Work rarely arrives in an ordered way, in business or in professional cycling. After months of a dribbly pipeline, everything has landed at once. Here’s what a race calendar that makes no sense taught me about choosing your races, and why the moment you’re feasting is when you most need to choose.

I asked friends, clients and ex-colleagues one question: what would you come to me for? What came back wasn’t about my work at all. It was about how I work, and how I make people feel. It made me wonder who tells you the truth, and when you last asked them what they’d say about you.

Brandon McNulty spent six years helping Tadej Pogačar win. On Sunday, he became world champion. For a big chunk of my career I was a support rider too, the VP whose job was to make the boss shine. It was a role I was good at, and that was the trap. So whose race are you riding right now?

Some days leadership is about survival, not sprinting. Mark Cavendish knew this - even the greatest sprinter spent most Tour days just getting through.

The question is: are you in the right team, or do you need to reframe how you're riding?

A mid-week ride, an unexpected challenge, and a lesson about what happens when you stop choosing the comfortable group. Part of the Lessons from the Peloton series.