Getting Back that Rhythm; My Battle with the Sandman

Watching Cycling can be an extensive and exhausting, process.

After returning to a normal sleep pattern after the jubilation of Cadel Evans’ victory in this year’s edition of Le Tour De France, one tends to remember the good not the point where you are on the brink of sleep.

Biding time from the sandman means lots of caffeine, or food in the mouth in some hope it will give more energy, that it will keep the peepers open for the last few k’s of the climb.

So last night I watched stage 15 of La Vuelta A Espana which culminated in two major climbs, a big one and even bigger one (either of which I’d never get my legs to cooperate on).

With the body clock in tune to the regular pattern, the head bobbed and the kilometre countdown-erer seemed to take its time.

Was it ever this hard to watch cycling?

I refer back to my point that the mind remembers the enjoyable, the highlights but not the difficulties of keeping the eyes open.

It was a pretty exciting stage, for starters Bradley Wiggins of Team Sky was in the red (the yellow jersey of Spain) and attacks were expected to come thick and fast from defending champion Vincenzo Nibali among others.

Instead the winning move of the day came from a Spaniard, Juan Jose Cobo who won the stage and earned the right to wear red after finding a rhythm that Wiggins could not match, losing significant chunks of time.

While this was all happening it felt more like a battle of binary opposites, to sleep or not to sleep, that was the question I was unable to answer.

It was a great stage, with exciting scenery, rich Mediterranean buildings and stunning churches that tease the eyes in marvellous beauty.

With SBS next showing Thursday night’s stage, perhaps I will be a little bit more prepared for my battle with the sandman.

What did you think of Stage 15 and Bradley Wiggins losing leadership of the Vuelta A Espana?