'breaking Away'

"The decision to 'break away' results from a mixture of confidence and lack of it. The 'breaker' is confident to the extent that he suddenly decides the speed has become slower than he can himself sustain to the finish. Hence he can accelerate suddenly and maintain his new speed to the tape. But he also lacks confidence, feeling that unless he makes a move now, everyone else will do so and he will be left standing. The spurt is extremely wasteful because it is achieved at the cost of relaxation. The athlete's style and mood change completely. His mind suddenly starts driving an unwilling body which only obeys under the stimulus of the excitement. The earlier in the race this extra energy is thrown in, the greater the lead captured, but the less the chance of holding it. The surprise of being first to break away is worth an immediate advantage of 20 yards when there remains one further lap to complete (with a high danger of being overtaken before the finish); an advantage of 10 yards if halfway round the last lap, or of five yards in the final straight. The 'break' is like suddenly exposing your hand in a game of cards. You show how much reserve you have left by the speed at which you try to open up a gap, and by the point at which you start to do so."