HOW TO SAY GOODBYE TO THE RIDER YOU USED TO BE

CYCLISTS OF ALL LEVELS GO THROUGH various phases or eras over the years they spend in the saddle. For the vast majority of riders (myself included), these things happen privately, without fanfare.

- DAN CHABANOV

Most often the transition to a new phase is joyful: riding with clipless pedals for the first time, riding off-road or on the road for the first time, doing a first group ride, a first race. The milestones of becoming a new, more experienced version of the rider you were before can be plentiful.

But what about when the trajectory flips and you have to part with the rider you once were? The most common way this is portrayed in the world of cycling is with famous pro cyclists who decide to retire and move on from the sport. Often, these events involve a media blitz, heartfelt interviews, perhaps a swanky retirement party, and finally, an emotional farewell at the rider's final race. Thibaut Pinot's final Tour de France last year sticks out in my mind as perhaps the quintessential example.

I remember exactly where I was when I first had to say goodbye to the rider I thought I was. It was 2013, and I was racing the third stage of the Tour de Beauce in Canada. By the standards of the World Tour, the Tour de Beauce is a tiny UCI stage race that, unless you've raced it, you've likely never heard of. But for me, it was the highest-level race I had competed in since I started bike racing in 2007, and my first UCI stage race. I fancied myself a climber at the time, and Stage 3 was the race's only summit finish.