Young cyclists are being selected at increasingly early ages, but does that actually lead to better professionals? Human movement scientist and cycling coach Jens Voet researched how young cycling talents develop. His conclusion: focus less on current performance, and more on future potential.
Most professional men’s road cycling teams have a development squad for riders under the age of 23. “These development teams operate at a semi-professional level and aim to scout and nurture young talent into professional cyclists,” explains Jens Voet. He knows what he’s talking about: in addition to his PhD research at the Department of Human Movement Sciences at VU Amsterdam, he also coaches the under-23 squad of the Swiss Tudor Pro Cycling Team. For his doctoral research, he focused on talent identification and development among young riders in development teams.
Age and body
His conclusion: too many teams still select based on present-day results. “But that paints a distorted picture,” says Voet. One example is the relative age effect: in age-categorised youth sports, athletes born in January, for instance, have a physical advantage over those born in December.
On top of that, heavier and taller young riders have an edge in flat countries like the Netherlands, simply because they can push more power through the pedals. Yet when these riders enter the international stage, lighter and smaller cyclists tend to have the upper hand in the mountains. Voet explains: “This suggests that talent identification can be improved by selecting young riders based on their future potential rather than current performance.”
“An essential component of talent development is learning to perform under fatigue, known as durability,” Voet continues. “We found that fatigue particularly affects short bursts of effort, such as a one-minute sprint,” he says. “Maintaining carbohydrate metabolism plays a crucial role here.” That’s why Voet emphasises the importance of a so-called polarised training approach – a mix of low-intensity and high-intensity sessions – as the most effective way to develop young riders physically. He also stresses the value of a strong bond between coach and rider: “Good mutual understanding makes a real difference in how a talent progresses.”
Under 19
Voet is critical of the trend to select riders at ever-younger ages, with more and more under-19 teams operating professionally. “These are ‘wasted’ investments,” he concludes, “because it becomes even harder to recognise potential at a younger age.” His message: focus on the long term, and invest in the most promising riders who can reach peak performance at a later stage.