"It’s crazy how motivated I feel" - 85 race days in the World Tour are not enough as Lotto rider takes on 2,500 kilometer long bikepacking trip in Asia

Baptiste Veistroffer has completed one of the busiest seasons in professional cycling, but the Lotto-Intermarché rider insists that the workload has not left him exhausted. With 85 UCI race days in 2026, the Frenchman competed more frequently than anyone else in the peloton, yet says he still feels fresh and believes the extensive racing schedule has been central to his development.

Veistroffer accumulated 85 race days, almost twice as many as Tadej Pogacar, who recorded 45. His campaign stretched from the Tour Down Under on January 20 to the Tour of Guangxi on October 18, covering the opening and closing events of the WorldTour calendar. In February, he claimed his first professional victory on stage two of the Tour of Oman after spending 191 kilometers in the breakaway.

In a recent interview with Domestique, he said the way his team organized his calendar had allowed him to maintain his energy throughout the season.

“Actually I still feel quite good and still fresh, because with the team we managed the season really well,” Veistroffer said. “It was mostly big blocks of racing, then some rest, and then one more big block of racing.”

Veistroffer believes that spending more time in the peloton has been particularly valuable because he is still building the experience accumulated by riders who turned professional at a younger age.

“Racing a lot is also quite important for me, because in the race I can improve,” he explained. “For me, racing is the best way to improve, to keep the process going and to get stronger. That’s why I like it. Racing is all about experience, and I need to improve my experience.”

Despite his satisfaction with the season, Veistroffer has identified one aspect of his calendar that could be adjusted. His debut at the Tour de France in July was a major milestone, but he believes he could benefit from arriving at the race with a more carefully managed workload.

The Frenchman made an impression during the opening week, spending 144 kilometers alone in the breakaway on stage five. He also received the combativity award on three occasions during the race. However, he felt that the amount of racing he had completed beforehand left room for a different preparation.

“I feel like this is the best way for me for a season,” he said. “Maybe we can prepare the Tour de France a bit better, because I arrived at the Tour with a lot of racing already. But I actually really liked this season.”

For now, the Frenchman recognizes that a period away from competition is necessary, even if his enthusiasm for cycling remains high.

“I felt like it was a good point now for recovery. I really felt that having a short break can be good,” he said. “But it’s crazy how motivated I feel.”

His off-season plans will involve another substantial cycling challenge, as he intends to undertake a 2,500-kilometer bikepacking trip through Cambodia and Vietnam, combining the journey with a charitable fundraising initiative supported by sponsors he has secured.