Cyclists who are also football fans won’t have to choose between the World Cup and training in 2026. You just need to plan properly. Here are three ideas on how to go about it.
Option 1: First the warm-up, then the kit, then the kick-off
If you’ve still got things to do on Saturdays, that doesn’t mean you have to miss out on training. Shopping in the morning, sorting out the flat, whatever – and then two to three hours on the bike in the afternoon. If you set off around 3 pm, you’ll be back in good time and, after a shower, you’ll even have time to cook something tasty. No guilty conscience, no compromises.
Option 2: A long ride, followed by a game of football with friends in the evening
For those who want to devote the whole day to cycling: an early start, a five- to six-hour ride, and then you’re completely knackered. In the evening, invite some friends round, fire up the barbecue, have a non-alcoholic beer to recover – and be sitting on the terrace just in time for kick-off. Your body’s had a good workout; the evening belongs to the match.
Option 3: Cycling to visit friends – out on Saturday, back on Sunday
The most logical solution. Invite friends who live further away over. Set off in the morning with enough time to spare for any mishaps, headwinds or coffee stops. You’ll arrive in the evening, have a shower, have a barbecue together in the garden, and on Sunday, cycle back – or take the train for part of the journey. The result: a whole weekend spent racking up plenty of kilometres, visiting friends and still managing to watch the match. Better than any compromise.
Germany are playing. Saturday is saved.
Sandra Schuberth
Editor
