GENERATION Z...OOM
CYCLING WEEKLY|November 26, 2020
How are fresh-faced riders barely out of their teens managing to win at the highest level? Aspiring pro Joe Laverick has a personal investment in finding out
Joe Laverick
GENERATION Z...OOM

Generation Z – riders born in the late-1990s and early2000s – are taking over the cycling world. Tadej PogaÄar, Remco Evenepoel, Egan Bernal, Marc Hirschi, the list goes on. When Bernal, aged 22 years and 196 days, crossed the line in the maillot Jaune last July, he was the youngest winner of the Tour de France for over a century. A little over a year later, PogaÄar trumped the Colombian by clinching victory a day before his 22nd birthday. How are riders who’ve barely started shaving managing to win the biggest bike races in the world? And do we need to tear up what we thought we understood about youth training and development?

To put this into context, the average age of a Tour de France winner is 28.5 years old. As a 19-yearold aspiring professional cyclist, that seems about right to me: I’d like to think I’m going to carry on improving for at least another five or six years. How could I be expected to be approaching my peak already? Even away from endurance sports, performance tends to peak in the mid to late-20s – just consider the football maxim, “You can’t win anything with kids”. Until recently, this was true in cycling. But riders are no longer entering the pro peloton as bottle boys and working their way up; instead they’re entering the pro peloton as Grand Tour contenders. What’s changed, all of a sudden?

Is our sport going through a scientific revolution, where data-obsessive youngsters are training like pros from a much earlier stage than before? I’m talking about my generation – I’ve raced all over Europe pursuing cycling excellence. Is my generation different to those before us?

In at the deep end

Esta historia es de la edición November 26, 2020 de CYCLING WEEKLY.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

Esta historia es de la edición November 26, 2020 de CYCLING WEEKLY.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

MÁS HISTORIAS DE CYCLING WEEKLYVer todo
"We tore around the Sydney suburbs at 60kph in a terrifying, feral pack"
Cycling Weekly

"We tore around the Sydney suburbs at 60kph in a terrifying, feral pack"

Fast, furious and furry tales from Australia

time-read
3 minutos  |
October 17, 2024
RIDDEN AND REVIEWED BROMPTON G LINE £2,499
Cycling Weekly

RIDDEN AND REVIEWED BROMPTON G LINE £2,499

A Brompton for running riot in both town and country

time-read
4 minutos  |
October 17, 2024
How do different gravel conditions impact your tyre choice?
Cycling Weekly

How do different gravel conditions impact your tyre choice?

There are a myriad of tyres on the market but selecting the right one is easier than you think

time-read
3 minutos  |
October 17, 2024
FEAST OF SWEDEN
Cycling Weekly

FEAST OF SWEDEN

Soon after landing in Gothenburg, I began to realise how little I knew about Sweden.

time-read
6 minutos  |
October 17, 2024
THE WORLD'S GREATEST GRAVEL EVENTS
Cycling Weekly

THE WORLD'S GREATEST GRAVEL EVENTS

Globe-trotting gravel racer Joe Laverick chooses his eight favourite events, from coastal Wales to the wilds of Kenya

time-read
7 minutos  |
October 17, 2024
THE CALL OF THE WILD
Cycling Weekly

THE CALL OF THE WILD

Tempted to embark on a long-distance bike adventure? Let former round-the-world record holder and author Julian Sayarer inspire you to strike out and hit the road

time-read
7 minutos  |
October 17, 2024
Saint Piran accused of using non-UCI legal bikes
Cycling Weekly

Saint Piran accused of using non-UCI legal bikes

Cornish team also alleged to owe former staff tens of thousands of pounds

time-read
3 minutos  |
October 17, 2024
JOE LAVERICK GETTING INTO THE FEED ZONE
Cycling Weekly

JOE LAVERICK GETTING INTO THE FEED ZONE

I've ridden through hundreds of feed zones in my time racing a bike.

time-read
1 min  |
October 17, 2024
Lowden not ready to stop after retirement
Cycling Weekly

Lowden not ready to stop after retirement

Former Hour record holder eyes UK time trial scene

time-read
2 minutos  |
October 17, 2024
Pogačar makes history (again) at Lombardia
Cycling Weekly

Pogačar makes history (again) at Lombardia

Slovenian makes it four in a row at the late-season Italian Monument

time-read
3 minutos  |
October 17, 2024