Many young boys fight through blood, sweat, toil and tears while dreaming about making it as a professional. Some of them will continue to work hard and dream big. Some of them will let go of that big dream and choose another path in life. Some of them will come to live that big dream. Sebastian Lander is one of those young boys who grew up to live it and is letting Cyclingquotes.com have a peek behind the curtains of his first year as a professional.

 

Written by  @TinaLevin

 

It all started when, at the age of twelve, Lander was invited to visit his grandfather in Spain to prepare for his 9th football season.  Being a former Danish Champion in cycling, Lander’s grandfather convinced the young boy to jump into the saddle as part of his preparations. Little did he know that his grandfather introduced him to what would turn out to be the journey of his life.

 

As Lander returned to Denmark he continued to spend a lot of time on his bike, going back and forth to football practice. However, it didn’t take long  before he started to see his bike as something more than just a means of transportation and he soon entered a couple of cycling races that all went well enough to convince him to pass the ball once and for all and get himself a racing license.

His first year turned out to be a tough one, but rather than scare him it left him wanting to succeed even more and his will and determination gave him not one, not two, but twenty 4th places, leaving him with an even greater desire to keep on challenging himself and see how far he could go.

 

From the age of 13 he gave cycling his full attention and it’s all been going in one steady direction since. The today 23 year old can look back at his teenage years knowing he claimed some nice titles. Not only did he win the European Youth Olympics Road Race at the age of 16, he also found himself on the podium claiming third place at the Junior Road World Championships during his first year as a junior. The results kept coming for the talented Lander as he the following year, 2009, claimed the rainbow jersey at the Junior Track World Championships Points Race in Moscow, Russia. As an U23 rider he claimed 8th place at the U23 World Championships and fought his way to the last step of the podium at the U23 Liège-Bastogne-Liège in 2010. In 2012 he won the U23 Danish Championships and the TTT with the continental team Glud & Marstrand – LRØ, now Team Cult Energy – Vital Water. These results clearly showed his talent and will to work hard, but he still surprised everyone when he followed in his grandfather’s footsteps and claimed victory at the Elite Danish Championships ahead of the professional Saxo Bank squad and the likes of Jakob Fuglsang.

 

An overwhelmed Lander found himself racing in the Danish colours and a year that felt much like a saga for the young talent topped off nicely as he soon found himself part of the highly respected BMC Racing Team.

 

”It’s about being ready to get your ass kicked.”

Lander clearly remembers the moment he signed his contract and his first training camp with his new team. Filled with excitement there was no room left for fear. He felt ready to take on his new challenge.

 

”When I noticed how fast they  were all going on their bikes on our first training camp I remember thinking ’Am I good enough for this?’, but I quickly told myself ’Yes, I am. Otherwise I wouldn’t be here’.  It’s not about being ready to hit the top ranks, it’s about being ready to get your ass kicked, pick yourself up and learn from it. It never scared me. I was ready,” Lander tells Cyclingquotes.com.

 

”The team’s already got their big names like Thor (Hushovd) and (Philippe) Gilbert who can win races for them. I’m here to assist and use that experience to keep growing and turn into the best rider I can possible be and BMC is giving me everything I need in order to do that. They’re giving me the tools and it’s up to me to do the work. I have the best support possible to get to where I want to be and that allows me to feel calm and confident in what I’m doing. I’m still learning. I’m still getting my ass kicked,” he says with a smile.

 

Meeting his new teammates for the first time, especially on a team where it seems like the rainbow stripes are more of a rule than an exception, Lander was happily surprised by the laid back and down to earth attitude that greeted him.

 

”I was riding next to Cadel Evans on our first ride together as teammates and he was talking to me like I’d been on the team for 5 years. Despite me being so new on the scene and him being a world champion with so much experience, he treated me with respect and helped me slip right into my new existence as a BMC rider. There are some very strong characters on the team, but there wasn’t an arrogant face to be seen anywhere. I felt right at home.”

 

His positive first experience with his new team added to his already firm belief that he made the right choice when moving onto the professional scene. Voices coming from the Danish national team advised Lander not to sign a professional contract for 2013, saying he wasn’t ready and needed another year to develop further and gain some more experience. Lander, though, never doubted the wisdom of his decision, not even for a second.

