'I don't think Pogačar trains harder but he's more talented and goes through life as a god of cycling,' says Oliver Naesen
The Belgian opens up on the mental struggles of having a season that doesn't go your way

Oliver Naesen has opened up about the mental struggles a rider can go through when things aren't going their way, and that results are even harder to come by when faced with lining up alongside the likes of Tadej Pogačar, Wout van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel.
"I have now learned that I should not compare myself with Van der Poel and Van Aert," Naesen told Wielerflits in a long and engaging interview. "The Tour of Flanders is a good example. When they – together with Asgreen – drove off and I couldn't follow, I didn't care anymore. Fifth or twentieth, who cares. I had started to win. But I wasn't among the best and let it go. A wrong attitude. That was also a lesson.”
The 30-year-old says that after arriving late to the top-level of the sport, stepping up to the WorldTour with IAM Cycling in 2016 at the age of 25, he made progress over the next three years up until 2019.
"I heard then 'you still have plenty of time to win the Ronde once' but now we are four years later and I have not come any closer than then. That's not easy. It has really changed, especially in the last two years. There are guys who are a lot better. Then you need to adjust your style. Even adjust your ambitions. And that is not easy for an ambitious athlete.”
>>> Survey reveals 50 per cent of riders can't get by on the wages they're paid
Naesen says he's re-learned what it means to make sacrifices as a professional cyclist - when you train hard for a race and get nowhere near the result you want.
"It's not always easy mentally," Naesen says of his tough season. "And that's new, when I used to be asked if I had to sacrifice a lot to be a professional cyclist, I answered that I had no problem with that. But this year in the Tour I was like… 'F**k, it's damn hard'. I started here with a few miles on the counter, with days of dietinf, not to blame myself, but there is no reward.
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
“Look at Tadej Pogačar for example. I don't think he trains harder than me, but he's much more talented and goes through life as the god of cycling. If you do everything you can and you are rewarded for it, then life is beautiful and wonderful. If things suddenly go down, the support base becomes much smaller and it quickly becomes too much. It is difficult to separate that psychological effect from the results. I notice that now in myself, but also with team-mates. Let me say that this year I discovered the flip side of the coin. You learn lessons from that, you get to know yourself better.”
The Belgian adds he hasn't received help from a mental coach yet, but that he will make changes to his off-season this year. Usually, he'll finish his road season and then go mountain biking for fun a week later but this year he says he will follow the usual advice of his coach and will now not touch his bike for a month when his 2021 campaign comes to a close.
Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Jonny was Cycling Weekly's Weekend Editor until 2022.
I like writing offbeat features and eating too much bread when working out on the road at bike races.
Before joining Cycling Weekly I worked at The Tab and I've also written for Vice, Time Out, and worked freelance for The Telegraph (I know, but I needed the money at the time so let me live).
I also worked for ITV Cycling between 2011-2018 on their Tour de France and Vuelta a España coverage. Sometimes I'd be helping the producers make the programme and other times I'd be getting the lunches. Just in case you were wondering - Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen had the same ham sandwich every day, it was great.
-
Can anyone stop Primož Roglič or Juan Ayuso from winning the Giro d’Italia?
Roglič and Ayuso's form suggest they are the two outright favourites for overall victory in Rome next month
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
How to watch Dwars door Vlaanderen 2025: Everything you need to live stream the cobbled Belgian Classic
All the information on broadcasters and live streams for Dwars door Vlaanderen on 2 April, as Wout van Aert, Mads Pedersen, Marianne Vos and Lotte Kopecky take on the cobbles.
By Tom Davidson Last updated
-
Tadej Pogačar commemorates Strade Bianche crash with limited edition t-shirt - here's how you can buy it
Part of profits from new t-shirt will go to world champion's charity foundation
By Tom Davidson Published
-
'I came pretty close' - Tom Pidcock left with mixed feelings after finishing second to Tadej Pogačar at Strade Bianche
Pidcock explains he didn’t want to ‘take advantage’ of world champion’s 'unfortunate' crash
By Tom Davidson Published
-
'Not the best way to win a race' - Tadej Pogačar comes back from dramatic crash to claim third Strade Bianche victory
World champion in 'a lot of pain' after falling into a ditch
By Tom Davidson Published
-
Tadej Pogačar crashes into ditch at Strade Bianche, remounts bike to continue
World champion goes on to win race following rare crash
By Tom Davidson Published
-
'When he starts his Tour preparation, we’ll then see Jonas 2.0' - Jonas Vingegaard heads to Paris-Nice almost at full strength, coach says
Tim Heemskerk says the Danish star is not interested in outside noise as he attempts second stage race win of the year
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
'There's nothing we can do' - Tadej Pogačar is 'almost impossible to beat', says Alberto Bettiol
The world champion is the overwhelming favourite to win Strade Bianche on Saturday
By Tom Davidson Published
-
Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard start seasons with a bang, but their routes to the Tour de France couldn't be more different
Pogačar is off to the Classics, and won't ride a stage race until June, while Vingegaard will follow his tried and tested method
By Adam Becket Published
-
'Finally a victory' - Tadej Pogačar wins first race of 2025 with mountaintop sprint at UAE Tour
World champion now leads race by 18 seconds over Josh Tarling
By Tom Davidson Published