Rick Zabel is under contract with Team Israel Start-Up Nation. Photo: dpa
Frankfurt/Main (dpa) - Professional cyclist Rick Zabel does not believe that the young generation around Tour de France winner Tadej Pogacar and super-talented Remco Evenepoel will be able to reel off an entire career with the current energy.
"If you live for the sport every day like she does, I doubt that you'll still enjoy the sport at 36. If I lived like that, I would have lost the fun after just one year and would have hung up my bike," the 26-year-old Zabel told the online portal "Spox".
Zabel sat there "open-mouthed" when he saw Evenepoel ride this year, said the son of former top sprinter Erik Zabel. "I can imagine them riding at an absolute top level for up to five years, but maybe they'll be through in their late 20s and stop. Someone like Valverde, who has been at the front of the sport for what feels like 20 years, will no longer be around," said the professional from the Israel Start-Up Nation racing team.
© dpa-infocom, dpa:201204-99-569250/2
