Perfection

"Today, I think I'm the happiest man in the world," Botero told Cyclingnews at the post-race press conference, his piercing green eyes glimmering with joy.

"In the sport, you need everything to be perfect. That hasn't happened the last few years, but now I am healthy and I trained very hard in Colombia during the winter [16,000 kilometres to be exact - ed.]. This is the result of all my efforts."

McGee, who came into the race with sizeable expectations but failed to deliver until today, told Cyclingnews almost the exact same thing: "It's just one of the crazy things about this sport," he lamented with a wry smile before the start.

"Everything has to be right, and if it's not, then forget about it. I'm not sick, I'm feeling healthy, but I'm having trouble breathing sometimes - it could be an allergic reaction, so I'm having some tests done... we'll see what they say."

Well, Brad, maybe today was the best test you could have done.

"I was the one who stuck my hand out and said I want to be a GC rider, so the pressure's on me," said McGee. "But sometimes the best thing for me is to have that little bit of pressure, and I'm going to continue livin' my dream."

The analogies between cycling and life are astounding.