"I want to be a good cyclist. But I want to be mom" - Omer Shapira reveals difficulty in managing health and pro cycling

Professional cycling is a brutal sport in many aspects. For women however, it can be even harder, as the extreme amounts of effort and pursuit of the minimal possible weight lead to consequences in the bodies of several pro riders. Omer Shapira is one of them, and she has talked about the difficulties.

The Israeli national champion shared a long message on Instagram in which she admitted to be below her expectations in terms of performance this year, but it was with the purpose of improving her health, which she revealed had suffered throughout her pro career. "I want to be a good cyclist. But I want to be mom," she said strikingly, revealing she had had her menstrual cycling recently for the first time in five years. 

The message has further shown a struggle that many women in the peloton go through, and the consequences the sport may have on their personal life directly. She has extensively talked about the lack of self-care that came alongside the pursuit of performance, and how she started prioritizing her health this year, which has had positive consequences.

She pointed out something many athletes go through in her message, warning to the dangers of it: "And I guess most athletes deal with it in some way … the balance between health to performance , the gentle point between doing what is needed when needed, to the point it becomes an obsession.

Her partner Guy Sagiv has retired from pro cycling just two months ago, shortly after Shapira had changed her priorities in life. The 28-year old doesn't have a contract yet for 2023, and is currently riding with EF Education-TIBCO-SVB at World Tour level.