A taste of racing with Cartel and RGT

Now retired from road racing, David Desjardins recounts how he reconnected with this lifestyle thanks to the events organized by Vélo Cartel Saturday. His story will make you want to get started. 

I came to cycling late in life. 

I had dabbled in mountain biking as a teenager. Then, after years of living a somewhat questionable lifestyle, I took it up again, along with running. I borrowed a road bike to build up my mileage before a race, fell in love with speed, and almost immediately wanted to compete. I was 30 years old.

After a few cyclosportives and gran fondos, I got more serious about it. It's one of the most exhilarating things I've ever done in my life. From the start, I loved the idea of breaking away, pulling out of the group and hanging on. I had a certain talent for suffering. So I managed to do it enough times to keep going, again and again, even when I was in the company of much more imposing figures. Out of breath, drained, holding on to the wheels as if my life depended on it. 

In the peloton, I loved the accelerations. The sprints. The attacks. Filling gaps. Riding the wind. I also loved the camaraderie of it all. Seeing the same group of people at every race, and even more so, the motivation to train hard. But after a few crashes, I started to get scared. And fear is more dangerous than anything else when you're riding at 30 mph in the middle of a pack of sardines covered in Lycra. After a few stupid braking maneuvers on my part and an idiot who almost made me crash again, I threw away my numbers, put away the little safety pins I used to attach my race numbers to my Jersey, and reluctantly gave up my weekly rendezvous in the Saint-Augustin industrial park. 

 

A return to the metaverse

As the pandemic raged, like everyone else, I turned to virtual training at home. Deprived of Cartel sessions, I tried out the entire range of platforms. 

I also tried racing on Zwift. It was brutal, but I didn't get the same adrenaline rush as the real thing. It was hard. Ridiculously hard, in fact. So, when I answered the Cartel's call to join the races organized by Bruno, I had no expectations. Except to reconnect with Quebec routes that the coach could map on the RGT platform using the Magic Roads feature, which allows you to import a .gpx file to reproduce any Ride. 

From my very first experience, I discovered a feeling that was much closer to the real thing. Without the risk of falling. First of all, the suction effect is extraordinarily realistic. Depending on where you take shelter, you can even see in the table how effective the protection you get by drafting is. Tight turns are done in freewheel mode. Accelerations feel like what happens outside. Filling gaps. Restarts. Attacks. It all seemed much more realistic to me than on Zwift. After one try, I was hooked.

 

Saturday's hero

In just a few weeks, this virtual racing experience has given new meaning and structure to my training.

I continued to use the RGT platform to take advantage of Cartel's group classes. The TV installed in the basement at the beginning of winter, connected to Apple TV (which supports the RGT app), provides me with an immersive experience similar to that of a group training room. I put my headphones on, turn up the volume, and block out everything around me with the playlist of the moment. I focus solely on my aching body, breaking down each block of effort into counts. Each effort in seconds. And since I'm not alone, I feel, just like in the gym, that I'm being supported by the group. 

Then, every Saturday, even if I've had a few drinks the night before to beat the pandemic blues, I get up early, eat my oatmeal, carefully follow Bru's warm-up routine, and take my place at the starting line. 

If I try again with the best, just to boost my ego as an aging amateur athlete, I could have the same experience in other categories (there is also one for women) where the event takes place simultaneously, at more tolerable speeds. Or I could simply do the day's workout listed on the Cartel schedule.

But I love these virtual races. They push me to exceed my limits. Time flies by without me noticing. I have to use my head to position myself well, manage my effort, support my teammates, and, if necessary, try to neutralize the chase or individual pursuit attempts if I have a teammate who has broken away at the front. 

I started eating better again. I took up yoga again. I supplement my training with running and cross-country skiing, which also gives me a chance to get some fresh air. I've regained the structure I had lost.

Then I return to racing on Saturdays. The desire to give it my all on the road. Just like in the old days. Without risk. With friends, rivals. All the other Saturday heroes, in fact.