"Young riders are now more aware, for better or for worse": Matxín weighs in on mental health struggles

In recent years, more and more young riders have been retiring from professional cycling, many of them due to mental health reasons. What was not long ago a taboo has become a transparent conversation, as a growing number of promising talents and also established riders have spoken openly about psychological struggles in an increasingly demanding sport.

Professional cycling has a huge psychological toll on riders. This has led several riders to opt for early retirement, as it was the case of Jonas Gregaard, who recently announced it. UAE Team Emirates - XRG manager Joxean Matxín was asked about this topic in an interview, and he gave his honest opinion.

The experienced manager believes the situation is often misunderstood, as mental health is taking care much more seriously nowadays compared to years ago. “I think young riders are now more aware, for better or for worse,” Matxín told Marca when asked whether he expects many more early retirements. “They are a minority, but they are aware of what they want and what they don’t want.”

Matxín compared the current generation with previous ones. “Before, maybe some riders retired at 26 or 27 because they had less information about what they wanted and what they didn’t want,” he explained. “Now talents and young riders have more information. And that information, call it data or whatever you want, cannot replace experience. In the past you needed experience to learn certain things, while now you have information without needing to go through that experience.”

According to Matxín, this shift can be perceived differently depending on perspective. “Maybe we see it as something negative, while they see it as something positive, because it’s what they need, what they want, the decision they’ve made,” he said. “These are very personal issues, and you would have to look into the causes in each individual case.”

Looking ahead to the new season, Matxín stressed the importance of non-conformism within the team and to always fight to get better.

“Not to get comfortable, not to think that what we’ve achieved is enough. If we’ve achieved it, it’s because we’re capable, and if we keep doing things the way we’ve done so far, with that mentality, that ability, that work ethic and that dissatisfaction, I’m convinced we can do even better. I don't want to give a specific number of wins we want to achieve, just to improve what we did this year.”

He also highlighted the depth of his squad beyond its biggest star. After all, the team would arguably still be the best in the world even without Pogacar.

“I want the group to keep growing,” Matxín said. “Pogacar is defining an era. But even without his points and victories, we would still be number one, and that means that if he weren’t there, others would have opportunities. We wouldn’t lose everything. UAE is a solid team, and the riders who come in develop. That’s what I’m most proud of: how the group is growing,” he concluded.