All that data in cycling: Bettiol compares it to school exams – "You yourself have to know the answer"

Cycling is all about the details. These days, the smallest margin can make the biggest difference, so teams and riders do everything they can to gain an edge. Power meters have become commonplace over the years, but some riders still want nothing to do with them. One such rider is Alberto Bettiol. The Italian champion prefers to ride as analog as possible whenever he can.

All those stats, all those gadgets — Bettiol isn’t a fan. He also dislikes training on a stationary bike, opting instead for a ride in the fresh air. "Riders today have very little feeling," he told La Gazzetta dello Sport. "I’ve seen so many people training alone, with their eyes on their computer screens. You’re locked in a room for hours, completely isolated… People are talking to each other less and less."

With the rise of Strava, the obsession with wattages and data has gone beyond just training — it’s become a hobby. People eagerly compare who climbed the hill faster or who generated the most power. But Bettiol, now a member of Team Astana Qazaqstan, is against this trend. "There’s too much focus on numbers, data, watts… It often becomes an obsession," says the former Tour of Flanders winner. He made the transition to his new team in August after deciding to leave EF Education-EasyPost.

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In June, Bettiol became the Italian national champion

Bettiol compares cycling to school exams

"I’ve never used a heart rate monitor while cycling, and if I could, I wouldn’t even bring a power meter." So why is Bettiol so firmly against using meters during rides? His reasoning is simple. "When you study for an exam, you need books and a calculator. But on the day of the exam, which for me is the race, you yourself have to know the answer. The tools shouldn’t be necessary anymore."

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