Chris Juul Jensen says with a much busier race schedule, you need to judge you efforts carefully as a pro
Born and bred in Co Wicklow, Chris Juul Jensen first cut his teeth on a mountain bike with Sorrento CC as a kid. By the time he had reached 16 years he had moved to road racing and decided to take a place in a special school in his parents’ native Denmark designed to nurture pupils into professional sporting careers.
Since then he has declared for Denmark and last year rode his first season in the pro ranks, securing a place on the Saxo-Tinkoff squad. Having opened his 2013 campaign with the Tour Down Under last month, he is currently riding the Tour of the Mediterranean. In this dispatch he talks us through the highs and lows of his first year in the professional peloton in 2102.
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The past year riding as a professional for the first time has been an absolute adventure for me. You’re constantly experiencing new and exciting things; big races, great riders as teammates, and an amazing set up with Saxo-Tinkoff.
In April 2011 I was pinning on my number for the start of the Danish domestic season, exactly 12 months later I was doing Amstel Gold. So it’s a big jump.
Everything is bigger, better, and harder. But also easier to some extent because of the how the team works. Everybody's happy, positive and 100 per cent committed to their jobs. My gears haven't jumped once, and my clothes are always clean! Although it’s a different story when I'm home alone.
As an amateur I was constantly curious to find out what it would be like being a pro. I was desperate to be a part of the professional scene. Whenever I would see a rider step into his team bus and vanish behind the curtains and tinted windows, I would feel a pang of jealousy; "man they're lucky" I would think standing in my underpants trying to get dressed behind our van.
Now that's me on the bus so it's great, helped by the fact that the bus is very cool.
In terms of my approach to training in the period when I turned pro, it’s been a natural development. Turning professional at 22 years old meant that I was already doing long hours and big mileage. So it wasn't 60 hours in January and then ‘bang’, 80 hours the year after as a neo pro. What's changed are the specifics of training.
Suddenly I've gone from starting my season at the end of February doing smaller races, to starting mid January and the races are big ones. My first pro season consisted of 75 race days which is a big increase on my amateur days. So I have to approach the races differently and with more respect.
I do new intervals and I’m constantly listening to my body. I've kept the same coach from my junior days but we also incorporate things that the team coach suggests. That's worked really well for everyone and given my coach new inspiration as well.
What's changed the most is my training environment. I've gone from flat Denmark, with a climate less suited for cycling, to Tuscany. There’s mountains there, good weather, and world class pros as my training partners. That's been fun. I’ve bumped into Cipolini a couple of times on my spins. That's been an experience! He doesn't stop for traffic - traffic stops for him....
On a more serious side, I think I’ve learned that I'm very lucky to have turned pro now and not 10 or 15 years ago. Hard work, determination, and the right attitude is suddenly enough to get you far in the sport. And it's obvious that most of the guys out there are doing it that way.
I've learnt to believe that if I’m able to digest my seasons as a pro properly and convert them into strength and continuous development, then I can have a chance of getting big results at some point in my career. And I think most importantly, the accomplishments will have come through hard work and dedication alone.
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People ask me what the best and the worst parts of my career are now that I’ve been at it for a full season. I’d say the highs of last year were practically everything I did. Starting the season in Argentina with Alberto (Contador) was a big honour. He’s a true gentleman, who was extremely grateful for even the slightest amount of work I did for him.
Doing Amstel Gold race - 260km of constant stress, aggression, frights, great fans absolutely everywhere, the historic climbs, and the unbelievable atmosphere. I finished the race with wide blood-shot eyes, and all I could say was; "that was awesome - I want more".
Finishing the season strongly was also a high. It told me that I could manage the challenge that I'd been through. So many races and yet I was still eager to ride and I felt strong. So much so that I started to gain confidence in the smaller races and ended up 2nd at Koolskamp, a prestigious Flemish kermese race. Getting a personal result like that really felt good. Now I want more of the same.
In terms of the low points, it's obvious that Alberto's case and the threat of losing our license wasn't exactly an enjoyable part of the season. However, as most of what that case consisted of occurred well before I was on the team, I found it hard to relate to. All I could do was my job: ride my bike, and help my teammates get results. There was nothing else I could do.
The episode also made me realize how strong this team is as everybody maintained their positive attitudes and went out to try and win races.
My biggest personal low was being forced out of the Tour of Switzerland due to illness. It was a big race which I had been looking forward to, and unfortunately I only got to stage 4. Stages 1, 2 and 3 were big experiences though; very tough racing.
In terms of looking ahead to this year, it’s all hopefully about progress, progress and more progress.
During the teambuilding camp, I looked around and realized that this is going to be one of the strongest teams. It's star studded and packed with talent which means it requires damn hard work to earn my spot at the races. I’d only see that as a positive means of motivation.
I’m extremely happy with how my program looks.
Starting with the Tour Down Under suited me just fine; really nice weather and good racing. There are many smaller exciting races to look forward to plus the possibility of doing one of the big classics if I show strong form during the early season.
But my main goal for 2013 will no doubt be the Giro, which I'm currently set to be doing. It will be an enormous experience, and it could bring me on immensely if I get through it fit and healthy. But with three weeks of pain and suffering, that is the big question.
I think it’s fantastic that Nicolas Roche has joined the team. He mixed in really well on the first camp like all the new guys. It was good fun talking about Ireland, the people we knew racing back 'home', and just having a laugh - as an Irishman would say.
Although I must admit two things make me jealous; the Irish flag on his bike and his Irish surname. I’ll have to improve on my Wicklow twang and pronounce Roche with a French accent just so it's a more level playing field! There’s nothing much Irish about Juul Jensen......
Cheers
Chris
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