Coachingsarah & anthony

5 THINGS PRO CYCLISTS DO THAT YOU DON'T | RIDER SUPPORT

with Rider Support

29:49·26 April 2024

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CYCLING NUTRITION

Pro cyclists aren't just training harder—they're operating with a completely different mindset and attention to detail. This week, Anthony and Sarah break down five concrete habits that separate the pros from everyone else, plus they tackle listener questions about saddle sores, indoor vs. outdoor training, and why ditching those last few miles on Strava actually doesn't matter.

Key Takeaways

Attention to detail in every aspect matters: pros won't ride with dirty bikes or shoes because 'how you do anything is how you do everything'—small habits compound into better performance
Motivation follows action, not the other way around: pros show up to train regardless of how they feel, trusting that the work itself creates motivation rather than waiting to feel inspired
Develop a long-term perspective on failure: pros don't quit after a bad race or getting dropped—they zoom out, treat it as feedback, and focus on improvement over the next decade
Paying knowledge forward builds class and respect: teaching newer riders the nuances you've learned creates reciprocity in the cycling community and accelerates everyone's growth
For saddle sores, prioritize hygiene and fit: wash your kit after every ride, change out of damp chamois immediately, use quality shorts with chamois cream, and ensure your bike fit and saddle are dialed
Indoor training is more time-efficient physiologically, but outdoor riding teaches critical bike handling skills you can't learn on Zwift—you need both to be a complete cyclist

Expert Quotes

"How you do anything is how you do everything. Pro cyclists have consummate attention to detail—they won't go out training with a dirty bike or dirty shoes."

"Pros know that motivation follows action. They don't wait for motivation to strike—they do the thing and then they'll feel motivated after that."

"You're better off just jumping on a Zwift bike and doing your 60-90 minutes inside for physiological adaptations, but you can't learn bike handling skills remotely—you need to practice cornering and handling crosswinds in the real world."

KEY QUOTES

“Pros know that motivation follows action they don't wait for motivation to strike they do the thing and then they'll feel motivated after that's I think maybe the most important one.”
Anthony Walsh — Roadman Cycling podcast host, former professional cyclist

“When you sign a rouer like Primos rug obviously you get a marquee Ro or all the marketing that goes with that the race wins but he's like the Habit formation that he has like the impact of habit formation on younger Lads he said you go into rit's room everything is immaculately folded not just his cycling kit the entire room there calmness.”
Anthony Walsh — Roadman Cycling podcast host, quoting the head of performance for Bora Hansgrohe

“Close pass are a problem but they're not the problem distracted drivers is what's killing people that's people on their phone that's people you know playing Apple car play which is basically a laptop on your screen.”
Anthony Walsh — Roadman Cycling podcast host

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EPISODE TRANSCRIPT4 SECTIONS

