Michel Ries has one of the greatest workloads in the peloton, racing for 88 days in 2023: "I'm going to ask for a slightly different program. It was very dense and exhausting"

Behind Luis Leon Sanchez and his 90 days of racing in 2023, Michel Ries is one of three riders to have accumulated 88 days of racing this season. A very high total which can be explained in particular by his participation in two Grand Tours, in this case the Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a Espana.

"This season has been intense and very hard. If I look at the number of days of racing, it speaks for itself," explains the Luxembourger from Team Arkéa-Samsic in an interview with the newspaper Le Quotidien.

However Ries hopes that his 2024 season will be constructed in a different way, with greater periods of recovery and work. "I'm going to ask for a slightly different program. It was very dense and exhausting, it was complicated to schedule peak fitness levels. I would like to optimize my program in order to be in top shape for the big events."

Even if his results don't always show it, the team management must have been clearly happy with Ries' performances throughout the year, having renewed the Luxembourger for one more year. "The objective is to continue on this path, to work for my leaders and to guide young riders like Kevin Vauquelin," concludes Ries.