 

”I know myself better than anyone else. No one but me knows how I’m feeling inside and what goes through my mind. These people see me maybe 10 times a year and base their knowledge about me on that. I did what felt right.”

 

When asked if there’s been any moment during 2013 when he’s doubted his decision, Lander delivers a big solid “No”.

 

”Not for a second,” he says without hesitation. ”I actually think I should’ve taken the step earlier. Sure, it’s hard, but it’s not the nightmare it’s made out to be. At least not if you’re lucky to end up on a really good team  that takes care of you and makes sure you get what you need to grow.  I’m lucky like that. I’ve never had any regrets.”

 

Lander doesn’t feel the need to turn elsewhere for help or advice since BMC has got everything he needs, but he’s still in touch with his former trainer and good friend, Lars Brian Nielsen, whom he considers to be his biggest support ever throughout his career.

 

”Not only is he a mastermind when it comes to training, he also knows how to work with the psychological side of things. He’s simply brilliant and he’s also an amazing human being. I truly believe he’s the best trainer in Denmark.”

 

”It’s all hard work, experience and paying attention to details.”

As a young boy, playing football, his big dream was to move to Italy, have an Italian girlfriend and a Ferrari. He doesn’t own a Ferrari and he happily replaced his Italian girlfriend with a Danish one. However, he did get to cross Italy off his list, but it wasn’t all sunshine and blue skies making the move.

 

”That’s by far been the toughest part of all of this. I had an idea of how easy and wonderful it would be moving to Lucca, but it’s been a nightmare for quite a while.  It wasn’t until a couple of weeks ago that I started to feel at ease, like everything had fallen into place. I love living in Lucca, but for the Italians there’s no ’today’, there’s only ’tomorrow’. What normally takes a day or two to sort out in Denmark can easily take a month to sort out in Italy. I do take some pride in making it happen for myself in Lucca, although a little help would’ve been nice every now and then.”

 

Moving to Lucca hasn’t been the only challenge facing him as a professional. Weight has been an important and crucial factor for Lander’s further development as a cyclist.

 

”I love food. Before I joined BMC all I was focusing on was riding my bike. Now, I have to focus on riding my bike and lose weight and make those two work together. My weight’s definitely been one of my biggest challenges. Being 2 kilos too heavy didn’t really matter before, but now it can be devastating. At this level it’s the details that count. It’s hard, but I’ve got hands on experience now and I know what it takes to get to the top, it’s just about doing the work now. There’s been moments during a race when I’ve had what feels like 15 gels, but I still can’t go any faster and then one of my teammates comes up next to me and talks to me like he’s out taking a walk. All I can think is ’Are you kidding me? How can you even breathe right now?’ But it’s all hard work, experience and paying attention to details.”

 

Although he’s motivated and disciplined, Lander adds he’s nowhere near perfect.

 

”I just had a cookie with you, didn’t I?” he adds with a grin.

 

”I kept looking down at my team clothes, as if it were surreal.”

While the newly turned pro was still struggling to settle in in a new town and country the show had to go on and he was set to do his first race with the big boys. As he starts talking about his first race in his new team kit it’s easy to tell that it’s a very fond memory of his.

 

”There was quite a few climbs during the race and I knew it would be a tough one. I was nervous, excited and happy. A lot of feelings mixed together. I kept looking down at my team clothes, as if it were surreal, and I just saw our team logo ’BMC’ all over and to top it off I was racing in the Danish Champion jersey, so I was as proud as could be, but more nervous than I’d ever been before. I was even more nervous then than I’d been racing the World Championships.”

 

Lander crossed the finish line after six and a half hours, but despite the fact that he was drained for everything he had; he was still filled with the biggest feeling of joy and satisfaction.

 

”I had a friend waiting for me by the finish line and I couldn’t stop smiling at him,” he says just as a big smile appears on his face. ”Yeah, I was tired but I felt like I had just done the coolest thing ever. I was happy.”

 

In the second part of our Lander interview he’ll take us through his highs and lows of his first season on the professional curcuit.

 

“At this point my results say nothing about me as a rider.”

 

To be continued…

 

Written by  @TinaLevin