What Pros Do That Amateurs Don't

Welcome to this week's episode of Rider support today we're going to talk about the the Caton bike sold out almost instantly how to treat saddlesore when you should ditch your indoor cycling but first five things that pro riders are doing that you most probably aren't Sarah Anthony you're smiling face why not got to got to keep it smiling anyway I'm hiding a w of fatigue behind my smile today you did a what a 6 hour 6 hour 6 hours too many 6 hour is too many we want to talk about what the pros are doing that amateurs aren't but that comes from a question from listeners I think yeah this question came in from colum and he says hi Anthony I'm trying to upgrade myself as a cyclist this summer I spent a lot of time cycling and training and I'm a total addict but feel like I can up my game a bit to level up any insights as to a few things that the pros do that set them apart things like weeks at altitude and advice like that isn't what I'm after here I'm looking for a few things that us normal cyclists can do I think there's a few things yeah definitely like the weeks at altitude the 40 hour training weeks you know no one's doing a 40-hour training week but you know what I mean like that's again not very replicable for your typical amateur but I think there is some good stuff H you won't know who this is cuz you're not a huge basketball fan but there was the head coach of UCLA called John Wooden and I think I was telling you about this Stories the other day he went in and he took over his team and they were already very successful team and he went into the dressing room and the first thing he he done was hold up a sock and he's like okay everyone listen this is how you put on a sock and he rolled through and said okay so you fit it snuggly around the toes you iron out the creases we do this because I don't want anyone getting blisters and he's like this is how you put on a sneaker and he unlaced them laced them all the way up and he's like and you double KN it because I don't want any lais Coming Undone and the idea was how you do anything is how you do everything that's something that the pros do they have consumate attention to detail they won't go out training with a dirty bike they won't go out training with dirty shoes because how they do anything is how they do everything I think that's one really important thing that the pros do I spoke with the head of performance for Bora Danang a few weeks ago and kind a second point to build on that he said there such a difference between the Neo Pros or people just coming into the team and Primos rug he said when you sign a rouer like Primos rug obviously you get a marquee Ro or all the marketing that goes with that the race wins but he's like the Habit formation that he has like the impact of habit formation on younger Lads he said you go into rit's room everything is immaculately folded not just his cycling kit the entire room there calmness so because the pelaton is chaos so he's created this sanctuary of calmness his kit is perfectly folded everything's clean he like the this room smells good he's like you went to somebody younger neopro room it's like flush the toilet the gusting in here it doesn't seem like that stuff makes a difference but it really does make a difference uh you're pushing me now for five a third one I think Pro I had a director and he used to say to me there's a word before cycling and that's pro pro cycling Pros show up all the time and I know that sounds obvious but everyone listening is probably a pro and some they're a pro Carpenter they're a pro so if you think about what are the attributes of a pro well like you show up when you don't feel that good you show up if you're having a bad day you show up if you had a fight with the misses you show up if you know anything you show up that's what you do because you're a professional we don't really approach your training like that we approach our training as an amateur we approach your training we train when we feel like it Pros know that motivation follows action they don't wait for motivation to strike they do the thing and then