Sergio Higuita: Today's cyclists have to make an inhuman sacrifice

Sergio Higuita has just came off a great performance at the Tour de Suisse, where he finished in second place after entering the final time-trial in the lead, having raced a consistent and strong race in the mountains. He is aware however of the efforts and sacrifices needed to be able to compete at the highest level.

“Obviously a big race is run differently but I am motivated with the team that I have. Among the companions, optimism is felt and much more when winning the Giro with the Australian Jai Hindley. He confirmed that we can achieve great things. The team has been making an outstanding campaign," Higuita told 'El Colombiano'. The Colombian made the move to BORA - hansgrohe this winter and it is so far a successful one, having taken the win at the Volta a Catalunya, aswell as the national championships and stages at the Volta ao Algarve and Tour de Romandie.

The Colombian will be eyeing the Vuelta a España later in the year, and has talked about how important it is to be in the right team. “It is a squad in which we all shoot for the same side. It works for whoever is stronger. Obviously, if I falter in the Vuelta, I will collaborate with the one who is better, because the objective is a group and not an individual one," he said. In the interview he has also talked about the current state of cycling in which riders need a level that is seemingly higher and higher in order to be competitive.

“Cycling has changed a lot, especially the training methods. Everything is more measured, before you went to a race to pick up the pace, now you don't even need to race...Who knows how long we'll last in cycling now? You have to know to what limit the body reaches. There are a lot of young runners who push ourselves too hard and focus heavily on something," he added. 

Higuita included, the recent years have seen a swarm of generational talent emerge. With riders reaching the highest level at such young age, Higuita worries about the capacity of retaining a high level throughout his career. "Today's cyclists, as Dumoulin himself used to say, have to make an inhuman sacrifice, so they enter into a big psychological fight and that later leads to problems," Higuita pointed out.