TeamMate1LastName to "Van Poppel") (set: $TeamMate2 to "Tom Dumoulin") (set: $TeamMate3 to "Sebastian Langeveld") (set: $TeamMate4 to "Niki Terpstra") (set: $DS to "Joop Zoetemelk") (set: $DSLastName to "Zoetemelk") (set: $Breakaway1 to "Tony Martin") (set: $Breakaway2 to "Ian Stannard") (set: $Breakaway3 to "Daniel Teklehaimanot") (set: $Breakaway4 to "Matthew Heyman") (set: $Breakaway5 to "Jarlison Pantano") (set: $Breakaway6 to "Yukiya Arashiro") (set: $RivalSprinter1 to "Peter Sagan") (set: $RivalSprinter2 to "Mark Cavendish") (set: $RivalSprinter3 to "Marcel Kittel") (set: $RivalSprinter4 to "Fernando Gaviria") (set: $RivalSprinter5 to "Nacer Bouhanni") } <center>Dylan Groenewegen <img src="http://i.imgur.com/SG1qhts.jpg"></center> As one of the finest sprinters in the world you are among the favourites for the 2016 World Championships. You’ve been in this kind of situation before, winning is nothing new to you, but still – the world championships are special. Not only do you get the chance to call yourself the world champ for a year, if you win, but perhaps more importantly you’ll get to wear [[the rainbow jersey.|Recon Race]] You may be young, but you're sure that you can challange the best sprinters in the world.

{(set: $Name to "Andre Greipel") (set: $Country to "Germany") (set: $TeamMate1 to "John Degenkolb") (set: $TeamMate1LastName to "Degenkolb") (set: $TeamMate2 to "Tony Martin") (set: $TeamMate3 to "Nils Politt") (set: $TeamMate4 to "Jasha Sütterlin") (set: $DS to "Erik Zabel") (set: $DSLastName to "Zabel") (set: $Breakaway1 to "Bernard Eisel") (set: $Breakaway1LastName to "Eisel") (set: $Breakaway2 to "Ian Stannard") (set: $Breakaway3 to "Yukiya Arashiro") (set: $Breakaway4 to "Daniel Teklehaimanot") (set: $Breakaway5 to "Jarlison Pantano") (set: $Breakaway6 to "Matthew Heyman") (set: $RivalSprinter1 to "Peter Sagan") (set: $RivalSprinter2 to "Mark Cavendish") (set: $RivalSprinter3 to "Alexandre Kristoff") (set: $RivalSprinter4 to "Caleb Ewen") (set: $RivalSprinter5 to "Nacer Bouhanni") } <center>Andre Greipel <img src="http://i.imgur.com/boN6jH4.jpg"></center> As one of the finest sprinters in the world you are among the favourites for the 2016 World Championships. You’ve been in this kind of situation before, winning is nothing new to you, but still – the world championships are special. Not only do you get the chance to call yourself the world champ for a year, if you win, but perhaps more importantly you’ll get to wear [[the rainbow jersey.|Recon Race]]

The night before the road race you get a knock on your door. It’s from $DSLastName. “Look, $Name, there’s something I need to talk to you about.” “Sure, what is it?” “We’ve kept things under the rug these last couple of days, hoping that it’ll pass over before the race. But it hasn’t.” “What hasn’t?” He hesitates. “$LeaderLastName is ill. It’s probably just a stomach bug of some kind, but he’s not been able to sleep at all.” “Oh.” “Yeah,” he sighed. “We’ve already made the decision that he won’t start. I’m going around telling everyone in the team before we inform the media.” (if: $Role is "Sprinter")[“It’s up to you now, the entire team is with you all the way. Including $TeamMate1LastName. We think you’re our best shot.”] (elseif: $Role is "Breakaway")[“You won’t have to worry about it so much, $TeamMate1LastName will take over in a potential sprint, but this does mean that it’ll be even more important that you get in the break, now that we’re one rider short.”] “Anyways, sorry to drop this bombshell on you like this but make sure you get a good night’s sleep and get ready for the race. [[Keep hydrated.”|StartRace1]]