they'll feel motivated after that's I think maybe the most important one and for a final one I think prow have a very long-term Horizon they don't look at One race get dropped and think oh I'm it's cycling I got dropped today packing it in yeah they just zoom out and go no I had a bad day I'm in this for the next decade how do I improve how do I take that failure as feedback and improve my training based on that yeah that's really good but I think for me how somebody can level up let's say you've take somebody who comes to our group right who has won a couple of gotten promoted they have won a couple of their category races they've got their body clean they've got their kiss is absolutely Immaculate and they've got a really really kind of like a Next Level mindset I think that the next thing that you can do as a cyclist is to start paying it back so the young person that comes in or the female Rider who's nervous or the Newbie take them under your wing and be like okay this is how you do this and show them the kind of little beautiful nuances that you think that is because you learn more by teaching well you learn I I just think it's about paying it forward and that will also give you this crazy respect from other cyclists who might be a couple of steps behind you or even a couple of steps ahead of you that they're looking at you and they're like oh wow this person is really you know paying it forward doing out there knowledge passing it on and they want everyone to succeed in this sport they're not gatekeeping and I think that that's what will kind of set you apart as like to level you up as a cyclist I remember reading I think everyone goes through this journey I remember reading one of Tony robbins's self-help books I'm a selfhelp junkie all my books are selfhelp they are reading one of Tony robbins's books and he's feeding like a crazy amount of people in the US every year I can't remember what the program was called we call it feed million yeah something like that nut well this is based on the philosophy of the more you give the more you get and he gives away like a very large percentage of his annual income each year in kind of indifference almost to this principle of reciprocity you know the way Harry Krishna come up to you and annoy you when you're walking around town to give you a flow well that's also based on reciprocity they think if they give you a flow you're more likely to give back to them whether that's monetarily or your time or whatever and it's kind of the same thing so I wonder does that translate into the cycling world where when you give back to the cycling Community you're almost rewarded by the cycling gods and you get something extra back kma I agree I think doing good deeds is I mean it's never a really bad thing but that to me is how you really show your absolute class on the bike I remember when I first started cycling obviously I had Anthony kind of on my side and constantly you know giving me tips here and there and one of the other writers one day Sean McKenna came out and he's absolutely pure class one of the best wrers no he is one of the best Riders of the generation and he was just like you know giving me like the odd tip at first he told me to get out of my big ring I wasn't you know a big ring was and it was just like listening to somebody who was clearly much much better I mean puls apart and it really helped me really helped my confidence and yeah it's just absolute class okay now you've paid your hom to Sean question number two question number two Anthony I got ask with less than five miles to go to get the century why stop I understand that for some people that just doesn't mean much but for others and me my OCD and sense of accomplishment would need to complete that I've only done one 100m ride for those that do it often or maybe it's part of training I get that it's maybe not that big of a deal cheers from the flat midwest states and this is prompted by somebody who follows you on stra and they saw your ride actually from today and they were like he was 5 miles away from reaching the 100 Man Mark now for us over here in new money that's 160.

