Pello Bilbao sees “cycling becoming more and more similar to football and requiring better control of workloads in training”

Pello Bilbao has been one of the most consistent cyclists in recent seasons. The Bahraini rider has five “top 10s” between the Giro and the Tour in the last five seasons, successes which he admits have not been easy since the level of the peloton is higher every day.

“Yes, now a lot of ambition is demanded. I think that’s what this cycling demands of us, to go out and win. No competition is given. All the races are contested at a very high level, whatever the category. The pace of the competition itself demands that you be in good shape to keep improving. We have gone from cycling that sought occasional peaks to cycling that requires you to be in good shape all year round in order to be able to compete. In this aspect, it’s similar to football, where you have to be very good throughout the season. It requires controlling the workloads well in training. It forces you to put the quality of earlier Now you can’t relax as much as before.Already in December almost all the teams are concentrated, putting on quality, and in January another concentration is organized to make sure that the riders do things right to start in February with a super po shape int. This cycling requires you to balance your efforts very well, ”comments the Bahraini cyclist.

Pello Bilbao comments that this new way of preparing is no longer sacrificed since it allows you to go for more goals and not bet on a few races as was the case in another era. “It depends on everyone’s mentality. In my opinion, it does not seem more sacrificed. I also don’t like this pattern of betting everything on a target or card. I prefer to have a lot of options and as I like competition and being in front, I prefer to be competitive all year round and try to achieve all the objectives. But it’s true that this kind of bike requires you to be in good shape all season,” comments the Basque cyclist.

The Bahraini cyclist acknowledges that he loves competition, so this new cycling does not involve mental fatigue as other riders denounce. “In my case, I don’t see it that way. I like to have fun competing, but the key is to have fun training. I like the day-to-day of my job. This approach is what helps to get the job done with more passion, fun, and without feeling like you’re constantly making a big sacrifice. I like what I do. I don’t go crazy trying to hit hard numbers or look for the impossible. You have to be aware of your limits so as not to burst. My approach is to have a regular and consistent season,” explains Bilbao.

One such case of mental fatigue was that of 2017 Giro d’Italia winner Tom Dumoulin, who announced his retirement from cycling at the age of 31, alleging that continuing to be a professional cyclist was causing a excessive mental fatigue. Pello Bilbao is clear that everyone has pressure in their job and it depends on how better or worse everyone is doing.

“I think like in any other job, a lot depends on how the person is, but you can’t ignore that there’s a pressure that the team puts on you, that the press puts on you and that makes you to be constantly well. All of this, sometimes, makes you lose the intrinsic motivation you have to ride a bike. Sometimes it can happen that you forget that you ride a bike because you like it and you focus on your goals. , the series, maintaining the weight… It tires you a lot. As in life, it is essential to be able to mentally control what you are doing. You have to know how to set limits. But beyond the bike, you see also people who go to the office with a smile and positive energy and there are other people who find it difficult to cope with their daily lives due to different problems or circumstances.We spend half of our life working and if you don’t like your job, it’s hard to wait free time,” explains the Bahraini cyclist.

Source: Deia