While having the fortune to recently cycle in the Haute Route Alps race that included mountains traditionally featuring in the Tour de France, my understanding of the calibre of athlete of the world's best road riders ramped up drastically.
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Their physical and mental strength and bike skills have astounded me since the 1987 Tour de France, the first of 31 Tours I have covered as a journalist.
But not until I rode over such giant mountains like what Haute Route delivers - rather than in the comfort of a media car - did I have the grasp I have now of how hard cycling those mountains is for any rider let alone a professional who is riding, or how technically challenging and demanding in mind and body descending them is too.
The Haute Route Alps, from Nice on the French Riviera to Megève, does not last the three weeks of the Tour.
But it provides its diverse field of 400-plus entrants that extends from elite amateurs to weekend warriors, a mighty adventure: to experience racing over seven consecutive days for 800km and with 21,000-plus metres of elevation. The experience was a first for me.
Sure, I am far way down the pecking order for cycling capability, but riding these mountains with fabled names such as the Col d'Izoard, Col du Lauteret, Col du Glandon, Col de la Madeleine and the Cormet de Roselend has certainly improved my understanding and awareness of their specific challenges, from their length and gradient to their altitude.
That has better equipped me to assess how a rider may ride or race on them, from their gear choices to tempos and tactical options, while simultaneously keeping in mind they will be racing with far superior power and speed and for much greater distance.
So, what does this have to do with the UCI World Road Cycling Championships in Wollongong from September 18-25? Quite a lot, in fact.
It got me thinking about some advice for the public to consider before the championships begin. That being, get on your bicycle and take a tour of the respective race routes for the time trial and road race events, an opportunity that sets road cycling apart from many sports.
Would the AFL or NRL allow its fans to play footy on a grand final field in the days leading up to a title decider? I doubt it.
I did it on Wednesday.
From the men's and women's elite road race start at Helensburgh, I rode along the coastline to Wollongong, then visited key points on a route that includes the 34.2km Mount Keira loop before the 17.1km city centre circuit that the elite men will cover 12 times and the women six and features the 1.1km Mount Pleasant climb where its steepest gradient of 14 per cent should prove to be decisive.
With that first visit of the route under my wheels, my feel for the course and its challenges is far more comprehensive; and likewise, so is my feel for what awaits the thousands who will line the streets to watch and cheer all the action as it unfolds.
For all the unknowns of who will do what, or not, one thing is sure about these world championships: the calibre of athlete that will come. Australian cycling aficionados will appreciate the talent.
But at a time when Australia is swept up with 'footy finals fever,' many people who aren't 'au fait' with cycling could risk missing an opportunity to savour a truly amazing once in a lifetime international sporting event.
To them I suggest: why not read and learn about the sport and those who will race in Wollongong in the 11 events over eight days? Develop an understanding of their personalities, their cycling pedigree and their world championship dreams.
These will be the best cyclists in the world. They will include riders who have raced and won in the biggest events of the sport like the Tour de France or Tour de France Femmes; and cycling's future stars in the Under 23 and Junior categories.
I believe you could place any world title winner alongside a grand final AFL Norm Smith Medallist or NRL Clive Churchill Medallist for individual sporting prowess. Likewise, I would place the teams who help those champions to their triumph up there alongside any AFL or NRL title winning line-up for their collective cohesion, commitment and sacrifices made.
Don't miss these world championships. They will be huge. The AFL and NRL finals will be huge too, always are. But they will always be on the Australian sporting calendar. Not so the UCI World Road Cycling Championships ... in Wollongong.
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