How has cycling changed in the past five-to-six years, since 2019, when Tadej Pogačar and Remco Evenepoel turned pro?
It’s quite a standard question to ask these days, especially to WorldTour veterans of 12 seasons and counting like Bob Jungels. The Pogačar-Remco emergence heralded a new era of young superstars, of teenagers turning professional with the knowledge and tools of much older peers. Usually, it’s a question that elicits a standard response, a nod to the increased professionalism or a throwaway comment about the lack of training camp beers. The sport’s not better or worse for it, it’s just the new reality.
But when Jungels, who is joining Ineos Grenadiers in 2025, is asked this very unoriginal question by Rouleur, his response is far deeper and far more meaningful than what could have been expected. “What is interesting for me is how Covid changed so much [in 2020],” the Luxembourger, 32, says. “The pandemic didn’t change things, but it was how all the teams came out [of that period]. That’s where everything got dialled in in terms of nutrition and training and everything else. You could argue that sometimes we have less fun, especially off the bike, but that’s a good thing also: we’re becoming really professional on every level, and you see the whole level of the bunch is going up.”
So far, rather run-of-the-mill quotes. But then Jungels begins to stew over a debate more people are beginning to voice. “It’s an interesting time for the sport, and I’m curious to see how long it will last,” he says. “I’m a bit sceptical if we can still push it a lot more.”
In terms of what? Technological advancements? Our understanding of nutrition and training techniques? “I think we will reach a limit at some point of mental strength and mental capacities of riders,” he says. Are we asking a lot of riders? “I think so. There is a lot less downtime, more time at altitude camps, and all year round you’re required to take care of nutrition and this or that. It’s becoming a tough year every year. I believe there is a time for everything – time to have beers with mates, time to weigh your rice. To have a long-lasting career, you have to find your own balance.”
Jungels is alarmed that in the past few seasons a number, although still a small amount, of riders in their early 20s have chosen to retire from the sport, often citing dissatisfaction with the lifestyle and wanting fulfilment away from the rigours of being a professional athlete. “I don’t think it’s going to be a thing where people say we don’t want to ride like this anymore, but you see it already with younger riders saying it’s not for me anymore,” Jungels continues. “You didn’t really have this in the past. I believe, and I hope I’m wrong, that careers will be shorter because the intensity is not sustainable. If at some point you want to have a family, it’s tough, very tough, and it’s something we will see in the next five to 10 years.”
History and convention would suggest that Pogačar, at 26, and Evenepoel, soon to be at 25, have their best years ahead of them, but Jungels isn’t so sure. “I don’t want to point anyone out, but definitely, I think the peak is much earlier now. I am sure of that,” he says. “I think nowadays the pursuit of success is a lot more unforgiving for younger riders. It’s a feeling that I have that teams sometimes take less care in building a rider up. It’s a personal feeling, but it will be interesting to see what will happen in the next seasons.”
Jungels is one of the peloton’s most eloquent and intellectual voices: alongside his sporting career, he co-owns an architectural firm in Luxembourg and is an investor in the nutrition app Hexis. For the next two years, though, his main responsibility will be leading Ineos Grenadiers, both as a road captain and a race winner himself. “I really appreciate that role [of road captain], but I still want to fight for victories,” he says. “It’s something that goes quite well, and I matched my visions with Ineos, and I’m super excited about it.”
Ineos will be his fifth WorldTour team, and when he looks back on over a decade in the peloton, he reflects on the different qualities of each team. “Trek [2013-15] was a bit of an intro into the old school of cycling, with the Schleck brothers and [Fabian] Cancellara. I learned the most from that team because there were so many big names around me.” Quick-Step, from 2016 to 2020, “was a very special environment. It was this huge wall of fame riding with everyone, and we always had that feeling at races of having a legacy around you, protecting you.”
At AG2R Citroën between 2021 and 2022, Jungels scored his only Tour de France victory to date: “It always sounds negative when you say they have a French mentality, but I had two wonderful years and great success there.” And most latterly at Bora-Hansgrohe, where Jungels is convinced “they will have great success now with Red Bull. After all, it’s a question of how much budget you have, how much you can innovate. Similar to AG2R, Ralph [Denk, the team’s owner] built the team almost from nothing. We had a fantastic atmosphere between the riders, and it was always good fun.”
But will longevity and enjoyment continue to go hand-in-hand in cycling? Or will riders burn out before they reach their supposed peak years? Jungels has his doubts.
