Nacer Bouhanni already planning a career in the boxing ring

Nacer Bouhanni has his whole career mapped out, but he doesn’t see himself as only being a cyclist, admitting he plans to take up boxing when he hangs up his wheels.

In an interview with French newspaper l’Equipe, the 24-year-old insists he will stop cycling in about eight years in order to make his move into the ring.

The Cofidis rider has been using boxing as a training method during the off-season in an attempt to improve his fitness ahead of the 2015 season with his new team.

“I’ll stop cycling around 32 years of age and that will leave me at least two years to go as high as I can in boxing,” he told the newspaper.

“Just like as a cyclist, I’ll be 100 percent invested in it.”

The Frenchman, who won the points classification title at the Giro d’Italia in the spring, joined Cofidis from FDJ.fr, having fallen out of favour with the latter team's manager Marc Madiot.

With Milan-San Remo and Gent-Wevelgem on his radar in 2015, Bouhanni admits his new training regime is helping him both mentally and physically.

“In boxing, your heart-rate gets up to 180 beats per minute very quickly, like in a sprint.

“It’s ideal for the transmission of energy, for strengthening your upper body and for strengthening your core.

“On the mental side of things, it helps me to master my emotions before unleashing all of my rage in the final 200 metres.”

Source: L'Equipe (via Vavel)

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