gustav larsson - riding toward Le maillot jaune

No pain, no gain – sometimes the means to reach an end can be as easily described as that. When the end is to not only participate in but to win Tour de France, you must be ready to pay with a vast amount of pain. For Swedish professional cyclist Gustav Larsson, who aspires to reach Champs-Élysées wearing the legendary yellow jersey, pain is a currency spent on a daily basis.

When and why did you start to train cycling?
When I was 14 I wanted to ride motocross, but my mother just wouldn’t let me. Instead I started to ride mountain bike, which I am really glad I did. I loved it, and still do, and rode for the Swedish national mountain bike team for several years. In 2001 I switched to road cycling with my mind set on conquering Tour de France. I have always been a big fan of challenges that force me to push my limits, and I consider Tour de France to be the toughest sports challenge in the world.

What’s your training schedule like?
During the off-season, which lasts from the beginning of December to mid February, I usually train seven times per week. I do two five-hour, low-intensity rides in the Swiss and Italian Alps; two high-intensity workouts on the test bike; two Nordic walking workouts carrying extra weights; and one cross-country skiing workout. Cross-country skiing freestyle is excellent training for the entire body. During the racing season I adjust my training to the Pro Tour calendar.

Cycling is an extremely tough endurance sports, how and what do you eat in order to keep your energy levels balanced?
Proper nutrition is one of the keys to becoming a good cyclist. I spend 1,500 to 4,500 calories per workout, depending on the type of training, and it’s important that I replace those with the right kind of calories. I usually have oat meal for breakfast, pasta after workouts and soup and meat in the evening.

What are your strengths and weaknesses as a cyclist?
I am really good at racing against the clock, so I usually do well in time trials. I would say that I am mentally strong and have the capacity to really push myself beyond ordinary pain levels. As a cyclist you must be able to force yourself to keep on riding no matter what, to keep on pedalling until you almost can’t breathe anymore. My weakest point is my nonexisting sprint capacity. I am really poor at sprinting!

What are your goals for this and future seasons?
My dream and main goal is to win Tour de France. It’s the ultimate race and in order to win it everything must run perfectly. I, my team mates, the tactics, the food, the clothing, the bikes – everything – must be in perfect condition. Other goals along the way to Paris and the yellow jersey are to do really well at Tour de Suisse, the Olympics and the World Championships.

This is your first year competing for CSC, which has been the world’s number one team for the last three years. What can you say about your new team?
It’s a fantastic team! I am very pleased that I got the chance to ride for them. There’s a Nordic mentality within the team management that I especially like. The leaders pay extremely close attention to every little detail and work hard to make sure that the riders get the opportunity to perform optimally.

You train and race in CRAFT garments. What can you say about them?
Awesome! The fabrics are fantastic. I really like the Pro Cool underwear. I often use Them Pro Zero WS underwear with wind protection in the front when I ride my bike in the winter. And the Craft cross-country garments that I wear when I ski are really comfortable.

NAME: Gustav Larsson
BORN: September 20, 1980
HEIGHT: 194 cm
WEIGHT: 77 kg (80 kg in the off season)
HEART RATE MAX: 190 bpm
HEART RATE AT REST: 28 bpm
RECORD: 3:rd place Eneco Tour 2007, 4:th
place World Championships Time Trial, 1:st place
Swedish Championships Time Trial 2006 and 2007
TEAM: CSC
OTHER INTERESTS: Rallying