Looking at the life of the pro rider from the fan perspective, it's hard to imagine that there isn't a load of fun to be had to make up for the hardships of the peloton. After all, the bit where you bundle into a bus with a group of your peers and travelling the world sounds closer to Cliff Richards' 'Summer Holiday' than any kind of hard knock life.
But, as newly-retired Canadian pro Mike Woods points out in his latest blog entry, bike riders are far from immune to modern loneliness – even if they are rarely alone on the road. Bluetooth headphones connected to the usual devices are de rigeur, he says, resulting in the riders cocooning themselves in a one-person electro-shell. It's a far cry, says Woods, from days of old – or, as they are otherwise known, the pre-internet age.
