This is what Tom Dumoulin talked about recently -These guys are weirdos, nerds, they ain't normal kids.
Maybe this was always the fact for cycling, but it will also factor in with drug responses, sudden increases in abilities etc. Jonas is a good example where extreme structure also likely is part of the explanation to why he showed extreme improvement after joining Rabo. Not saying that means he's clean. Far from it. But these things factor in way more than for the average dudes.
I'm just struck by it. The more I look for narcissism the more autist-ish guys I find 🤣
(And I hope I won't have to explain how neurology and getting a diagnosis ain't the same thing and I'm talking about the neurology here, not trying to diagnose them or those similar to them.)
The way cycling has changed into a sport where everything can be measured and optimized through data also favours nerds in itself.
This might also explain Vingegaard's mental problem with nerves or whatever it is. I'd still like to know what "Academy" Visma sent Vingegaard to."From the age of 15 or 16, these boys often receive the same guidance as the pros. It has become so calculated and structured in terms of training and nutrition. That knowledge was not available when I was sixteen. I didn't know how Michael Boogerd trained, but now every sixteen-year-old can watch Strava and copy what the pros do.”
As mentioned though, Dumoulin also has concerns about the way cycling is going. “I wonder if that will burn them out," he says. "It would certainly burn me out, but they are different character types. I'm a bit of a free bird, an enthusiast. I enjoyed the adventure and the training, but not when the minute and wattage was specified. Another character type, like Remco Evenepoel, thinks that is fantastic. He also says: just write to me what I have to do and what I have to eat. Jonas Vingegaard also does exactly what the trainer says and he loves it, it benefits him. The younger generation is really raised with this and they find it normal.”