Why are cyclists able to endure more pain than other athletes?

Falls in cycling are part of the daily routine, and yet the first reaction of the cyclist is always to get up, recover his bike, and return as soon as possible to a race that does not wait. A suffering that is part of the idiosyncrasy of this sport and leads cyclists to endure unimaginable pain in other sports disciplines.

Pain and epic remain essential in cycling

Stage 20 of the recently concluded Tour de France. Mauro Schmid was leading the peloton in pursuit of the breakaway to defend the overall classification interests of his teammate Ben O'Connor. Completely soaked after a heavy downpour, he loses the front wheel and suffers a spectacular fall while descending. Kilometers later, we see him not only catching up with the peloton again but also climbing back to the front to take charge of the pursuit.

Images that are hard to see in any other sport but deeply rooted in the cyclist's mentality in cycling: giving up is the last option, especially for that great middle class of the peloton whose palmares is not adorned with a myriad of personal victories but by those achieved by their leaders thanks to their hard work.

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Cycling is a sport where pain becomes the constant companion of the cyclist. Constant leg pain caused by intense training in a sport where they train three or four hours daily, rain or shine, which actually led to analgesics like the famous Tramadol being common a few years ago.

This daily coexistence with pain, combined with the adrenaline of competition, means that when a cyclist falls, the first reaction is to get up and go get his bike to rejoin the race as soon as possible. In fact, when this reaction does not occur, it is time to worry because the cyclist is aware that they have truly been injured. Nevertheless, there have been cases of cyclists with broken bones, like Joao Almeida during this Tour de France 2025, who have continued pedaling and tried to continue in the race by all means.

Being aware of the long and absorbing preparation necessary to arrive in top form at the start of a Tour de France is another reason why when a cyclist falls in a race like the Tour, they set aside the pain and try to continue competing at all costs to not waste those months of sacrifice. Also, let's not forget that in cycling, the race does not stop when a cyclist falls, so there is no choice but to ignore the pain caused by it and continue pedaling as soon as possible.

In fact, this philosophy of continuing at all costs is so deeply rooted that a couple of years ago, the UCI had to establish a protocol for checking after falls to ensure that the cyclist had not suffered a concussion. A protocol in which the referee judges have the power to withdraw the cyclist without giving them the option to continue in conditions that would put them in danger.

Even among the teams themselves, this philosophy of always continuing in the race is gradually changing and being replaced by the idea that if a cyclist has fallen, they will contribute little to the team's work and it is preferable for them to abandon the race to avoid further damage and recover from their injuries to return in full capacity as soon as possible. A paradigm shift that, while it may detract from some of the epic of a sport that has built its reputation around it, ultimately proves more profitable for teams that can have their riders in the best conditions to perform at their best.