According to André Greipel, Nacer Bouhanni confuses cycling with boxing. That may be closer to the truth than the German actually knew as Bouhanni is planning to have a career in the ring too.

Nacer Bouhanni has become known for his risky sprinting style and has made very few friends for his actions in the hectic finales. His rivals are unlikely to be surprised to find out what he wants to do after his cycling career.

“I’ll stop cycling around 32 years of age and that will leave me at least two years to go as high as I can in boxing,” Bouhanni told L’Équipe. “Just like as a cyclist, I’ll be 100 percent invested in it.”

Every winter the 24-year-old who will leave FDJ to join Cofidis, does a bit of boxing to maintain his condition and when he was a kid, he had a big talent as a boxer. 

“In boxing, your heart-rate gets up to 180 beats per minute very quickly, like in a sprint,” Bouhanni said. “It’s ideal for the transmission of energy, for strengthening your upper body and for strengthening your core. On the mental side of things, it helps me to master my emotions before unleashing all of my rage in the final 200 metres.”

Bouhanni recently announced his racing schedule for the first part of the season. You can read more about his plans here.