How to become pro?

[cmacblue42]

ok, i want to become a pro cyclist in the future and i need some advice. im 13 and have been road biking for a month and a week but i raced mt. bikes for 2 years before (mainly dh, 4 cross, but some trails ridden occasionally). i have incredible amounts of power (according to former triathalon coaches and professional triatheletes) and my physique is comparable to jan ulrich. i am training for a century this april and should be done training in 3 to 4 weeks if it doesnt rain and plan to do 5 or 6 before the year is over. i just need any advice i can get on becoming pro. equipment, technique, nutrition, racing, anything, but mostly on the buisness aspect and how to get noticed by professional teams.

 

[Eden]

Seems like the first logical step would be to find a good junior development team in your area and start racing with them. I think the path most pro's take is to start local, win races - get recruited by a higher caliber, but still amateur team, win races, get recruited by a lower level pro/semi pro team - win races, get noticed by a pro team.

 

[Dr.Hairybiker]

Yup, that's pretty much it. Start racing. Race every chance you get. Learn the tactics. But most of all...win. Beat everyone, demolish the competition, then find new competition, and beat them too. Pretty soon, they'll come to you, and offer you money to keep beating everyone.

 

[whoawhoa]

ok, i want to become a pro cyclist in the future and i need some advice. im 13 and have been road biking for a month and a week but i raced mt. bikes for 2 years before (mainly dh, 4 cross, but some trails ridden occasionally). i have incredible amounts of power (according to former triathalon coaches and professional triatheletes) and my physique is comparable to jan ulrich. i am training for a century this april and should be done training in 3 to 4 weeks if it doesnt rain and plan to do 5 or 6 before the year is over. i just need any advice i can get on becoming pro. equipment, technique, nutrition, racing, anything, but mostly on the buisness aspect and how to get noticed by professional teams.

1. Get lucky enough to have the necessary genetics.
2. Train hard, smart, and a lot.
3. Win a lot of races.

There are tons of great resources on this forum for training advice, which, combined with #1, should lead to #3. Promoting yourself is important but is really learned through various life experiences.

 

[Squint]

Why not get a VO2max test done by a good lab? If you want to be world class and don't have the potential then you'll have to decide if you'll be happy being a D3 pro or something.

 

[whoawhoa]

Why not get a VO2max test done by a good lab? If you want to be world class and don't have the potential then you'll have to decide if you'll be happy being a D3 pro or something.

At his age, vo2max will probably change too much to be a great predictor. Besides, don't we know think v02max can be influenced by environment (e.g., training) than before? I recall AC saying the split is roughly 50/50 between genetics and training.

 

[BlueJersey]

For crying out loud, let the boy to have some fun racing. Maybe he may not be the next Lance but he can go a long way if he sticks to it. Most importantly, do races in Europe.

At his age, vo2max will probably change too much to be a great predictor. Besides, don't we know think v02max can be influenced by environment (e.g., training) than before? I recall AC saying the split is roughly 50/50 between genetics and training.

 

[frenchyge]

Most importantly, do races in Europe.

...and don't go around saying Jan Ulrich has the physique of a 13 yr-old boy. Now, Levi Leipheimer, on the other hand....

 

[whoawhoa]

For crying out loud, let the boy to have some fun racing. Maybe he may not be the next Lance but he can go a long way if he sticks to it. Most importantly, do races in Europe.

I agree. Best way to find out your potential is to race. And remember the fun is in the journey, not the destination. Or something like that.

 

[Kestrel12]

While I may not be an elite racer there is one thing I know for sure, while power will win you racers in lower categories, its better tactics that wins races against better rides.

Also dont feel that you need to race every race, train properly so you perform at your best in the big races, and when you do race learn from any mistakes. If you get the chance also what more experiences riders and take particular notice of their tactics, how far into a race does the winning move go away, where was the winner positioned with 1 lap to go, 2 laps to go, etc. Dont be afraid to try different things

So, make sure you train properly and make sure that when you race you race smart. Then as another person has mentioned, If you win enough races at the right level it will only be a matter of time until your a pro

 

[beerco]

I recall AC saying the split is roughly 50/50 between genetics and training.

True, but for someone with pro-potential, the first 50% is still higher than our mortal 100%. i.e., pro cyclists are truly super human. More than likely, he'll know within a few years if he's got the chops for pro-dom or not through killing everyone else in the field untill he meets up with other future pros.

 

[F1_Fan]

...and don't go around saying Jan Ulrich has the physique of a 13 yr-old boy. Now, Levi Leipheimer, on the other hand....

Or Judith Arndt... oh my, did I say that...?

 

[gvanwagner]

1. Learn everything you can about the sport, History, tactics, training, busniess aspects, equipment, etc. Ask questions, be curious, seek qualified advice. You'll improve a lot this way.

2. Don't get a vo2max test. While were quoting AC we should say that "The best indicator of performance is performance itself". The information in it cannot posibble be useful for you. Either it will dishearten you or at best tell you that you can comsume a lot of oxygen but still got dropped on that climb.

