This rider put his cycling dream back on the shelf: "I had no social life anymore" and "I have scars for life"

Two promising riders belonging to the Soudal-Quick Step development team have decided to give up their dream of becoming professional cyclists. The 18-year-old Frenchman Gabriel Berg and the 19-year-old Briton Cormac Nisbet have both spoken openly about their difficult decision.

In recent years, there has been an increasing competition among teams to sign the best talents. Whereas the focus used to be on the best riders in the U23 category, teams are now scouting even among juniors, or younger. More and more often, juniors are skipping the U23 phase altogether, jumping straight into professional cycling. In the case of Remco Evenepoel, this transition went very smoothly, but few have his talent for cycling.

Moreover, young riders are given less and less time to adjust to a higher level. Not long ago, it was quite common for neo-pros to gradually ease into the sport during their first year, but now results are expected quickly. As a result, young cyclists train and live like monks for the sport from a very young age, and this can eventually weigh heavily on them.

Nisbet is an example of this. He started his first season with the Soudal-Quick Step development team this year, but it ultimately wasn't what he had dreamed of as a young boy. " I came to terms with the fact that the lifestyle I once dreamed of as a kid was no longer a future I wish to pursue — it didn’t bring me happiness.," Nisbet openly shared on his Instagram. "As a result, I have decided to step away from racing at this level and subsequently have mutually agreed to step down from the Soudal Quick-Step Devo team with immediate effect."

Read more below the Instagram post.

"People who guided me through tough times"

Nevertheless, cycling has also brought Nisbet many positive moments. "For as long as I can remember I have had one major goal in life, to become a professional cyclist. No matter what has happened outside of that goal, cycling has given me the discipline, focus and separation to pursue that. It has rewarded me in ways I didn’t know possible and challenged me to blood, scars and tears."

Ultimately, however, cycling did not give Nisbet enough to continue chasing his dream. "Cycling is a rollercoaster and the highs are less frequent than the lows. However, every moment — good and bad — has made me a stronger and greater person. I owe it so much. I also owe an immeasurable amount of gratitude to some incredible mentors I have had. People who have guided me through the tough points, given me opportunities and belief when most didn’t.

Nisbet's teammate, Berg, made the same choice. "So I took the decision to stop cycling at the highest level and return to the bike I loved, with fewer headaches, fewer constraints, and perhaps even more pleasure," he wrote on Instagram. Like Nisbet, cycling cost Berg more than he was willing to give. "I love cycling, and turning professional was a dream of mine, but this year made me realize that it wasn’t necessarily for me: lots of sacrifices, time away from my loved ones, repeated crashes, constant tension, little time to do anything else."

Read more below the Instagram post.

Berg: "Development teams don’t want to miss the next gold nugget"

In an interview with L'Equipe, Berg elaborated on his decision to leave cycling. He revealed that seeing many heavy crashes and the tragic deaths of Andre Drege (in the Tour of Austria) and his former teammate Thomas Bouquet deeply affected him. "Today, it was them, but it could have been me." Berg himself crashed many times, and hard. "My body is damaged, and I have scars for life. Last July, during a race in Belgium, I crashed four times in ten kilometers. I was a little scared."

The crashes weren’t the only reason he decided to stop. "My age also played a role in my decision to quit. At 18, I wasn’t ready yet — it was too soon. I didn’t have the maturity to give everything up for cycling. I didn’t know how to turn my passion into a career. I felt trapped in a routine — cycling, cycling, cycling, all the time. Outside of cycling, I saw no one. I had no social life. When my friends suggested going on holiday or hiking, I turned them down. These little things add up."

Shortly after quitting, Berg felt like he had failed. "I was ashamed because I initially saw it as a failure. I didn’t immediately accept that I hadn’t succeeded in living in that world. But I had the maturity to stop before I grew to hate cycling," Berg now recognizes the wisdom in his decision. He also mentions the intense hunt by teams for the next champion. "Development teams don’t want to miss the next gold nugget, the future Pogacar, the future Evenepoel. So as soon as a junior shows results, they sign him, but not all of us are like Pogacar or Remco."

Berg concludes with valuable message

"I don’t regret my choices," Berg continues. "It was a great experience. Maybe in two or three years I’ll try again. I’m still riding. I’m going to get an amateur license again. And when I train, I still wear my Quick-Step jersey." Finally, he wants to give young riders an important lesson. "I want to tell young riders to make the most of their junior years — they’re the best. And don’t give up on your studies. You need something to fall back on in case things go wrong — it’s just a cycling career," Berg wisely concludes.