Chasing Round Numbers on Strava

N3 kilm it doesn't it has never bothered you I've been on rides with you where it's we've been at like 59.89 kilm and I'm like come on let's just you know try and get to 16 you're like why I tit like a couple of years ago I on 199 8 km and I titled it cuz when you're done you're done and people freaked out going would you not just ride around the car park and get an extra 200 M okay so first in this one because it's a mile kilometer translation that never even dawned on me yeah you you had 150 you probably had 150 kilometers on your clock yeah I was just going out for a 5 hour ride and I came in and that's where it was also just I just don't think that matters I just don't think that matters at all it's like what am I going to be going better cuz I got an extra two Mile in like I'm also like I'm not riding enough that a 5H hour ride is nothing to me like I'm still pretty fatigued at the end of a five roid so I'm just like not in the mood to ro yeah an extra 15 20 minutes for what yeah to get a number I have to say I don't think I'm really into that either I don't know i' obviously I done a couple of centuries just on big sport Eve Days by accident because I had to get to the finish line but I don't think it's something that I really obsess about either I think if that's the way that your mind works and you kind of think okay I've done three centuries before I love to do two this year and you'd like to have that on straa and it's like an important number for you more parity but yeah not something that I would yeah maybe it's a for some people that haven't ridden very much and yeah I can see if he hasn't ridden very much that like I couldn't tell you how many 100 mile rides I've done a thousand more like uh so yeah if you haven't ridden very much maybe it is that kind of badge of honor or acceptance into a club that you've graduated to the next level of being able to cuz there's a lot goes into doing 100 mile ride you need Fitness you need to carve out the time in the day you need to get your kit right you need to get your hydration you're fueling right so it is an accomplishment that people should be proud of and it he shouldn't feel less about his accomplishment because it's you know a little bit insignificant for me it's still pretty cool to roide 100 miles so fair play in the midwest absolutely okay next question dear Anthony dear Anthony from my M I've been a regular Road cyclist for the last 33 years and thoroughly enjoyed it with group rides races and now mainly solar rides but one thing that strikes me now is the huge increase in traffic on the road and even the quieter country lines that I've always trained on have become busier I Believe by about 35% and this takes away some of the pleasure that I get the other issue I've noticed when I'm cycling is the fact that cars have become so much bigger and wider and people pass you much closer than they ever did freaking you out our country lanes are not wider so why have cars been built so wide the worst ones are the ones where they have a wide axle body area but a smaller passenger area deceiving the driver of the actual width of the car can you possibly tell me why this has happened and that's from Step Stephen thank you for that I mean I I think first of all the point that I would make about the wider cars I mean car companies manufacturers Don't Care About Us and there is an appetite for bigger cars and it's mostly as a status symbol for people well like I can't speak to engineering or status symbols that's just like not my area I don't know why the cars have got bigger they have I think that's the reality we're dealing with we were kind of debating this actually myself and a friend during the week there's two slightly different problems close passes are a problem and that's what he's talking about here with the wider cars and they're definitely a big big problem more close passes than ever I feel it every single day of the week it's you feel the car behind you it's uncomfortable you're anticipating the close pass it ruins your R close passes when I get killed out training which is a chance of that it's greater than zero or when someone listening has a bad accident out training I don't think it's going to be a close pass that gets them I think statistically and I don't have anything to back this up just anecdotally it's distracted drivers close pass are a problem but they're not the problem distracted drivers is what's killing people that's people on their phone that's people you know playing Apple car play which is basically a laptop on your screen and I think they're two distinct issues I think a close pass is a driver who is maybe there The Fringe case where they look up the last minute and they kind of swerve around you and that's you know gives the close pass but I think close pass is quite it I'm paying attention it's conscious I either don't care about you or I've misjudged the room that's use case a the distracted drivers is more happen than on isolated country roads someone isn't anticipating a like this and that's where we're seeing more of the debts okay that's what I think anecdotally and I just think they're they're very different and we've conflated these two issues as being the same I would like to see more advocacy going on distracted drivers than close passes wow yeah I mean I don't know I think I I've never really looked at close passes to be honest as as something that somebody does on purpose and maybe that's me being a little bit naive it they do make me extremely angry and they're absolutely terrified it on purpose I know I said on purpose but I think I just meant more consciously it's not like they're on their phone and they're just but they are driving by and focusing on driving they just don't care about oblivious care they're oblivious yeah that's how I think and that's what makes me really angry as that as you said they don't care about you and not paying attention properly for my life Stephen I'm sorry I don't think we have really any you know insights there except to say that we do get questions like this in every single week and people are really baffled and kind of confused as to what's happening out there in the roads and it seems to be really happening all over the world so I think Anthony you're right like as the more that we can do to lobby and Advocate and get our cycling boards and our governments to pass new laws maybe stricter penalties for people who are driving on their phones driving to attracted other than that I don't really know what we can do in the very very short ter Cycling Club which is a Cycling Club here in Ireland they sent an open letter into cycling Ireland which is the governing body of cycling here in Ireland I think that's a great idea if you're in a Cycling Club you know and you have some ability to influence the Cycling Club decisions send an open letter into your covering body and say push push it back on them and say we pay a license fee with you we need you to Advocate on our behalf the roads are not safe for riding a bike we need help yep I totally totally agree that's the way I would approach it too okay next question Anthony and Sarah a quick thank you to you guys for a question you covered a few weeks ago in an episode about an affordable but highs speec bike and you guys suggested the van reel byy to cathlon I managed to get one on pre-order I couldn't believe my luck Tim congratulations Tim because they are like Goldust they sold out within so they went up and sale on the UK website at I think 10: a.m.

