“Cycling is becoming more and more extreme, but as a top athlete you need that obsession to excel” – Former pro looks at the case of young riders who have given up on their dream of becoming professionals
The cycling public is still actively discussing the impact of the recent departure of two talents from the Soudal – Quick-Step development team. Cormac Nisbet and Gabriel Berg, the U23 first years, both cite “lack of life outside of cycling” and “too much pressure to perform” as reasons for their decision.
It is no news that the professionalization of sponsorship in younger categories has progressed rapidly in recent years and large teams are looking for something new Pogacars and Vingegaards pretty much since kindergarten. In order to keep up with the high level of sport, it has become almost necessary to train like a professional from a young age.
Former long-term professional Laurens ten Dam goes into this in more detail in his podcast “Live Slow, Ride Fast”. “Cycling is becoming more and more extreme, but first of all: I, and Thomas too, were obsessed with the sport and felt fully involved in it.”
“I just wanted to be a professional. I don’t know if these guys are suited to the life of an elite athlete, but it is true that there is more and more surveillance at a young age.”
Ten Dam is an example of the more intense life of a cyclist. “I trained twenty hours a week. Then there were people who said, ‘Should you do this because you’ll be so burnt out otherwise?’ But there are now studies that show: the earlier you train a lot, the better it is for your Vo2Max. We didn’t know that at the time.”
There is much more information about the drivers in question. “Juniors spend the entire winter in Spain. I’ve just booked a weekend trip to Gulpen I’m going to find this repulsive, but as an elite athlete you need this obsession to excel.
It’s just going too far, agrees Ten Dam. “I read an interview in which Jutta Leerdam (speed skater, editor’s note) said: ‘When I see how much time I lost with friends and family, it wasn’t worth it at all.’ That may be healthy, but it’s the opposite of the norm.”
