Mental health more important than training, says Peiper

UAE Team Emirate ride together
UAE Team Emirate ride together (Image credit: Bettini Photo)

While all of the conjecture and debate has been around when road racing will resume and the likelihood of races like the Tour de France happening during this calendar year, one aspect that has been sadly overlooked is that of rider mental health. 

Riders in the majority of European countries have been under the strict levels of lockdowns since March, and while some restrictions in some countries are set to be lifted in the coming weeks there is still a huge level of uncertainty surrounding the sport. The UCI has had to postpone its announcement of a new racing calendar, and even when such dates are announced there is no certainty that major events will be allowed to take place.

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Daniel Benson

Daniel Benson was the Editor in Chief at Cyclingnews.com between 2008 and 2022. Based in the UK, he joined the Cyclingnews team in 2008 as the site's first UK-based Managing Editor. In that time, he reported on over a dozen editions of the Tour de France, several World Championships, the Tour Down Under, Spring Classics, and the London 2012 Olympic Games. With the help of the excellent editorial team, he ran the coverage on Cyclingnews and has interviewed leading figures in the sport including UCI Presidents and Tour de France winners.