At the halfway point of the race, the leader of the Aleve team has closed the gap to the leader by nearly a full second. The leader, however, has a penalty, so the gap is still 40 seconds. Still, the lead rider is confident that he can hold off the challenge from the leader. The lead rider's heart rate continues to tick up as the race nears the finish line. He's confident that the leader will catch up, but he's also worried that the pressure of the lead will wear on the leader's skin, which will make it more difficult for him to catch up. Finally, the rider realizes that the engine is still running, and that he is going to win the race.