Pro cyclists - they’re NOT just like us ….

[yinzerniner]

Bernal is back to world tour racing 8 months after almost dying:
https://cyclingtips.com/2022/08/egan...-carapaz-exit/

[prototoast]

I had a crash, not nearly as bad as his, back in January, and I'm still not recovered mentally or physically.

I'm amazed by his progress, but I guess I was always amazed by how good he was.

[jemdet]

I'm not a huge fan of Ineos but Egan has always seemed like a good guy, humble, works hard. Hope he comes back to his old form.

[nooneline]

When you're a pro athlete, you're always on the clock, and you've got tons and tons of resources for rest, recovery, and recuperation.

When I was racing at an elite level while also working a demanding job, it's the recovery that was the hardest thing - not the training. I noted the people I raced with who had flexible jobs, remote jobs, or no jobs at all, and I noted the way that they were able to devote time to all these other things: recovery rides, stretching and core work and yoga, etc etc. And it really made a difference.

[BobbyJones]

And not only the resources, but the physiology.

The reasons they are pros not only has to do with going fast, but the generic capability to handle the training workload required to become fast in first place.

So yes, they are a lot different than us.

[ripvanrando]

They are special.

I broke 10 or 11 bones in a crash last fall and after 5-6 months recovery and two surgeries, I was still just a lousy randonneur banging out brevets.

[benb]

Originally Posted by nooneline

When you're a pro athlete, you're always on the clock, and you've got tons and tons of resources for rest, recovery, and recuperation.

When I was racing at an elite level while also working a demanding job, it's the recovery that was the hardest thing - not the training. I noted the people I raced with who had flexible jobs, remote jobs, or no jobs at all, and I noted the way that they were able to devote time to all these other things: recovery rides, stretching and core work and yoga, etc etc. And it really made a difference.

Wise words.

Even doing non elite amateur stuff I ran into the same issue.

My best couple seasons I was a contractor.. strict 40 hour limit, and a pretty low stress/easy job. On top of that I worked like 2 miles from my apartment and had very little responsibilities other than myself. The second of those two years was my best year racing.

End of that 2nd year I took a job at a startup that ended up being about the most stressful job I ever had.. overtime, pager, constant hairfires. I never raced that well again.

Good luck doing well in a race when the pager goes off at 2AM and you do tech support till 5AM!

Have a family with young kid(s) -> zero recovery

[Tandem Rider]

A friend of mine is a physical therapist, he has always told me that the 3 groups of people who are most diligent during PT are Farmers, Self-employed, and elite athletes. The common thread is they HAVE to get better to make a living.