{"id":199239,"date":"2025-08-01T05:20:50","date_gmt":"2025-08-01T05:20:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/?p=199239"},"modified":"2025-08-01T05:26:28","modified_gmt":"2025-08-01T05:26:28","slug":"why-every-cyclist-secretly-thinks-theyd-win-the-tour-de-france","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2025\/08\/01\/why-every-cyclist-secretly-thinks-theyd-win-the-tour-de-france\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Every Cyclist Secretly Thinks They\u2019d Win the Tour de France"},"content":{"rendered":"

Let\u2019s be honest: every cyclist \u2013 yes, including you, me, and Dave from accounting with his squeaky hybrid \u2013 secretly thinks they\u2019d win the Tour de France.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cIf I had time to train\u2026\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n

This is the universal mantra. If we just didn\u2019t have full-time jobs, kids, dogs, mortgages, creaky knees, or an insatiable need to watch Netflix every night \u2013 we\u2019d be right up there with Poga\u010dar.<\/a><\/p>\n

I mean, I personally train hard<\/em> \u2013 two Zwift sessions a week, a Sunday caf\u00e9 ride, and regular strength workouts consisting of carrying shopping bags up the stairs. Surely that\u2019s enough to conquer the Alps?<\/p>\n

And let\u2019s not forget the ultimate justification: \u201cI just don\u2019t have the time to recover properly, otherwise I\u2019d smash it.\u201d<\/em> Yes, Dave. Sleep is the only thing standing between you and yellow.<\/p>\n

Crushing that local segment<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Every cyclist has that one segment they absolutely obliterate. It might only be 200 metres long and have a howling tailwind, but it\u2019s THEIR moment of glory.<\/p>\n

Last week, I KOM\u2019d a flat segment near Lidl at 45km\/h while drafting a recycling truck. Felt unstoppable. Tour de France<\/a> mountains? Pfft. Same thing, just longer\u2026 right?<\/p>\n

And let\u2019s be real, every group ride ends with someone sprinting for an imaginary line yelling, \u201cAND HE TAKES THE STAGE WIN ON THE CHAMPS-\u00c9LYS\u00c9ES!\u201d We\u2019ve all done it. Some of us twice in the same ride.<\/p>\n

Watching every stage makes us pros<\/strong><\/h2>\n

We\u2019ve all sat on the sofa in bib shorts, eating spaghetti straight from the pan, watching Eurosport commentators dissect watts per kilo and thinking, \u201cYeah, I could totally do that.\u201d After all, tactical knowledge is half the battle. The other half \u2013 the fitness \u2013 is just details.<\/p>\n

Plus, we know exactly when to attack. Usually right after the bakery stop when everyone else is digesting almond croissants. Pure strategy.<\/p>\n

The bike is worth more than the car<\/strong><\/h2>\n

It\u2019s science: the lighter the wallet, the faster the bike. Between the carbon frame, Di2, and aero wheels, our bikes are basically pro-level. Sure, the engine (legs) might wheeze uphill like an asthmatic goat, but at least we look<\/em> Tour-ready in photos.<\/p>\n

And let\u2019s not ignore the moral boost from \u00a3200 shoes and a matching helmet. Marginal gains, right?<\/p>\n

We can suffer\u2026 briefly<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The Tour is about suffering, and we\u2019re experts. Just last Sunday I held 300 watts for 10 minutes before seeing stars and dry-heaving into a hedge. Multiply that by 40 and I\u2019m basically Demi Vollering.<\/a> That\u2019s how maths works, right?<\/p>\n

Besides, pain is just weakness leaving the body. Or in my case, it\u2019s last night\u2019s pizza leaving my stomach at the roadside mid-interval.<\/p>\n

Because dreams are free<\/strong><\/h2>\n

At the end of the day, we\u2019re all the same: lycra-clad dreamers, believing that with just a bit more training, a few gels, and the perfect marginal gains, we\u2019d be on that Paris podium, spraying champagne and waving to adoring fans.<\/p>\n

Until UAE Team Emirates calls, I\u2019ll keep wearing yellow socks for morale, chasing Strava segments behind buses, and telling anyone who\u2019ll listen:<\/p>\n

\u201cHonestly mate, if I went full gas, I\u2019d drop Poga\u010dar. Easy.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Let\u2019s be honest: every cyclist \u2013 yes, including you, me, and Dave from accounting with his squeaky hybrid \u2013 secretly […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":99,"featured_media":199242,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[329,334],"tags":[2668,3415,433,3231],"global-categories":[3366],"class_list":["post-199239","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-road-cycling","category-socialising-and-culture","tag-cycling-fun","tag-tadej-pogacar","tag-tour-de-france","tag-tour-de-france-fans","global-categories-cycling"],"yoast_head":"\nWhy Every Cyclist Secretly Thinks They\u2019d Win the Tour de France - \u0160koda We Love Cycling<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Let\u2019s be honest: every cyclist \u2013 yes, including you, me, and Dave from accounting with his squeaky hybrid \u2013 secretly thinks they\u2019d win the Tour de France.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2025\/08\/01\/why-every-cyclist-secretly-thinks-theyd-win-the-tour-de-france\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Why Every Cyclist Secretly Thinks They\u2019d Win the Tour de France\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Let\u2019s be honest: every cyclist \u2013 yes, including you, me, and Dave from accounting with his squeaky hybrid \u2013 secretly thinks they\u2019d win the Tour de France.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2025\/08\/01\/why-every-cyclist-secretly-thinks-theyd-win-the-tour-de-france\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"\u0160koda We Love Cycling\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-08-01T05:20:50+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-08-01T05:26:28+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/d2p6e6u75xmxt8.cloudfront.net\/2\/2025\/08\/Tour-de-France-Femmes-Start-Peloton-profimedia-1026791755-CVR.webp\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"990\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"660\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/webp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"tereza\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Monica Buck\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2025\/08\/01\/why-every-cyclist-secretly-thinks-theyd-win-the-tour-de-france\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2025\/08\/01\/why-every-cyclist-secretly-thinks-theyd-win-the-tour-de-france\/\",\"name\":\"Why Every Cyclist Secretly Thinks They\u2019d Win the Tour de France - 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