Whether severe injuries, public criticism or a lack of freshness: the pros of the Vuelta and the autumn classics show how to emerge stronger from crises.
Cycling is far more than just pure leg power. When we look at the events of the Vuelta a España and the autumn classics, it quickly becomes clear: the biggest battles are often fought in the mind. Whether it is dealing with severe injuries, coping with public criticism or accepting a bad day – the pros provide us with valuable lessons in mental toughness and tactical flexibility.
The Vuelta offered a stage for impressive comebacks. Above all, Enric Mas from Team Movistar. At 31 years of age, the Spaniard celebrated overall victory at his home Grand Tour – a success that seemed almost unattainable after years full of setbacks and criticism. According to reports from Velo by Outside and the FAZ, Mas had to struggle with thrombophlebitis after a heavy crash at the Tour de France 2025, which required surgery. After a disappointing Giro d'Italia, he even faced public criticism from his team manager Eusebio Unzué, who described his performance as insufficient. But Mas did not let himself get discouraged. When the leader Tadej Pogačar crashed and abandoned on stage eight, Mas took over the red jersey and defended it for twelve days all the way to the finish in Granada. His realization: "Winning a Vuelta without suffering is impossible."
A similar picture was shown by Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe). After a severe training accident before the race, his participation was hanging in the balance. Instead of preparation, rehabilitation was on the agenda. According to Cyclingnews, Roglič revealed that even putting on his socks was the biggest hurdle in the first three weeks and that he initially couldn't think about sitting or cycling. Nevertheless, he fought his way from day to day and ended up in second place overall. For him, this second place felt like a victory – a prime example of how to adapt your own expectations to reality.
Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) also proved enormous mental strength. Two years after his bitter crash at the Vuelta, where he had to abandon while leading, he returned. He took two stage wins, the green jersey and the combativity award. For him, it was the closure of an unfinished chapter and the overcoming of one of the biggest disappointments of his career.
Not every day runs perfectly, and that is exactly what the stars at the Grand Prix in Canada had to experience. Remco Evenepoel, who had triumphed in Québec shortly before, had to settle for fifth place at the GP de Montréal. According to Cyclingnews, Evenepoel openly admitted that he lacked the necessary freshness and acceleration on the demanding, constantly climbing and descending course. Instead of despairing, however, he accepted the situation, fought his way through and used the race as valuable preparation for the World Championships.
The only 19-year-old Paul Seixas (Decathlon CMA CGM) took second place in Montréal behind Isaac del Toro. He honestly admitted to having made tactical mistakes, as he did not ride in his competitor's slipstream and wasted too much energy in the wrong places. His attitude towards this is exemplary for any athlete: "I was here to make mistakes, to see how it goes." He deliberately held back some tactical cards for the World Championship in order not to reveal everything to his opponents.
The pros show us that the path to success is rarely straight. For your own training on the road bike, important principles can be derived from this:
In the end, it is the combination of mental flexibility and the ability to accept setbacks as part of the sporting process that will get you further in the long run.
Your takeaway: Setbacks and bad days are part of sport – the decisive factor is how flexible you remain in your head and what you learn from them.
This article was generated automatically with AI from the sources listed above and has not been editorially reviewed.