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Have you ever wished you could go back in time and give yourself some cycling advice?
What will happen to it?
Learning takes time, and there are things even pros wish they had known when they were younger, from eating right to focusing properly in training. In some cases, it’s less tangible, and it means spending more time appreciating what you do and what you have.
Also read:
Vero We asked several World Tour pros what they would tell their younger selves if they could.
Matej Mohoric (Bahrain-win)
Everything I knew about training and nutrition, low carb diets and things like that were out the window and done horribly wrong. And we basically did everything wrong. If I had to think about what we were doing then now, I wouldn’t like it. I probably screwed up every race I competed in. For example, if there were 58 days in a day, you would probably have screwed up 58 times. Because we were eating…we were told we were supposed to be consuming up to 60 grams of carbohydrates per hour. And now it goes up to 140 g/h in the classics.
It costs more than twice as much fuel. I still vividly remember some really good ones. When I turned pro in my first year, I knew in my mind that one bottle of maltodextrin was equivalent to 30 grams of carbohydrates, and that was like something very energy-rich, you know. , I’d probably only drink 2-3 drinks per race if I really needed to. And now I have a bottle of 90 grams of carbohydrates, and on a typical Tour de France day I’ll take about five, six, seven. So things have changed a lot.
Jay Hindley (Bora Hansgrohe)
Never take it too seriously, just have fun. Just enjoy the moment and live as much as possible in the moment.
Annemiek van Vleuten (Movistar)
Don’t look at the power meter too much. I focused too much on power data, especially endurance rides, and was a bit of a perfectionist. I wanted him to be able to pedal downhill, make the most of his power, and make a satisfying effort that would get him home in four hours. Now I don’t check my strength. In my case, it was a little too hard to control. Sometimes I think there are people in women’s cycling who really want power and other control, and that’s not the way to build a sustainable, long career.
I was happy to find a coach who could relieve me of my control frenzy and perfectionism. He said to me, “Anemeek, it makes no difference whether you go home with 200 watts of effort or 210 watts of effort.” He was right and that’s why I’m still here, extremely happy for the bike. People who don’t want to touch a bike again after retirement are usually people who really focus on the details and always set the bar very high. Also, I accept that I’m not a perfect athlete, that I am a perfect athlete 95 percent of the time, but he still races even though he’s not perfect 5 percent of the time. Because it’s happier and more sustainable. To build a more enjoyable and longer career.
I would also like to say that in your career, don’t always expect things to be perfect or be a perfectionist. Young girls think that becoming a world champion or an Olympic champion requires super concentration and super perfection, and that riding a bicycle must not be good anymore. Because if it’s good, that’s not how you become an Olympic champion or a world champion. I completely changed that mindset. That’s also one of the messages I want to give to young athletes: go easy on yourself because it’s not sustainable.
Mateo Jorgenson (Movistar)
No regrets. When I look back on what I’ve done, I’m really glad that I had the hard-earned path I took in Europe. I’m a lot stronger mentally now because of that and I think I probably have a bigger perspective on what I’m doing than other riders. I don’t know what I would tell my younger self, but just keep going and enjoy. Enjoy your hard work and training. Because ultimately that’s what separates you. Getting better depends on how hard you work and how much hard work you can endure mentally.