3. Ride with others.

4. Set very strong goals, and be organized about your training.

5. Network- get to know as many people as possible and always be professional, courteous, and gracious. Writes thank yous to your sponsors. Nobody likes a hard to deal with athlete so meet as many people in the sport and never burn your bridges with other racers or management, sponsors, etc.

6. Be ready for the next at least 10 years that will be very difficult. Don't get me wrong bike racing is highly addictive and you'll love pouring all you have into it. However, what counts is that you give it full gas for as long as it takes and you certainly won't get a UCI license before your drivers license. For every pro there are 100 other people with equal potential with minds that gave out before there body.


Also, regarding genetic potential, you do not have to be a genetic freak to break into the domestic peloton. You might want genetics on your side when aiming at the top step of the tour but for your standard domestic pro you can make do with substandard genetics. And you certainly won't know how far your potential is until you've put in some serious training. People say that they've reached there genetic potential when they're only doing 9 hours a week but that's another story...


Oh, and as far as winning all of your first races. If your in even a semi competitve area of the country then you will not win your first few races and might even get killed. Juniors with a few years of age, experience, and training on you will beat any newbie with the "future pro" genetic wand.

But the most important thing to remember is that your looking at a very hard life path and that the last to give up usualy gets the contract.



Greg

 

[bomber]

1. Learn everything you can about the sport, History, tactics, training, busniess aspects, equipment, etc. Ask questions, be curious, seek qualified advice. You'll improve a lot this way.

2. Don't get a vo2max test. While were quoting AC we should say that "The best indicator of performance is performance itself". The information in it cannot posibble be useful for you. Either it will dishearten you or at best tell you that you can comsume a lot of oxygen but still got dropped on that climb.

3. Ride with others.

Greg

Excellent post... properly useful information!!

 

[beerco]

Also, regarding genetic potential, you do not have to be a genetic freak to break into the domestic peloton. You might want genetics on your side when aiming at the top step of the tour but for your standard domestic pro you can make do with substandard genetics.

Where do you get this idea from? I'm pretty sure that someone with average genetics can probably make it up to cat 2 or 1, but someone with substandard genetics as a domestic pro? Do you have any examples?

Using Coggan's charts, we're talking about an FT of around 350w for a 150lb rider at the bottom end of domestic pro. A 350w FT is certainly not a product of substandard genetics, and being at the bottom end of domestic pro is a very hard life indeed.

Oh, and as far as winning all of your first races. If your in even a semi competitve area of the country then you will not win your first few races and might even get killed. Juniors with a few years of age, experience, and training on you will beat any newbie with the "future pro" genetic wand.

But the most important thing to remember is that your looking at a very hard life path and that the last to give up usualy gets the contract.

If you look at successful pros, they do indeed kick butt right out of the gates, especially in time trailing (even the road sprinters) at the lower levels. You may be right that someone with domestic pro-pack fill potential will not slaughter them right out of the gates but in my opinion, if that's the hand you were dealt, you'd be much better off working for a living and being a weekend warrior cat 1 for the reasons you outlined in your last paragraph

 

[gvanwagner]

Where do you get this idea from? I'm pretty sure that someone with average genetics can probably make it up to cat 2 or 1, but someone with substandard genetics as a domestic pro? Do you have any examples?

Using Coggan's charts, we're talking about an FT of around 350w for a 150lb rider at the bottom end of domestic pro. A 350w FT is certainly not a product of substandard genetics, and being at the bottom end of domestic pro is a very hard life indeed.

Well lets look at a pretty much average racer. Cat 3 150 lbs- doesn't consider themself to be genetical blessed and generally have to work for what they get. FTP= 270 or about 4/kg- Not much of a sprint. They reached this level on an average of about 9-12 hours per week. Lets say they started young enough to have a chance at pro. I firmly believe that with another three- five years of training, Increasing up towards the 20-25 hrs/ week that most pros are capable of that this person could attain the 5.15 w/kg or higher. This is not including the benefits from treating training as your full time job, time at altitude, etc.

If a person has a good sprint then they probably don't need 5.15 w/kg either. It's not that hard to suck wheels. For example IIRC erik saunders has some results as a domestic pro and his FTP is 4.75.

Also, there is really not that much of a difference between a cat 1 or 2 and a lower level domestic pro. Just look at the TT results of any big p12 stage race and there are always amatuers mixed right in. That said, the pros usually take the top 5.

If you look at successful pros, they do indeed kick butt right out of the gates, especially in time trailing (even the road sprinters) at the lower levels. You may be right that someone with domestic pro-pack fill potential will not slaughter them right out of the gates but in my opinion, if that's the hand you were dealt, you'd be much better off working for a living and being a weekend warrior cat 1 for the reasons you outlined in your last paragraph

Still, no JR is going to win their first races in even a remotely competitve area. In most any decent sized area there very well may be a cat 2 Jr and a handful of 3s thrown in the JR field. The newbie is simply not going to beat JRs of that caliber no matter how geneticall gifted he is. Fitness takes time and to boot the newbie simply doesn't know how to race at all. The newbie is also a few years younger then the JRs he is competing against and that is a further disadvantage.


