Valtteri Bottas wins Kansas cycling race

Valtteri Bottas flew to America in advance and began preparing intensively for the upcoming US Grand Prix, to be held this weekend at the Texas COTA circuit. But while the Finnish Alfa Romeo racer is in a different state, in Kansas, where he went to the start of a bike race in the city of Lawrence yesterday.

It was a stage of the popular BWR series, where both amateur and professional cyclists participate, and depending on the training level you can choose the right distance.

Valtteri and his friend, Australian cyclist Tiffany Cromwell, chose to ride the 40-mile race, much of which was cross-country. He won, after which he noted that this was his first success in such competitions,

“The 40 mile BWR race was a breakthrough, I got my first win! And Tiffany let me win! Bottas remarked cheerfully. “But the most important thing is that we had a lot of fun.”

Valtteri also thanked Canyon for his support, as he not only rides his bikes, but also recently became the ambassador of this German brand. In an interview with the press office of the company dedicated to this event, he talked about how cycling helps him maintain the necessary physical shape.

“When I started cycling more than running, I quickly felt the benefits and really started to get into it,” said Bottas. – I often take the bike with me when I travel, because it allows you to discover new places and it is also a great way to train.

Now I already do cycling – mainly to test myself, and I especially like to race on clay tracks. And it’s also good that you can drink beer after the finish!

It is clear that Formula 1 and cycling are two completely different sports that require different skills. In F1, the highest skill is required, but the physical strain there is high and depends on the track. If you mainly feel pain in your legs and have trouble breathing while cycling, then in F1 your whole body hurts at the end of the race.

Due to the high g-forces in turns you will feel general fatigue, but the muscles of the neck suffer the most. You need a perfectly trained shoulder girdle, but the legs don’t have to be very strong. The brake pedal is very tight and applying pressure to it also requires some force, but these are different loads, not at all the same as on a bicycle.

I like that cycling improves my physical condition. Formula 1 racing requires good stamina as it lasts up to two hours and the two sports naturally complement each other. Cycling gives me more stamina, but cycling also relieves stress. If I feel some sort of psychological tension, then cycling is a great way to get rid of unnecessary thoughts.”

Alfa Romeo sincerely congratulated Valtteri on his success in the Kansas cycling race; they understand that the results of the team are directly dependent on the physical fitness of the riders, and in the case of Bottas you don’t have to worry about that.