Van Rysel's Sold-Out Bike Launch

And the pre-order was sold out by noon so that will tell you the demand for this bike is absolutely crazy well I looked on the Irish website that evening and they were also there was an extra large in like a Shram Apex or Shram whatever the to one down the Shram altegra equivalent whatever that is uh there was one in extra large size and everything else was sold out that was it like van risel have done a really good job they started making a dent in the high performance cycling Market I I think that van risel is a protest from consumer saying no no 15 grand bikes no we're done hey Roan excuse the short Interruption I love riding the bike but on account of being so busy with the podcast at the moment I'm now what's called a time crunch Rider I never thought i''d see today but I have a tool I'm using what bike to keep myself sharp and point with specific sessions to maximize that available training time I have a what bike atam right here in the recording studio beside me and when I have an hour in between interviews I jump on it's removing all the friction points from me there's no more 10 minute setup unfolding legs banging my knees off stuff getting my hands dirty usual connection issues it just works every single time the atom's perfect for virtual racing as well because it has crisp gear changes it has 1% accuracy and it has Max gradient capability of up to 25% if you're looking for an indoor trainer I honestly couldn't recommend this any higher I've been using a w bike since 2013 honestly it's the last indoor trainer that you're ever going to need if you head on over to what bike.com now and you use code roadman 10 that's r o a d m n t n and that's going to get you 10% off your what bike yeah I totally agree with you so basically dealan they came out a couple of years ago and they you know when they launched this idea or were about to bring it to the market and basically said that they want to be in the next by 20126 in the top five Global bike brands which is like a really you know that's like a very very Al sign up that's like Ali say it and then when they went in and when the when ag2 or started riding the Deaton biks I think everyone was just a bit like oh my God this is completely against the status quo of these insanely priced high-end bikes they've done something really really kind of cute I think as well and they've called it basically an absolute replica of the bikes that they're using on the team and so they've kitted the ones that have gone to Market out exactly the same the only difference is apparently that the ones that you will buy from the store or online are slightly heavier and I think that that's been a really interesting marketing tactic that you can ride the exact bike and the bike that Catalan bike has actually already tasted victory in nine races so do I mean is there any more kind of marketing you know kudos for a bike so I'm not surprised that it sold out 9,000 or 9,000 EO you can ride the bike the quickstep use maybe just they've drawn attention to I think it's just that they drawn the attention to it I think it's just been a very interesting kind of marketing especially for people who don't really know about every bike Brand's top of the line is the one that is Prem I'm like okay is that2 or what's Shram what's you know what's uh Shimano what's this whereas like they have literally put this in black and white this is a replica of what they're writing in the ag2 team you actually don't know when you get started with like we think that everyone knows what it means to have a jur ace with di2 when that's very exclusionary vocabulary and no one can make I get a lot of questions from people getting into this sport saying like can you translate this from me like yeah barwi you know setback on C posts like people don't understand this even crank L this is stuff that you know I've just my whole life understood what I still don't know what to bottom bracket it I still don't a Sher mortgages I don't tell anyone I admitted to that but yeah look I think it's absolutely brilliant they're kind of turning the whole bike industry around and 9k is still a pretty penny okay next question hi Anthony and Sarah it's a delicate topic but I seem to have recurring saddle swur that just won't go well it will go but then it will come back a couple of weeks later I'm genuinely about to sell my bike over this any advice before I pack in cycling alt together and that's from Adam don't chill with your girlfriend or she pack into relationship Adam I I I have been known to suffer from saddles orus before and they are extremely painful um you know I've always had to go and get an antibiotic I've you know they they can be absolutely crippling they'll definitely have you off the bike and there's a million reasons why you could potentially be getting a saddlesore for me it's when I'm not training at all and then I go and I start doing like you know a 12 or 15 hour week straight away and my body just says no or if I'm a bit run down so I'm sure you've looked into a lot of these chicone you know um the track little track Rider he's just back from a saddlesore he had to have an operation he was out for about six weeks so even the pros who were absolutely looking