Taco Van Der Hoorn's Life In The Peloton

Life in the Peloton is proudly brought to you by MAAP

Every few years, a special rider comes along who does things a little bit differently. My guest on this month’s episode of Life In The Peloton is one of those riders: Dutch legend Taco Van Der Hoorn.

Taco’s been a pro for almost a decade, and in that time he’s had some massive wins and more than his fair share of bad luck. From getting his hands in the air with a stage win at the Giro in 2021 to spending over 500 days out of racing with a nasty concussion, Taco’s lived through the beauty and brutality of the sport.

Earlier this year, I got to sit down with Taco and discuss not only racing, but what it means to be a pro cyclist, how he got to where he is today, and how his slightly different approach has given him such a long and fruitful career when, on paper at least, he doesn’t think he’d have a chance in the World Tour if he started riding today.

From training in Colombia with his neighbour Annemiek van Vleuten to studying for a degree in human movement before he even became a professional, Taco’s career has seen him ride for some of the biggest teams in the peloton and carve out a niche as a guy who can punch well above his weight.

Inspired by other free thinkers like Graham Obree and Jan Willem Van Schip, he recognised early on that there’s more to racing than just power numbers, and he’s used equipment, tactical nous, and determination to win some bloody big bike races and have a good time while he’s doing it. As he puts it, it’s about speed, not power.

Guys, get this episode on, make yourself comfortable, and listen to Taco’s tales from the Pelo. I loved chatting to him, and actually saw a lot of similarities in my own career and his, so this is well worth a listen.

Cheers,

Mitch

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