THE PROS PELOTON'S SIDE HUSTLES

Sometimes you just need a little extra cash. Chris Marshall-Bell talks to the pro riders who have a business they run on the side to find out how they do it

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Being a professional cyclist is a life of long training hours, sharp tan lines and more caffeine than the recommended amount.

For the younger riders, and especially those without families, it’s also a life with a lot of spare time, in particular in the winter months when racing is on hold.

It’s not uncommon for teenagers and early 20-somethings to study a part-time university degree alongside their career as a cyclist, but rarely do riders seriously think about a post-cycling career until they get into their 30s.

When it comes to hanging up their wheels, most riders stick around in cycling, swapping the bike for the team car, venturing into the media, or setting up cafes to consume yet more coffee.

A small percentage of riders, however, have an extra job or two during their career, and are owners or co-owners of businesses. Cycling Weekly tracked down a few of them.

Jasper Stuyven

DAY JOB: CLASSICS RIDER FOR LIDL-TREK

SIDE HUSTLE: CO-OWNER OF A CHOCOLATE SHOP

There are a few stereotypes about the people of Belgium: they all ride bikes, they brew the strongest beer, and they make the best chocolate.

So if Jasper Stuyven, a proud Flanderian, was ever going to go into business, logic suggests it would either be a bike shop, a brewery, or a chocolatier.