In Rendell on an Ocean of Air, what I seem to getting out of it the most is how for success there will be sacrifice. For there to be a champion, there need to be losers. In the few pages given, Rendell describes what it is like to be on a competitive cyclist team. There is a lot that goes into the races as the first 3 riders are drafting their anchor to the finish line. Essentially the first few riders are sacrificing their strengthen so that their anchor has a chance at sprinting at the finish line.