Half attacks don't work.

One of the things I love most about racing my bike is that there is always an element of mystery to the way things unfold.

For all the data we collect and the marginal gains we chase, there is a quality to a truly great performance that we can’t quite distill into a precise number or strategy. An unexpected attack can work. A breakaway can succeed. An underdog can surprise everyone.

But in all of these scenarios, there is a common thread. A moment when someone made the choice to go all in. And then went all in.

This week I don’t have an elaborate point or a long story to share. Just some simple words that my mechanic Eric Fostvedt shared with me as we discussed the tactics for my first road race in the Czech Republic a little over a month ago.

His advice was simple: “Half attacks don’t work.”

The message was clear. If you want to make a difference with your effort, it will need to be a complete effort.

In that race, the advice held true. When we attacked with 70 kilometers to go, success was more than unlikely. It seemed somewhat impossible. But I pushed myself to practice fearlessness, to avoid looking over my shoulder and easing up.

I stayed fully committed to the move whether or not it seemed likely to succeed. And somehow, two hours later, it did.

It’s a simple truth but one I have been thinking about a lot on and off the bike. The variable that cannot be underestimated in bike racing and in life is commitment. The willingness to go all in. The belief that it can work.

You never know if the effort will lead to your intended outcome. In fact, most attacks don’t work. That’s what makes them exciting, that’s what makes them a risk. But without full commitment, they have almost no chance.

So this week, go all in.

There is a mysterious magic to be found in the full attack. It is only in trying again and again with complete belief that you are able to find out what is really possible.

Half attacks don’t work.

Where in your life are you making a half attack right now? What would it look like to go all in?