For a man who eschews social media like the plague (but has almost two million Twitter followers), Svein Tuft could rightly be described as a rare bird, especially cycling terms at least. A late starter in a sport that demands total dedication from a young age, the free-spirited Canadian rider has an intimate understanding of his body and what it needs. He wants to be healthy and fit once his career is over, which is at odds with typical approach of performance and results, health later. Oh yeah, your health! Yes, whilst Svein acknowledges the training requirements of a top flight professional cyclist, he is also very dialled into his health and general well being. Dichotomous perhaps?
Svein and Barry Murray make a formidable two-man forum on all things health and performance. And how I have enjoyed their podcasts of late, which you can find here. The podcast world is awash with content, some good, some bland, so some filtering is required. And Barry's "The Connected Athlete" is right up there with my limited group of favourites. For me, the best shows are the ones that follow a loose and free-flowing conversation and that is exactly what you'll find here. Reminds me of my high school geography teacher encourage us students to seek out tutorial information from National Geographic magazines instead of library text books. Sometimes you have to dig a little deeper.
While I won't rehash the show's content in print form, Svein and Barry's discussions align strongly with the Primal principles. Intuition and common sense are recurring themes, were going with the flow and embracing nature go a long way towards achieving peak athletic performance and optimizing general health. Which takes me back to memories of May 2017.
As the second largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, it was only a matter of time before Sardinia played host to the Giro d'Italia. The first few stages of Italy's national tour were held in and around the island last year, including a medium mountain stage finishing in the town of Tortolì. The racing was as one would expect in the Giro; fast and, in some cases, unpredictable. Business as usual for the peloton, albeit in a place normally a little removed from mainstream Europe.
For one rider, just being in Sardinia literally "made" his mornings. While most of his colleagues would lie in as late as possible, most often glued to their mobile devices, the rider in question would be up and out of the team hotel early, walking the 2km or so to the beach sans shoes. Once there, he would swim in the ocean and do some light yoga poses, before strolling back to the accommodation, ready to inhale the breakfast buffet and prepare for his day job of driving the peloton in service of others.
Yes, Svein Tuft might be an uber-domestique but there is much more to the man than simply pedalling pushbike.
Photo Credit: Mitchelton-SCOTT
