The sun poured down like honey on the Parc du Mont-Royal as the peloton readied itself for the recent Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal. Motivation varies wildly at this point in an already wearying season, and an eclectic bunch of riders have made the journey to Canada.
Some marquee names have been drawn across the Atlantic by the lure of a top-class competition in preparation for the World Championships, but for others, the Canadian races are simply one more fixture to fulfil before the campaign peters to an end.
Somewhere in between come those who have yet to sign contracts for next season. Since the transfer window formally opened on August 1, they have occupied a state somewhere between fear and hope.
The people they talk to don't say yes but they don't exactly say no, either. That is enough to keep them raging against the dying of the light. What else can they do?
This Autumn, Brent Bookwalter finds himself among their number for the first time in his career. The American spent eleven seasons in the colours of BMC, and while tenured positions don't exist in professional cycling, he was all but a part of the fittings at the American-Swiss squad. A guarantee. One year, he even renewed his contract in February.