Legs and lungs screaming, lactic acid building.
asserted
acid → scream → ?
The kilo, track cycling's one-kilometre time trial, has a punishing reputation.
asserted
kilo → have → reputation
And yet Jody Cundy has been putting himself through it for decades.
"
asserted
Cundy → put → decades
At the end of it, your legs don't want to pedal.
asserted
legs → want → it
You're fighting everything," he tells BBC Sport.
asserted
he → fight → Sport
"But when you get it right, it's really cool."
asserted
it → get → ?
If he wins again at this year's edition - which starts on Thursday in Apeldoorn, the Netherlands - it will mark his 20th straight year in the rainbow jersey.
Not bad for someone who has just turned 48 years old.
"It's a fairly dominant run," he said.
asserted
he → win → someone
"There have been some moments where I thought it wasn't going to happen and somehow I've pulled something out of the bag.
asserted
I → think → bag
"But I am getting older and the competitors are getting younger.
asserted
competitors → get → ?
It's going to be very hard to keep that unbeaten run.
asserted
It → go → run
As much as I would love to do it, the people I have to race this year...
asserted
I → love → it
Some of that "trouble" comes from within the Great Britain squad.
asserted
Some → come → squad
Archie Atkinson, 22, was eight years from being born when Cundy won his first Paralympic gold medal - as a swimmer - at Atlanta 1996.
asserted
Cundy → bear → Atlanta
Atkinson was just two when Cundy first became world champion as a cyclist, after switching sports.
asserted
Cundy → become → sports
"One of my first races was against him," said Atkinson.
asserted
Atkinson → say → him
"That felt pretty special.
"
asserted
That → feel → ?
This guy was Paralympic champion, world champion and held a world record at the time.
asserted
guy → hold → time
But Atkinson is catching up.
asserted
Atkinson → catch → ?
Last year he beat Cundy at the National Track Championships, only to be beaten in turn by Cundy at the World Championships a few months later.
asserted
he → beat → Championships
"I want to win," Atkinson said.
asserted
Atkinson → want → ?
"But if he wins, it's historic.
asserted
it → win → ?
There aren't many people who can win for 20 years."
asserted
who → be → years
In addition to his world titles, Cundy is a six-time cycling Paralympic champion - two of those victories coming in the kilo, which he won at the 2008 and 2016 Games.
asserted
he → come → Games
Such is Cundy's standing in the squad that his team-mates call him "captain".
asserted
mates → call → him
"It feels like I've earned a bit of respect from being here for so long," he said.
asserted
he → feel → respect
"I try to be the person everyone looks up to.
asserted
everyone → try → ?
"But I know at some point somebody's going to have to take my place and I'll be walking away from the sport.
asserted
I → know → sport
"
When Cundy will walk away is anyone's guess.
asserted
walk → walk → ?
He says he doesn't have a plan for his retirement, but he knows that qualifying for the 2028 Paralympic Games in Los Angeles will be difficult.
asserted
qualifying → say → Angeles
"If I'm still performing at the very top level and that means that they want to take me, because I can go win in LA, then I shall be there and I'm there to be counted," he said.
asserted
he → perform → LA
"I'm realistic in the fact I'll be 49 when it comes to LA and I'm no spring chicken any more.
asserted
I → come → LA
"What we do afterwards I really don't know, whether it's in sport in some way, shape or form.
asserted
it → do → way
If I go away and take all of that knowledge away with me, I feel like I'm kind of cheating the system a bit.
asserted
I → go → system
"So there's part of me that wants to come back and help - whether it's in a coaching role or a managerial role, or even further up in governing body roles and trying to influence the UCI [cycling's world governing body] and the IPC [International Paralympic Committee] - to make cycling better than what it actually is."
asserted
it → be → UCI
The UCI, Cundy says, has "let the sport down" by the lack of Para-cycling track competitions it hosts outside of the World Championships and Paralympics.
asserted
it → say → Championships
At the upcoming Worlds, Cundy and Atkinson are among a 24-strong Great Britain squad - but it is the first time the team will have raced at a UCI track event since the last edition of the Worlds in Brazil last year.
asserted
team → race → Brazil
"When it comes to track cycling we have one race a year, the World Championships, and then every four years we have a [Paralympic] Games.
asserted
we → come → Games
That's really not good enough," he said.
asserted
he → say → ?
"When I first started we used to have competitions, we used to travel and go race in places.
asserted
we → start → places
Now you go 12 months without seeing anybody.
asserted
you → go → anybody
…and 3 more, not listed.
The Aporia
