The article is about Jure Robic, a Slovene cyclist who might be the most prolific endurance athlete ever, despite the fact that he might be clinically insane.
It’s only then that the smile reappears, more nervous this time, as he pulls out a DVD and prepares to reveal the unique talent that sets him apart from the rest of the world: his insanity.Basically, the guy dominates at ultra-cycling events (like racing across the entire United States) because he neglects rest...which causes him to slip into states of insanity.
Robic seems to regard his racetime bouts with mental instability as one might regard a beloved but unruly pet: awkward and embarrassing at times, but impossible to live without.The article goes on to describe the hallucinations and why Robic is the way that he is. It's really a must-read. I implore you to read it. One last teaser quote:
You couldn't make this stuff up.The craziness is methodical, however, and Robic and his crew know its pattern by heart. Around Day 2 of a typical weeklong race, his speech goes staccato. By Day 3, he is belligerent and sometimes paranoid. His short-term memory vanishes, and he weeps uncontrollably. The last days are marked by hallucinations: bears, wolves and aliens prowl the roadside; asphalt cracks rearrange themselves into coded messages. Occasionally, Robic leaps from his bike to square off with shadowy figures that turn out to be mailboxes. In a 2004 race, he turned to see himself pursued by a howling band of black-bearded men on horseback.
‘‘Mujahedeen, shooting at me,’’ he explains. ‘‘So I ride faster.’’
His wife, a nurse, interjects: ‘‘The first time I went to a race, I was not prepared to see what happens to his mind. We nearly split up.’’
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/05/sports/playmagazine/05robicpm.html?pagewanted=all
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