Secrets of Speed with Alec Briggs

That balance of ‘fast enough’ versus ‘too fast’ is a buzz. It’s a particular kind of dopamine, a feeling that I chase often. But it doesn’t matter if it’s a corner or a straight line, going 30 kph or 120 kph, you can always find that feeling of: ‘ah man, I’m going fast right now!’

You have to acknowledge fear on a bike when it comes to speed. If you ignore it, you’re taking it for granted and it will bite you on the arse. The perfect formula is being scared of the limit and respecting it, but not being afraid of pushing it to the farthest millimetre.

It’s not a risk. It’s a calculated mindset that allows you to go further than risking it all. There’s always that small element of ‘can I push it that far?’. That’s the beauty of it: you’re never sure the calculations are quite right.

I can be leaning into a corner, feel the tyres start to slip… ‘ah that’s the limit’, and I readjust. I almost like that happening – it doesn’t make me retreat, it makes me want to stay right there. You have to prod and prod and prod, and the moment it goes over the limit, you catch it.

I see cycling as a game of chess. It’s not just being the fastest over the line. It’s a cocktail of racecraft, efficiency, power and strength, with finesse and technical ability. All those things together achieve optimal speed.