"I have everything I need now": Attila Valter rediscovers joy of cycling after Visma departure
CyclingSaturday, 18 April 2026 at 01:00
The start of Attila Valter’s 2026 season with Bahrain - Victorious has been defined by a personal search that goes beyond results, after several years immersed in top-level demands. At 27, the former Visma | Lease a Bike rider - where he became a key cog in the collective - has chosen to change course. Although the numbers don’t yet show it, Valter makes clear the transformation runs deeper.
"It was really nice," Valter told Cycling Pro Net during the Brabantse Pijl. "I think change is always positive in anyone’s life; I think it’s necessary. I believe it came at a good moment for me, even if it’s not yet reflected in my results, because I’m not where I wanted to be, but I enjoy my life more every day. I think this will also bring the strength back to my legs; I’m happy now."
The dip did not start in his legs, but in his head. The rider admits it bluntly, describing a process that pushed him to the limit. "The mental side," Valter explained.
"Cycling had drained me. I was tired, too focused on losing weight, getting in shape, asking myself if I was good enough. There comes a point when you question everything, and I think that’s what happened to me: a kind of midlife or mid-career crisis that maybe comes earlier for cyclists. I was definitely in that state, and my body reacted that way. Even when I felt good and gave my best, my body felt limited. I think it took longer than expected to recover, but it can happen to anyone."
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That recovery process has not been immediate. Valter admits he tried different paths before finding a balance that allowed him to enjoy cycling again.
"In the end, I tried many things," Valter said, "and maybe, in the end, the best thing is not to try at all. I have a good career, I’m proud of myself, and I have great family support and many good friends."
For a long time, Valter immersed himself in domestique work for star leaders at Visma
Within that reflection lies a key idea about the constant pressure of high performance: "When you focus on how to improve, you always end up feeling that something’s missing. I’ve reached the point where I realise I’m not missing anything," the Hungarian underlined.
"I have everything I need and what makes me happy, so I focus on that and I feel the bike gets faster every day."
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- It’s a fair point. UAE seem to fumble the big wins more than you’d expect when Pog isn’t in the race. Seems like everyone is happy to line up behind him, but when he’s not there, a power vacuum occurs and suddenly having half a dozen riders capable of being team leaders on any other squad doesn’t work so well. Pog is so good at fixing problems himself though pure power and skill that the rest of the team don’t seem to be very well drilled on other tactics and creative problem solving.antipodeanpedalfan18-04-2026
- Guessing from the filming of the race, I think the peloton got more because the camera motorbikes focused on them more, but if course that is not 100% correlated
Rafionain-Glas18-04-2026 - i guess he has a point … pogi has every readon to be pissed, but not by the shimano bike!MehrBums17-04-2026
- It's allowed! At the Maryland Cycling Classic, I think it was McNulty who had to run forward to his car, which wasn't allowed to back up, so that he could get a new bike. They have to cross the line with their bike in hand, that's the one rule that I have heard, and they can't pick up bikes left on the side of the road, those have to come from the team car. But running without a bike and getting one from the team car further up the road is within the rules.RidesHills17-04-2026
- I agree with wanting him picked for the Tour. Is it too early? Yes. Should he go? No. But do I selfishly want to see how he fares against Pogi? Absolutely I do! It’s a selfish wish, but I can’t deny the impatience I feel with wanting to see if he can give Pogi the competition we’re all dying to see.anonymouscyclist17-04-2026
- Send him to the Tour! Nobody's expecting a 19 year old to beat Pogi on debut. If he goes it'll likely be the least pressure he's under in July his entire career. Great learning experience! Then Giro-Vuelta double next year winning one or both, followed by TdF 2028 SmackDown: Pogi vs Seixas both in their prime!Sexass17-04-2026
- Spot on Vuelta is good 3 week race with less pressurepaultryan200217-04-2026
- I went back and watched the whole chase. There are plenty of heli shots. You never see a wall of motos. Occasionally, one camera moto gets too close. But the leading group has one too. I think he was hallucinating.spdlmtdrvr17-04-2026
- indeed, infinite complexities. so the best way to tell who the strongest was is to look at the podium and just roll with that.OCexile17-04-2026
- Clearly not everyone understands. Not only is bad luck part of it, there is a difference between leading and chasing. Different groups/pairings, different tactics. It seems worth noting, for example, that when MVDP had closed to within 20 seconds at the 54km mark, Wout launched and Pog followed. They quickly built the lead back out to 40 seconds, which means they had not been fully on their limit. They were sensibly holding back just bit, no doubt due to the big gap to MVDP. But when he got close they were able to move on, at which point they had to play a complicated game with each other: attacking at times, cooperating at other times, testing each other while trying to protect their lead and still save something for the end. They slowed strategically as they got near the finale, then more yet once they got on the track. The chase group, which was still racing full gas, closed down some of the remaining gap at that point. The claim that MVDP was stronger because his elapsed time was lower misses all of that, and the claim that he would have dropped the other two is absurd.MidnightRider17-04-2026
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