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/