Professional cycling is often regarded as the hardest sport in the world. While nobody can argue that it's a dangerous sport where the rewards are not as great as other professional sports, it does have plenty of upsides too. Here are 10 reasons why we think it would be great to be a pro cyclist...
1 You get to travel around the world – for free
Few jobs in the world offer as much opportunities for travel as a professional bike rider.
The season starts in January at the Tour Down Under after which the peloton make their way to Europe and the traditional early-season battles in Belgium, France and the island of Majorca, respectively.
There’s Grand Tours in Italy, France and Spain and even the Swiss believe they have a race that rivals any of the big three.
Riders rack up in excess of 100 race days a year while the training camps are often lengthy - and in some pretty cool places too.
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Granted, they don’t exactly be sight-seeing when they hurtle down country lanes at breakneck speeds but being a pro will allow you see more of the world than the average person.
2 You have fans!
The sport has some real characters and it has fans that any sport would be proud of.
It’s a hard sport at the best of times but effort and sacrifice don’t go unnoticed by the best of supporters.
It must be a pretty cool feeling for a pro rider to arrive at sign-on before a race with a legion of followers crying out for an autograph or a selfie!
Or in the case of the Norwegians, arriving at the Tour de France every year and seeing thousands of them cheer you along every kilometre.
3 The money isn’t bad
Wages of riders in the pro peloton vary depending on what level your team is at but suffice to say, if you’re a team leader of a WorldTour squad, you’re doing okay.
WorldTour and Pro Continental riders are all paid handsomely and with it being an ‘all expenses’ lifestyle, they needn’t look for a part-time job in the evenings to supplement their incomes!
Lower down the scale at Continental ranks the wages are much less – and some are dependent on handouts and sponsorship deals, but at least they’ll have enough to continue doing what they love.
4 You can live (almost) anywhere
One of the real advantages of being a pro cyclist is you get to choose your office, within reason.
Most opt for a place which is warm, conducive to training, has good roads and where airports are nearby.
Girona in northeast Spain, Monaco on the Cote d’Azur are popular choices, while the Gold Coast in Australia and Colorado are other pro cycling hotspots.
5 You can eat a lot!
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Given the amount of training required to compete at the highest level, riders need lots and lots of calories to meet their bodies’ demands.
This means an extra helping here and a few scoops more there...
Eat like a horse, go like a horse, right?
6 You’ll have a killer tan...kinda!
Training and racing a bike for a living means you’ll be outdoors a lot and if you live in a warm climate you’ll pretty much have the Ronseal exterior year-round.
Okay, tan lines are a major dilemma for cyclists when the real summer heat arrives and we do tend to get a few strange looks at the beach…
But we'll put up with a few strange looks...
7 You get to ride some pretty amazing machinery
Pro teams are always looking for the best equipment for their riders.
These small subtleties can be the difference between winning and losing so it’s no surprise teams want the best kit they can get.
This is great news for the guys who get to ride them!
8 You build lasting friendships
Anyone who has ever raced a bike will know that feeling of camaraderie you get after completing a particularly hard race or training ride.
We train hard, race hard, make huge sacrifices and put huge demands on ourselves and only cyclists really know what this feels like.
Be it the bottle you received from a friend when you were cramping, or the spare wheel you offered a teammate when he crashed, it’s a sport that really fosters strong friendships.
9 You lead a healthy life
Cycling is a sport that doesn’t place any strain on joints and it’s for this reason people continue doing it into their later years.
At every level, it’s a superb way to keep fit, travel and meet/make friends .
There is no real drinking culture within cycling and it's a real 'early to bed, early to rise' kind of game.
No sign of cardiovascular disease here....
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