after themselves really well he would think have their bike fit completely dialed in perfect saddle for themselves you know it can happen to those people as well well it could be so many different things contribute to and as well that leads into how you treat it I think keeping it dry and clean is really essential and that's how you can get them if you have the start of it and then even really mcky horrible day where it's you know you're on the bike for six seven hours and it's West and dirt is getting into it that's how a small little saddle can actually flare up and it can be a big one but a really helpful tip for that is get out of your kit as soon as you come in St away like as soon as you come in the door have your recovery drink in the shower if you can or while you're transitioning to the shower like get out of that kit you don't want to be sitting around in their shorts Shamy cream as well I know not everyone uses Shamy cream I actually don't use it that often but it does prevent that friction which will stop you occasionally getting Saddles saurs and bad shorts I almost think they're a trade-off if you have really good shorts I don't find you need to use Shamy cream that much the worse the shorts are the more I feel it need to use Shamy cre but I think both of those and you you touched on bike fit and your saddle as well they're both very good suggestions and what I also will say is hygiene and I've spoken about on the podcast before I have actually and I will link the episode in the show notes I've done a complete podcast on Saddles saures and how to treat them and how to avoid them that's what we going back six months but I will put that in but I did a poll on Twitter about a year ago about you know how often do you wash your cycling kit and I have to say I was shocked horrified and completely revolted at the amount of people who don't wash their Shamy short it's after every use yeah I can't believe people reuse I would knock out Trina rather than wear Dy Shamy same I just can't believe it I mean I can and I can't I have I mean I'm in the gym sometimes I can smell guys it's usually man that like haven't wash cish they their gym stuff probably since they used it the last time it is usually guys the back of my gym bottom of my gym bag doesn't smell great now oh Jesus Christ gross but um yeah go and check out that full podcast and I did have a little look online about this as well and somebody suggested buying in the meantime until you get this figured out is buying a cumbent bike which is which is an option that will definitely take the pressure off if these keep going if these keep coming please go and seek some medical advice from your doctor I used to get them quite bad when I was in the States and Canada for quite a while and I found a cream called backrop ban I think it's prescription but it's like a antibacterial cream and that worked really well for me the last one you could like apply like a warm compress onto it and that's going to help get circulation and stuff back to the area as well Adam's in good company I mean we do know that Sean Kelly was on he was on the way to I think winning his second fter in a row in 87 I'm gonna guess I don't have this written on my notes I should and he had to pull out because he had a well he called it a boil which that sounds worse the visual of a boil that's how you get down the country the TS get the lad and Carrick get they don't get saddle s nothing as delicate as that they get a boil boil gives you a visual of it as well doesn't it it's like if you pop the boil with a needle it just oh okay next question hey radan now that the bright evenings are back I'm tempted to ditch the indoor trainer and do all my sessions outside someone once told me that you get more out of an outro recession and more adaptations but that sounds backwards to me Anthony what do you advise hey Ro man today's episode is brought to you by our amazing clothing sponsor lall I bounced around cycling clothing brands for the better part of the decade until I found lall and then I settled the moment I put that kid on I knew I was stuck founded by former team GB cyclist yanto Barker lall isn't just another cycling brand it's an apparel brand born out of professional cyclings heart and soul I had yanto on the podcast and his mission it's Sean bright in that conversation for me he wants to create the ultimate cycling gear and he's doing this by combining Pro level insights with the kind of technical details that make all the difference whether you're racing you're training or you're just enjoying the ride it's an amazing piece of casee every piece of laal case it's tested to the Limit ensuring it stands up to the toughest rids what really sets lall apart for me is how they've taken the feedback from the world tour teams they've sponsored working with top aerodynamicists and they've Incorporated that into all their kit so whether you're pushing to beat your own personal best or you're just out enjoying the open road lall's mission is help you get the most out of every single Road trust me feeling good on the bike means performing well and with LA call you're always in good hands we've teamed up with LA call to give you an amazing discount if you head on over to lol.

