The Ultimate Race

My rival and I,
We traded the lead,
As up hills and down hills we sped.
First he,
and then I,
and then again he
overtook the leader
and led.

But on the last uphill, he passed me once more.
And as he did he said,
"How much do you want this?"
That was it!
Six words!
Like the arrow to Achilles' heel when he bled.

The fire in my heart
That had fueled me from the start
went out.
My legs felt like lead.
With astonishing speed,
I lost my lead.
My rival, he raced on ahead.
And as I faded back
into the pelaton pack,
His words spun round and around in my head:

How much did I want this?

Not enough was my answer.
And that's why I became
a dancer
instead.