TEENAGE KICKSTART

What is optimal training for ambitious under-18s seeking to reach their potential while still having fun? Chris Marshall-Bell finds out

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The best teenage cyclists are now competing with and even beating -seasoned pros in the World Tour, a shift that might lead you to believe today's young champions are training harder, or differently, from kids of the past.

And you'd be partly right. Schoolage cyclists, future stars of the sport, now have access to cutting-edge training tools like power meters, GPS, biometrics trackers and smart trainers - equipment their predecessors couldn't have dreamed of a generation ago. With precise performance measurement at their fingertips, these young riders know exactly what they need to reach the top. What's more, junior gear restrictions were abolished in 2023, meaning youngsters now use the same ratios as the pros - there is nothing holding them back.

Exceptional talent aside, these young prodigies face the same limitations and challenges as did cyclists from earlier generations.

Puberty and the timing of a child's physical development vary widely, and placing too much physical stress on a growing body can lead to complications. Then there are the demands of daily life: while the growing number of 18-year-old World Tour pros can dedicate themselves entirely to training, their peers preparing for A-levels must juggle classes, exams and homework - they simply don't have the time to rack up elite levels of training volume. So how are today's future champions of the sport training in their junior years? And what should those following in their wheel-tracks be looking to emulate?

Junior sensation