The thought that bicycle and cycling has been one of the catalysts of shared sentiment is one of the base topics of journalism and cycling literature (and not only), but the causal links that led so many writers to develop them frequently have gradually disappeared under the sands of time.
It is curious how these challenging times have brought the bicycle back as a new catalyst of sentiment. Astana recently sent us some reflections by a number of athletes on the period of forced inactivity that keeps them locked in their homes. Needless to say, they share many of our own opinions, but there are a few more specific concepts that Davide Martinelli and Omar Fraile, for example, clearly express.
“Who’d have believed it! We have everything we need to continue our training at home. I have both our Wilier Triestina bikes here: the road bike and the time trial bike. I alternate the bikes on the rollers in my training sessions based on my training schedule and I’m convinced that, at the end of this period, these sessions will be really useful when I return to racing.”
All members of the Astana team are worried, as we all are and as are the younger brothers of professional cyclists, cycling amateurs and enthusiasts. That’s why Davide Martinelli and Omar Fraile’s advice and expectations can guide all cyclists who gaze out the window, just waiting for the moment when they can finally get out for four or five hours of cycling. At the same time, they offer universally valid advice.
And so, once again, bicycles and cycling become the catalysts of a shared sentiment.