77. Thomas De Gendt: The Breakaway King vs. The Traka 360
In this episode, we sit down with Thomas De Gendt in Girona to discuss his transition from the pro road peloton to the world of elite gravel. 💪 We dive into his unique mental approach to suffering, how he prepares for 360km of brutal terrain, and what drives a legend to keep pushing his limits. 👑
📺 Watch the full action vlog on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/Ht0XMCSbnro
CHAPTERS 🏁
00:00 Transition from road champ to gravel
13:09 Founding the Powerplus team
23:07 Traka 360 Goals & expectations
32:00 Giro & Grand Tour years
35:00 Nutrition (The carrot diet)
38:00 Lotto days & the art of the breakaway
41:15 Watts vs. Data control
43:58 Breakaway strategy: 5-minute power secrets
46:15 Career power records
49:42 Safety and crash prevention in pro cycling
54:00 Peloton level improvement & rising dangers
56:42 Belgian cycling family tradition
59:40 Looking for young talent
1:01:36 Feedzone tactics for the Traka
1:05:42 Vision for Team Powerplus in gravel
1:09:58 Hybrid racing: Planning for Unbound
1:15:16 Closing questions: Rim brakes & Heat training
1:18:56 The viral Tour de France "Pee break" moment
1:20:55 Favorite routes around the world
🟩 GET TO KNOW CUSTOM 3D PRINTED SADDLES on https://posedla.com/https://www.instagram.com/posedla.cchttps://www.tiktok.com/@posedla.cchttps://www.strava.com/clubs/posedlaSOCIALS 💬Interview by Jirka https://www.instagram.com/jiriduzar/ 👤Thomas De Gendt: https://www.instagram.com/degendtthomas/Arno Van Den Broeck: https://www.instagram.com/arno.vdb/Powerplus Gravel Team: https://www.instagram.com/powerplusgravelteam/Shot and edited by https://www.instagram.com/adam_miklica/Additional footage by https://framehill.cz/