"There's too much focus on numbers, data, watts... it often turns into an obsession..." - Alberto Bettiol disappointed with too scientific approach of new generation

Winner of Tour of Flanders 2019, Alberto Bettiol knows a thing or two about professional cycling. The enigmatic Italian is loved for his strong attacks and impressive solos, such as when he won the Milano-Torino this year. However when looking at his fellow colleagues cyclists, he can't feel but feel a bit melancholic about the way most riders prepare now, following strict training plans, diets, analyzing immense amount of numbers and statistics... It's not something for Bettiol who wouldn't even use a power meter if he didn't have to.

"Today's riders have little sentiment," he tells Gazzetta dello Sport. "I've seen so many of them in training, alone, always staring at their bike computers. You spend so many hours in a zone, isolated... people talk less and less nowadays. There's too much focus on numbers, data, watts, which often turns into an obsession."

The 31-year-old Bettiol is one of the last few "romantics" in cycling. The Italian classicsman is known for his offensive race style, often pushing himself beyond the edge in chase of a victory. Natually this often backfires like when he got cramps at Dwars door Vlaanderen this spring, but he has no regrets. "I never used a heart rate monitor during races, and when I could, not even a power meter."

Bettiol is of the opinion that if you don't learn to ride by feel, your reflexes in actual race become somewhat numb. At the end it's not the numbers that make you ride faster, it's your legs - which the rider himself knows the best.

"You know, when studying for an exam, obviously you need books, a calculator. But when it’s time to take the exam - which, in my case, is the race - you have to know things by then. Regardless of any tools," he compares racing to studying for school.