Indoor vs Outdoor Training Skills

CC and use the code roadman 20 at checkout you're going to get 20% off your laal order suppose it depends what you mean by adaptations you looking for physiological adaptations are bike handling adaptations I think they're two different and you could separate them also mental health benefit are righten outside physiologically straight up you're better off just jumping on a w bike and doing your 60 90 minutes inside the quality of the session you'll get it's going to be way higher it's structured there's no red lights there's no downhills there's no tail freewheeling so I don't know 60 Minutes is probably worth 80 90 minutes outside especially for me like the traffic is shocking around here at a moment yeah you're stopped freewheeling more than you're riding half the time but I don't think you can be one of these whift Warriors that's just doing all their riding Insight because ultimately you're going to need to know how to handle your bike in a crosswind how to Corner when you feel a front wheel slipping on a gravel Corner uh you know what happens if you miss an apex these are skills that are real world skills and you can't learn them like remotely watching YouTube videos on moar Rich toen than the poio like you need to practice this stuff don't do that at Home Folks don't super talk with a dropper post I think we saw this didn't we after Co where a lot of people took up cycling and indoor training and zwift riding and my buo riding and when the roads open again particularly in Ireland they were very very strict and far we couldn't really train outside that much and when the roads opened everyone's out cycling again I think A&E admissions by cyclists went up by about 80% because people were so strong they had those big engines big endurance engines they were able to go really fast but absolutely nothing in the line of by Ling skills so they categorized all their crashes called I was just riding along I was just riding just riding along and I don't know what happened did that ever happen you Anthony you were just riding along I actually had one when I got started I I had an indoor trainer but indoor trainer was really bad this would have been 2007 2008 me and a friend of mine we didn't know anything about training zone so we just go to the local Hill he worked on building site I was in college so from say 6:00 until SE until probably 9 9 or 10:00 in the evening we do three four hours every night on the local hill we just literally race each other up for 4 hours didn't know anything about Fuel and didn't know anything about pace and just knock bits out each other and we limp home halfway each other all the way home and then limp home but on the scent one night it was pouring rain really bad lights and I thought it was a puddle and it was actually a pole and I hid it I went straight over the bars was one of my few training releases crashes I haven't had that many tou were training crashes plenty of race crashes what's the turn of race it just it came out of nowhere I don't know turn just ring you just riding along yeah cuz I do kind of roll my eyes a little bit when I hear about people crashing I'm like oh my god what happened they're like just riding along I'm like no I think you need to I think you need to have a little bit of a hard think about what you did wrong or what you could have done better there rather than stre ownership yeah Sniper got him Jo will Sniper taking out many a good man folks thank you for tuning in to another edition of reuer support please keep your questions coming in for reuer support to either myself or Sarah over on X we're going to link both those profiles down below we want this to be a two-way dialogue so please send in anything you're struggling with there's another video up here which I think you're really going to enjoy and don't forget to subscribe to the podcast because it helps the channel more than you know

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What habits do pro cyclists have that amateur cyclists don't?+

According to coaches Anthony Walsh and Sarah Wallace, the five key transferable habits are obsessive attention to detail, structured environments that counter the chaos of group riding, showing up consistently regardless of motivation, adopting a decade-long performance horizon, and actively mentoring newer riders. These are behaviours any amateur can adopt without access to altitude camps or a 40-hour training week.

How do pro cyclists use attention to detail to improve performance?+

Professionals treat every controllable variable as a training input, including sleep environment, nutrition timing, and daily routines. Bora-Hansgrohe's performance lead cited Primož Roglič's habit of keeping his hotel room immaculately organised as a genuine performance behaviour, not a personality quirk. Amateurs who apply the same mindset to their own recovery and preparation see compounding gains over time.

How do you treat a saddle sore from cycling?+

Keep the affected area clean and dry, apply a chamois cream or an antiseptic barrier cream, and stop riding until the skin has healed to avoid infection. Check your saddle height and fore-aft position, as recurring saddle sores are usually a fit problem rather than a skin problem. If a sore becomes swollen, hot, or does not improve within a few days, see a doctor.

When should cyclists stop indoor training and ride outside?+

Anthony and Sarah recommend moving outdoor sessions as soon as road conditions and daylight allow, because indoor training cannot fully replicate the handling demands, variable power output, and positional adjustments required on real roads. Indoor training remains useful for targeted intervals and time-efficient sessions, but relying on it exclusively through spring limits race readiness. As a rule, prioritise outdoor riding once you can complete a consistent 60-minute ride safely.

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HOW CHAMPIONS EAT TO WIN | RIDER SUPPORT

Are you struggling to lose weight? This week on Rider Support we give you 5 tips to lose weight by cycling which all nutritionists i've had on the podcast agree on.

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Key Takeaways

Attention to detail in every aspect matters: pros won't ride with dirty bikes or shoes because 'how you do anything is how you do everything'—small habits compound into better performance

Motivation follows action, not the other way around: pros show up to train regardless of how they feel, trusting that the work itself creates motivation rather than waiting to feel inspired

Develop a long-term perspective on failure: pros don't quit after a bad race or getting dropped—they zoom out, treat it as feedback, and focus on improvement over the next decade

Paying knowledge forward builds class and respect: teaching newer riders the nuances you've learned creates reciprocity in the cycling community and accelerates everyone's growth

For saddle sores, prioritize hygiene and fit: wash your kit after every ride, change out of damp chamois immediately, use quality shorts with chamois cream, and ensure your bike fit and saddle are dialed

Indoor training is more time-efficient physiologically, but outdoor riding teaches critical bike handling skills you can't learn on Zwift—you need both to be a complete cyclist

Expert Quotes

"How you do anything is how you do everything. Pro cyclists have consummate attention to detail—they won't go out training with a dirty bike or dirty shoes."

