"When I started, one could not imagine it would be like this" - Thomas de Gendt on evolution of training and nutrition in cycling

Over the past decades cycling has evolved in ways that are, literally, unimaginable to some. Thomas de Gendt cannot begin to compare how much different preparation and nutrition is nowadays in the sport and understands why the performances are so much higher than they were when he started out as a pro cyclist.

“Everything has changed a lot. Nutrition is very important nowadays. Some 15, 16 years ago, nobody ever said anything about how much pasta to eat, how many gels to take in the race. We used to race with rice cakes in our pockets. Now we only race with gels and bars," de Gendt said in an interview with Velo. The Lotto Dstny rider turned pro in 2006, eventually making his way to ProTeam level in 2009 and has been part of the World Tour since the 2011 season.

In 2011 he was a stage winner at Paris-Nice and the Tour de Suisse, whilst in 2012 he finished on the podium of the Giro d'Italia with a mythical victory on the Passo dello Stelvio. However, he has always prefered to race without that pressure and that need for such intense and focused preparations; and turned himself into a stage hunter - one who would go on to be one of the most successful in modern cycling.

Part of this is because he's seen how much has changed in what the Grand Tour riders need to do to be at their best. “Everything is settled by a nutritionist. They say how much we eat of this and this and this. When I started, one could not imagine it would be like this. No more rice cakes. Now it’s rice porridge, it’s a bit more bearable than just plain rice in the morning".

“We eat much better than when I started. We were just all on the fumes 15 years ago. It was about whoever had the most fat could last the longest. Now it’s about the science and nutrition at the top level, and the performances are much higher because of it.” De Gendt has made 2024 out to be his last season in the peloton and yesterday enjoyed perhaps his last ever breakaway in a Grand Tour. He was dropped on the main climb of the day however and rolled in 58th on the day - showcasing his words when it comes to how his level is not as competitive as it used to be in the past.

He will hang up the bike in the next couple months, as he feels it is the right time to do so: “My kids at home also want to have a father. They 10 and 8 years old, and they are starting to realize that I am not like a normal father,” De Gendt told Velo. “I am gone for one or two months, and they are starting to ask questions why I am not at home every day. It’s also for them I have to stop. After 16 years as a professional, you also have to stop when you are still able to follow,” he said. “I do not want to fade away completely. It was initially for my kids, and once I said I was going to stop, I made peace with it. I have no regrets.”

But like many current pros, he may still be active in and around the pro riders, albeit in gravel or another off-road discipline. “Maybe. I don’t want to stop riding my bike completely. I still enjoy my bike and I also want to do some racing, but it doesn’t have to be on a professional level. It can be that I just want to do an event, and I can race for position 10, 15, 20, 40, whatever it is," de Gendt concludes. “I am not looking to train on my bike 35 hours a week anymore. I want to ride my bike but not like a professional, but as a tourist.”