"I’ve definitely had mental issues... We’ll see if that holds me back or drives me forward" - US Champ Sean Quinn open and honest about mental health

Sean Quinn took the biggest victory of his career earlier this year, outsprinting Brandon McNulty and Neilson Powless to claim the US national road title and the iconic 'Stars and Stripes' jersey. Just 24 years old, the EF Education-EasyPost man seemingly has a big future ahead of him, but that hasn't always been clear to the man himself.

“As a professional cyclist, you have a lot of time. During a six-hour individual training session, what else can you do but think? A lot of guys tell me to keep it simple, but I like to think about things,” he admits in conversation with Wielerflits, revealing how sometimes he can tend to overthink things. "I’ve definitely had mental issues in my career, but I’m also happy with who I am. We’ll see if that holds me back or if it drives me forward. Hopefully the latter.”

Read also

Visma Lease a Bike manager believes cycling is at a crossroads: “Cycling is moving forward and backward”

In terms of his own future, Quinn hopes to develop into a viable GC competitor at the Grand Tours. “It depends a bit on what the team wants with me, but I want to keep riding grand tours. That’s what I want to focus on, but I want to take my chance in every race I ride. Because I notice that my career is going by quickly,” Quinn explains. “The last two years, a lot of opportunities passed me by and it’s not like you start every race healthy and have a chance to win. You really have to grab those opportunities with both hands.”

Although as mentioned, he is only 24, the American is already beginning to feel the sands of time fighting against him however. “I’m getting older and it hasn’t happened yet. And I’ve been saying for a few years now that ‘the next few years will be important’," he reflects. "Is it realistic to become a GC rider? I don’t know . It’s something to discover, but you never know. People can say that you have the physicality to be able to do that one day, but times are changing.”

“Everyone is getting better every year,” Quinn concludes carefully. “As long as I can still dream, I will remain a professional cyclist. When reality changes and you have to adjust your goals, it becomes more difficult. You see that with other riders who have to change themselves, that they lose their motivation. Hopefully that won’t happen to me.”

Read also

ANALYSIS: Why is there no American race on the UCI World Tour?