Victor Campenaerts completes 10 years of professional cycling this season. And even at 32 years old, his commitment to improving his skills as a cyclist remains unwavering, focusing completely on that mission.
Spain’s climate provides better training
“I have already trained 37 hours and 24 minutes more than last year during this period,” the Belgian told Dutch website Wielerflits.
He moved to Spain this winter and like many other great cyclists he is feeling the difference after a few months of work.
“At this point in preparation I had already been sick about three times. Not once now, nor have I had to skip a workout. This is largely due to the weather.”
Time trials could once again be a priority
Lotto driver Dstny spoke about how he is considering returning to focus against the clock, but his aggressive style of racing got him some results last year. He beat Druivenkoers-Overijse.
However, the most significant result was in the Tour de France, where he reached the podium in Paris, as the most combative cyclist in the competition.
Follow Campanaerts’ incredible disposition in the last Tour de France
Closer to aerobic threshold
“I cannot prove with results that this new approach works. There’s a big difference between five hours of hill training in Spain or five hours in the rain in Belgium.”
“Here I get closer to the aerobic threshold. They say this is a more efficient workout. If you cycle close to this zone more frequently, it stimulates the production of mitochondria”, he explains. Therefore, he believes that his changes over the winter could take him to a new level in 2024.
“And the cyclists who win the most races today, like Pogacar and Vingegaard, have the most developed mitochondria, which provide better results,” says Campanaerts.
