If it’s Saturday it must be Slovenia

The seventh day of the Betfair LifeCycle Challenge has really put the current 21 participants to the test, forcing them to do nearly 20km of steep mountain climbs as they crossed from Austria for Slovenia. The ride from Klagenfurt to Ilirska Bistrica, in the south-east corner of the country, near the border with Croatia, was of just 165km but in came hot on the heels of a 100km day which included a time trial and another 25km of mountains. The cyclists prepared as well as they could the night before with rigorous massages to relieve the tension in their legs but after the trials of the first six days, there are hardly any muscles that have not been strained and bandaged. The back-up team is keeping a close eye on a few of the cyclists but by early afternoon, they were all still on the road, their morale no doubt buoyed by the fact that they are passing through what must be arguably the most beautiful scenery in Europe, through narrow valleys, past waterfalls and beneath craggy peaks. The team spirit that characterizes LifeCycle is also incredibly strong with strong cyclists falling behind to encourage the weaker ones. Whenever the road allows, the cyclists stay in groups behind one another to benefit from each other’s aerodynamics – a technique called drafting. Although slathered in sun protection, the constant exposure is taking its toll – and the cyclists are indeed a sight to behold without their helmets and sunglasses, their tans a bizarre pattern over their heads. But right now, the only thing they are doing is gritting their teeth so that they can get through the pain barrier and get through this endless day.