The "genetically gifted" rider might progress faster but individual differences are present in that respect too. Some riders progress incredibly fast but level out earlier and some riders seem to never stop improving.


Basically, what I am saying about the genetic situation is that too often it is used as an excuse by people who aren't even close to the edge of their envelope. The genetic excuse is used too often to diminish great achievements and justify poor ones. Another problem in the situation is that a person may follow the exact same training program as someone else and not get the same results. They say that it is genetics but it is probably either mental or their physioogy would simply adapt much better to a different program.

One program would produce two different results in riders with the same potential. The difference lies in the fact that some people simply adapt to different formats. in different ways.

Also, according to "physiology of sport and exercise" genetics account for 25-50% of the variation in vo2max so 50 is on the high end. Also of interest is the diagram of a study (Brouchard) they did with mono and dizygous twins was that there was a correlation but some monozygous twins had differences of 15 ml/min/kg between them. Some dizygous twins had differences of 20 points between them. If they are twins then they should have much smaller differences then that.

More importantly to the OP. From what I have read most of the variation due to genetics was in the response to training not in the untrained state where the differences where much smaller.

13 year olds taking v02 tests to determine life choices is a bad idea.



Greg

 

[netscriber]

Downside of having brilliantly technical people in the forum. A kid asks for some advice and before you know it the guys are debating atleast 2nd level technicalities amongst themselves. No offense to the kid. He might indeed be very intelligent and be on the same page, but sometimes simple answers are more productive. And by that I mean without all the technical jargon.

 

[frenchyge]

13 year olds taking v02 tests to determine life choices is a bad idea.

I wouldn't say it's a *bad* idea to take the test, but it's probably not necessary. As Beerco points out, if the OP's ready to set his sights on the pro ranks then he should probably be able to jump into some junior races and trounce the competition, especially in time trials where experience and tactics plays less of a role. If the OP finds that he's 'merely' good-to-very good in the junior ranks, then with additional training he could probably develop to being good-to-very good in the upper level amateur ranks.

I agree that a VO2 test shouldn't be used to make life choices for a 13 yr-old, but it may give some "don't quit school just yet" insight, or OTOH, convince his parents that investing in a decent race bike and some coaching might not be a bad idea.

 

[frenchyge]

He might indeed be very intelligent and be on the same page, but sometimes simple answers are more productive. And by that I mean without all the technical jargon.

Well, he asked a very complicated and speculative question, so I hope he's okay riding out the responses to some extent.

Without some debate among the respondants to sort through the grey areas, purely simple answers end up looking like some people saying one thing, and others saying the opposite. That's not really any easier for a poster to make sense of than the more technical answers.

 

[gvanwagner]

I wouldn't say it's a *bad* idea to take the test, but it's probably not necessary. As Beerco points out, if the OP's ready to set his sights on the pro ranks then he should probably be able to jump into some junior races and trounce the competition, especially in time trials where experience and tactics plays less of a role. If the OP finds that he's 'merely' good-to-very good in the junior ranks, then with additional training he could probably develop to being good-to-very good in the upper level amateur ranks.

I agree that a VO2 test shouldn't be used to make life choices for a 13 yr-old, but it may give some "don't quit school just yet" insight, or OTOH, convince his parents that investing in a decent race bike and some coaching might not be a bad idea.

As far as trouncing the competition, yeh he should be doing that if he wants to turn pro. But he won't be doing that in the first month or two of racing unless he either has been training hard for more then a few months or races against 2nd level competition.


Don't forget that vo2 max isnt the only part of the fitness equation. Some people are born with merely decent (decent for their level of competition) but happen to have off the chart efficiency numbers around 28%. Some others have average vo2 and through training and possibly genetics have increased their FTP to 90% of Vo2. I can dig through and find the reference but some reasearchers took a cross sectional of elite marathoners and calculated the possible world record based on the highest numbers for LT, Vo2, and efficiency. It was something like 15 minutes faster than the record of the time. Which is a huge difference. So there is more then one part of the fitness equation and few people get great values in all areas.


I still really think that he should wait about 2 years before testing for v02 because there is no telling how much he will improve in his early training. You might look at a score of say 50ml/min/kg but you won't be able to say whether upon entering an endurance training protocol if that will increase 10 or 25- It makes a big difference.

Also, complicating matters is the fact that some people with great potential just don't have it in their head. It doesn't matter whether your at 100 ml/min/kg if you don't have it in your head you'll find yourself at a day job.


More importantly to the OP he needs to ride and race and decide whether this is really the life for him. Whether he can see himself cooking pounds of rice and sleeping in cars after races. Keep in mind, he hasn't even started racing on the road yet. Who says that he won't just say F it and walk away. Maybe, MT racing is for him. Maybe he should be an engineer or something.

Just train and race with everything you have and your decision will present itself by the time you need to make final decision (17-18) about college and life. BY then you'll know it. The good news is that you're starting at the time everybody wishes they started and so have already given yourself a great advantage. Just don't do anything that could hurt your chances and keep yourself clean. Just be sure that there will be times when you'll get destroyed or crash and how you handle those experience says a lot about whether or not you have potential. IOW, you won't have to ask this question after 3-5 years.