Is Pro Cycling failing riders mentally? “Only a handful of teams actually employ a sports psychologist,” warns former WorldTour pro
Cycling
In a sport obsessed with marginal gains, it’s easy to assume that every detail is accounted for — from wind tunnel testing to blood lactate profiling. But according to former WorldTour rider Martijn Tusveld, there’s one area where much of the peloton is still falling short: the mind.
Despite a racing career that spanned all three Grand Tours with the now-named Team Picnic PostNL team, Tusveld says the mental side of performance remains an afterthought for many teams — a blind spot in an otherwise data-driven era.
“Only a handful of teams actually employ a sports psychologist,” he tells Procycling. “More often, it’s an external consultant that riders have to seek out themselves, or someone brought in only when there’s a problem. But I believe that’s going to change. I think the next big innovation in cycling is personal attention to the mind.”
The Hidden Margins
Tusveld’s perspective isn’t coming from the outside looking in — it’s informed by personal experience. After his contract wasn’t renewed at the end of 2024, he looked set to put racing behind him and return to his Psychology degree. But a lifeline came from BEAT Cycling, a Continental-level Dutch outfit with a progressive approach to mental support.
At BEAT, psychology isn’t a box-ticking exercise — it’s embedded into the team’s philosophy. The squad works with Lex Ligtenberg as an in-house mental coach, allowing riders regular access to guidance and support. “It’s been great to combine my studies with riding again, especially in a team where the mental side is taken seriously,” Tusveld explains. “I still believe there’s a lot to gain in cycling when it comes to the brain.”
And for someone who’s felt the weight of expectation up close, that support isn’t abstract. Back in 2014, after a standout fourth place at U23 Liège–Bastogne–Liège the previous year, Tusveld struggled under self-imposed pressure — an all-too-common experience for young riders trying to prove themselves.
“I couldn’t replicate the result, and I noticed in other races that when I had expectations, I underperformed. But when I went in without them, I rode well,” he recalls. “That’s when I first worked with a mental coach. I didn’t even know how to recognise pressure, let alone handle it. That process gave me tools I still use now.”
The Current Landscape
While sports psychology is gaining ground in the WorldTour, it’s far from standardised. A few teams — like Team Visma | Lease a Bike and EF Education-EasyPost — have well-integrated mental performance departments, but many others rely on ad hoc arrangements, if anything at all. Young riders in particular are often left to figure it out alone, with limited support beyond traditional coaching staff.
“It’s not that teams don’t care,” Tusveld notes. “It’s just that mental coaching still isn’t baked into the day-to-day system like nutrition or training are. And yet, it can be the difference between unlocking performance and plateauing — especially when pressure, injury, or personal setbacks hit.”
This isn’t about mental health in the clinical sense, though that too is important. Tusveld is pointing to something more specific: performance psychology. The art of handling pressure, maintaining focus, and building resilience — skills as critical to winning as a big engine or perfect race craft.
Tusveld in action at the 2024 Vuelta a Espana
A Future Shift?
With more teams investing in marginal gains, it’s not hard to imagine a shift on the horizon. Tusveld believes it’s inevitable.
“Every rider, at some point, runs into something mental that affects performance. It might not always be obvious, but it’s there — burnout, pressure, fear of failure, lack of motivation. If you can learn how to deal with those things earlier, the payoff is huge,” he says. “We’re still only scratching the surface. I think we’ll look back in ten years and wonder why it wasn’t taken more seriously sooner.”
As teams continue to hunt for fractions of a percent in performance, perhaps it’s time they started looking not just at watts — but at what’s going on between the ears.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
claps 8visitors 4
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- I get the point totally. We live in the snowflake society where some riders forget they are getting paid to ride and get results. When they have a few issues they try to look outside of the real issue instead of themselves. It odd so many of the team are making no complaints and getting on with their job. If you do not like what you do find another job simples. Tough love as my mum would say.paultryan200207-11-2026
- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- Yeah man...PogiSloFans07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
Loading
Write a comment