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Bit of a thought experiment this morning - What are the things I& #39;ve learned throughout my *short cycling career - I do realise that this might only be read by very few people (my mom). But if it does show up on the right timeline, it might help someone. Albeit a only a little bit
#2 Don& #39;t fall into the weight loss trap, and don& #39;t get caught up in fad diets. As a young rider, your focus should be on growth! Eat a lot of everything. Trust me, you won& #39;t get fat. It will only enhance your perfromance later on.
#3 Learn how to be tactically astute. Learn how to get into a break, get into position for a climb or a sprint while using as little energy as possible, and learn how to ride in crosswinds, no matter hoe small you might be.
#4 Carrying on from my previous point. WATTS IS NOT EVERYTHING (Although it does help). Every second Fred and his mate at continental level can do 6w/kg for 20min these days. Without being tactically astute, you won& #39;t win races.
#5 Stop always riding "kind of hard" in training. Save the torture for the actual hard days and keep the easy days easy. I can almost gaurentee you will see significant improvement in perfromance.
#6 Build muscle. No, I don& #39;t mean doing planks once a week. Lift weights (*with good posture), build muscle, bone density and an overall strong body. Most cyclists these days are far too fragile. Sitting on a bike the whole day is only enforcing that fragility.
#7 Enjoy it while your at it. As I said before, most careers end very abruptly, and sooner than expected. Appreciate every opportunity to travel, take pictures wherever you go and make lots of friends. Don& #39;t make it strictly business all the time!
#8 Finally, get the right people in your corner. I& #39;ve been incredibly fortunate with the people I& #39;ve had around me throughout the years (you know who you are). Having the right people around you is like having a tailwind that helps you along throughout your career.
Just to be clear, before I get called a hypocrite. I have made practically every mistake I mentioned in abundance. Perhaps I would still be racing today had I learnt from them sooner. Do I have regrets? Not even the faintest!
#1 Either get an education, or start preparing for life after cycling asap. Your career as a cyclist might end very abruptly, and a lot sooner than you might expect. With labour market conditions as they are, your life as an athlete will do very little to prepare you.
