How pros like Thibau Nys or Demi Vollering read races, meter their efforts, and why mental composure often decides victory or defeat.
Anyone who follows professional road or cyclocross racing sees spectacular solo moves, tactical games, and sudden changes of pace. Yet behind a successful surge, there is rarely chance or blind fury. It is precise pacing, reading the course, mental composure, and the right riding position that decide between victory and blowing up. Current race reports and expert insights show how the pros operate and what you can take away from this for your own rides.
Thibau Nys provided a prime example of measured effort at the European Cyclocross Championships in Zeddam, as reported by Velo. Nys did not blindly attack from the front the entire time. On the contrary: he realized that leading on the finishing straight cost an enormous amount of energy and called this section a tactical gamble. By the middle of the race, he already felt that the decision would only come in the final lap.
Instead of wearing himself out prematurely, Nys waited until the last lap and launched his decisive attack on foot at the 99 steps of the stairs section ("Stairway to Heaven"). He opened a gap of a few seconds and preserved a seven-second lead over Joran Wyseure across the finish line. This shows: race toughness does not mean going all-out from the start, but saving energy where headwind or the course profile take too much out of you, in order to deliver the maximum at the key section.
How quickly a race is lost through poor tactics and nervousness is illustrated by the look back at Isaac Del Toro's Giro d’Italia. According to a report by Velo, Del Toro led the race until the penultimate mountain stage. There, Del Toro and Richard Carapaz marked each other so intensely that Simon Yates rode away, pulled out over five minutes, and secured the overall victory. Looking back, Del Toro emphasized that this bitter setback shaped him and that he learned to act with greater focus.
That inner composure brings measurable success is also underlined by Lars Boom, team manager of Demi Vollering, speaking to Wielerflits (quoted by Radsport-News). While Vollering was still visibly nervous at the 2026 Giro and won by 30 seconds, absolute calm reigned in the team bus before the stages of the Tour de France Femmes. According to Boom, this mental maturity made the big difference for her commanding overall victory by 1:18 minutes. Cyclocross rider Marie Schreiber spoke similarly to Radsport-News: instead of dwelling on favorite roles, she simply focuses on her own race.
To get that race toughness and power onto the pedals in the first place, the fundamentals must be right. Many amateur riders look to the pros' equipment, but make fundamental mistakes in doing so. Bike fitter Oliver Elsenbach explained in an interview with Radsport-News that among recreational athletes there is often a huge discrepancy between the dream bike and the proper fit. Many beginners buy pure race bikes without being able to adopt the required aggressive posture, even though an endurance bike would often be the more appropriate choice.
Added to this is the question of actual everyday speed: as Velo notes in an analysis of aerodynamics and frame designs (such as comparing the Specialized Tarmac SL9 and Factor ONE), trade magazines like Magazin Tour standardly test bikes in the wind tunnel at 45 km/h. If you ride significantly slower as a recreational cyclist, you benefit far less from extreme aero concepts than from a suitable, fatigue-free riding position.
You do not have to contest a Grand Tour to make use of the pros' methods. For your rides and intervals, you can take away the following principles:
Your takeaway: Meter your efforts specifically for key sections, stay mentally calm, and only ride as aggressively as your bike fit allows.
This article was generated automatically with AI from the sources listed above and has not been editorially reviewed.