"Pros know that motivation follows action. They don't wait for motivation to strike—they do the thing and then they'll feel motivated after that."

"You're better off just jumping on a Zwift bike and doing your 60-90 minutes inside for physiological adaptations, but you can't learn bike handling skills remotely—you need to practice cornering and handling crosswinds in the real world."

KEY QUOTES

“Pros know that motivation follows action they don't wait for motivation to strike they do the thing and then they'll feel motivated after that's I think maybe the most important one.”
Anthony Walsh — Roadman Cycling podcast host, former professional cyclist

“When you sign a rouer like Primos rug obviously you get a marquee Ro or all the marketing that goes with that the race wins but he's like the Habit formation that he has like the impact of habit formation on younger Lads he said you go into rit's room everything is immaculately folded not just his cycling kit the entire room there calmness.”
Anthony Walsh — Roadman Cycling podcast host, quoting the head of performance for Bora Hansgrohe

“Close pass are a problem but they're not the problem distracted drivers is what's killing people that's people on their phone that's people you know playing Apple car play which is basically a laptop on your screen.”
Anthony Walsh — Roadman Cycling podcast host

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What habits do pro cyclists have that amateur cyclists don't?+

How do pro cyclists use attention to detail to improve performance?+

How do you treat a saddle sore from cycling?+

When should cyclists stop indoor training and ride outside?+

5 THINGS PRO CYCLISTS DO THAT YOU DON'T | RIDER SUPPORT

Key Takeaways

Expert Quotes

KEY QUOTES

What Pros Do That Amateurs Don't

Chasing Round Numbers on Strava

Van Rysel's Sold-Out Bike Launch

Indoor vs Outdoor Training Skills

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

NEVER MISS AN EPISODE

READ THE GUIDE

RELATED EPISODES

HOW PRO RIDERS DESCEND REALLY FAST BUT SAFELY | RIDER SUPPORT

6 HABITS BEGINNER CYCLISTS MUST AVOID | RIDER SUPPORT

HOW CHAMPIONS EAT TO WIN | RIDER SUPPORT

RELATED CONTENT

HOW PRO RIDERS DESCEND REALLY FAST BUT SAFELY | RIDER SUPPORT

6 HABITS BEGINNER CYCLISTS MUST AVOID | RIDER SUPPORT

HOW CHAMPIONS EAT TO WIN | RIDER SUPPORT

WANT THIS APPLIED TO YOUR TRAINING?

5 THINGS PRO CYCLISTS DO THAT YOU DON'T | RIDER SUPPORT

Key Takeaways

Expert Quotes

KEY QUOTES

What Pros Do That Amateurs Don't

Chasing Round Numbers on Strava

Van Rysel's Sold-Out Bike Launch

Indoor vs Outdoor Training Skills

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

NEVER MISS AN EPISODE

READ THE GUIDE

RELATED EPISODES

HOW PRO RIDERS DESCEND REALLY FAST BUT SAFELY | RIDER SUPPORT

6 HABITS BEGINNER CYCLISTS MUST AVOID | RIDER SUPPORT

HOW CHAMPIONS EAT TO WIN | RIDER SUPPORT

RELATED CONTENT

HOW PRO RIDERS DESCEND REALLY FAST BUT SAFELY | RIDER SUPPORT

6 HABITS BEGINNER CYCLISTS MUST AVOID | RIDER SUPPORT

HOW CHAMPIONS EAT TO WIN | RIDER SUPPORT

WANT THIS APPLIED TO YOUR TRAINING?